Knitting Scarves

I have not been making many dolls lately, instead I have been spending this summer vacation (school starts August 20!! Yikes!) sitting on the porch with my husband. We bought binoculars and have been passing every afternoon watching the birds and/or reading/listening to audiobooks.  Very peaceful. But having one of those annoying Type A personalities I find I still need to be doing something with my hands. So I decided to knit scarves for each of my children for Christmas. I made the scarf below for myself to test the pattern. I would need to make 6 more so the pattern could not be too complicated!

The pattern is a basket weave which I like because it becomes reversible.  Currently I am knitting scarf #4 of my goal of 6 scarves by the end of the summer.

Here is the pattern if you are interested:
Size 8 knitting needles
Cast on 32 stitches
Garter stitch (knit across) first 4 rows then follow basket weave pattern below:
Rows 1-5  Knit 8, *(purl 4, knit 4) repeat from * until end of row
Rows 6-10 *(Knit 4, Purl 4) repeat from * until there are 8 stitches left, Knit 8
Repeat this pattern until the desired length then, Garter stitch the last 4 rows, bind off.

I am making the scarves out medium weight #4 yarn. You will need approximately 395 yards depending on how long you want your scarf. My finished scarf is about 6 1/2 inches wide and 76 inches long. You do not need to block this scarf.

Polar: Arctic Ocean Mermaid

I finished my third mermaid today. Her name is Polar because she is holding a polar bear cub! Each mermaid is named after what they are holding or the ocean they represent (or should I day "live in"!). This mermaid's tail is made from deep purple wool overlaid with a white lace. Her bodice is the same deep purple wool as her tail sans the lace. On her bodice is a vintage pin (another from my grandmother's old costume jewelry box that I was fortunate to inherit).  Some of the rhinestones were missing from the pin, so I embellished it with purple beads. Her hair is hand-spun yarn that is very soft. It is 40% angora (bunny) and 60% merino (sheep) which translates to 100% yummy! I bought this yarn at the NH Sheep & Wool festival and have been saving it for the right doll.

As with the other two mermaids, Polar has a needle felted head and upper torso and a stuffed fabric tail. The little baby polar bear cub is entirely needle felted

Here is a picture of the three mermaids on the closet door in my studio. Pearl (Atlantic Ocean), Pacifica (Pacific Ocean) and Polar (Arctic Ocean). Only one left to create- Indian Ocean- think of the possibilities!