Lessons learned

So one afternoon I was showing my mum some crochet projects I was pondering. When we got to the Lost in Time scarf, her face lit up and she exclaimed, “I’d almost learn how to crochet to do that scarf!” I took the hint.

A few words about my mum: she’s very likely one of the top ten knitters in the world. This is no exaggeration. Kaffe Fassett, who is notoriously choosy about his employees and makes them jump through several tortuous skill tests before even letting them in the door to interview, once offered her a job on the spot after seeing her handiwork at a book signing. She is tremendously good. So… no pressure.

After locating the yarn I wanted, I started on the scarf. But when I had finished the first section, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the results. The grey and brown yarns were too light and contrasted too much with the blues, purple, aqua and reds. So I sent away for darker grey, dismantled what I had done so far and started again.

But in my second attempt, I made two mistakes: first, I followed the pattern blindly as to what hook size to use. It made the stitches look lovely, but the end result was too stiff. Second, I made a bone-headed move in the beginning that really messed up the scarf’s shape. I didn’t worry too much, because I had crocheted items in the past that looked wonky until I blocked them and they corrected into the right shape. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen this time – at all. So I had to undo all of that work.

On my third try, I ignored the pattern’s recommendation and went with a larger hook size. What a difference! I could tell immediately that this scarf would drape so much better. And I paid intense attention to the initial stitch counts, so this iteration actually turned out as it should.

This took ten skeins of Scheepjes Catona (three grey and seven other assorted colours), which I got here: https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/ and a 5mm hook.

The pattern is here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lost-in-time