"I have a lot of old scarves that were
stored in a plastic box on a shelf in my closet. These are really very
old scarves that I have not worn for years and years."
In my previous "Old Scarf Box" posts, I talked mostly about what I am giving away. This time, I will share some keepers.
This scarf was a gift from one of my oldest friends. We both share a love of art and craft, and she has always been generous in her appreciation of my own fiber crafting. This was an early example of handicraft brought to our country from an organization similar to the Manos del Uruguay cooperative. (The name of the organization is lost to me. But I do remember that it was woven in a South American country, by a weaver who earned income, and hopefully gained financial security and self-esteem.) Though I have not worn it for a while, I know that I will keep it always.
My mother made this little neck scarf. She made a lot of them. I found her hand-written directions for this on a small piece of paper when I went through some of her knitting things. I think that she had them dictated to her by her older sister. I know that I have seen similar patterns around, but this is not a new design. If you look closely enough, you can see that an edge needs a little repair. Of course, I will always keep this one.
And now for something completely different:
I found this old tartan plaid scarf in my old scarf box. You could say that it is not of high quality: It is kind of scratchy and has a zig-zag stitched edge. I bought it somewhere, some time ago. I am sure that I bought it because I have always liked to wear a bit of red from time to time. It is photographed with my Tartan Mitt swatch and the leftover yarn that I am using to make myself a pair of Tartan Mitts. I just cast on the other day, and I Ravelry-named my project "Pop of Red".
The lesson for today: love the things you love because of why you love them. And: it is probably a good idea to go through your old things from time to time.
"I have a lot of old scarves that were
stored in a plastic box on a shelf in my closet. These are really very
old scarves that I have not worn for years and years."
In my first "Old Scarf Box" post, I told you about "the set" (now in a bag and ready to be donated).
More memories... I will try to be brief...
On the left side of the photo above is a smallish basket weave patterned (looks good on both sides) scarf in a silky and tweedy brown yarn (mostly acrylic). I knit a bulky, cropped sweater that I wore hundreds of times with one strand of that brown yarn and one strand (or was it two strands?) of natural wool worsted weight yarn. I remember wearing the sweater and scarf with a very long dark brown, and twirly, tweed coat. Back then, I made a lot of the clothes that I wore everyday.
My bulky 2 or 3 strand knit sweater is only a memory. Why have I kept this little brown scarf for so long?
The blue scarf is garter stitch, knit with a
slubby and tweedy novelty yarn that was bought for almost nothing at a
nearby fabric and yarn store going out of business (many years ago).
Not sure if I ever wore it. I do not remember wearing it.
I do remember wearing the manufactured knits in this photo. They were gifts. Once again I can actually see some wear in the gloves. But I have not worn them for years, and with all of my more recent handknits in abundance, I am certain that I will never wear them again.
There are no good reasons to keep any of the items shown here. They have been added to my Salvation Army bag.
My lesson for today is that now that there is some space in my old scarf box, I can better store some of my newer scarves.
I have a lot of old scarves that were stored in a plastic box on a shelf in my closet. These are really very old scarves that I have not worn for years and years.
Some were hand knitted. I made them many years ago. I pulled the box down because I remembered this set.
I was planning a design that I thought had something in common with these pieces. I did not get anywhere with that plan, but I also did not miss out on the learning opportunity that was in my box.
1) The mittens were actually used the most. The edges are grayed and fuzzy. Simple and practical items do get used.
2) I never wore the hat. I do not wear hats unless I really need to, and this particular hat was (from day one) very loose. It could use a band of ribbing. There is actually a seam (near bottom of photo) in this hat. I would never make a seamed hat now. Ill-fitting items with questionable construction will not be worn.
3) I do not remember wearing the scarf either. It looks OK, but has an edging that won't stop curling, or, I should say flipping. I don't really like the scarf. Right around the same time that I made this set, I also made another natural colored scarf -- all in seed stitch and with a light fringe. I wore it often, and I still like it best when I go skiing. I have a strong preference for scarves that look good on both sides and have neat edges. Sometimes good design is in the details. (And, in the case of the seed stitch scarf, I repeat: Simple and practical items do get used.)
Why have I kept this set for so long? Many times in recent years I have remembered this or that sweater that I knitted and loved, but that is now only a memory. It saddens me that, try as I might, I cannot remember when or why I gave up many items of my beloved knitting.
Of course the answer is that they no longer fit or flattered in terms of what was current. Or they showed signs of wear... graying fuzziness, spots or even holes. But I did let them go when it was time.
At opposite extremes are those that were loved and worn to death and those that were never quite right and eventually discarded.
I will donate the set to the Salvation Army Store. It is the right thing to do.
