Long Term Project: The Doctor Who Scarf

One of my goals for 2017 is to focus on big projects that I’ve been putting off or have put on the back burner. One of those projects is learning how to make batts on my drum carder. Another is finally darning that mountain of well-worn socks. And then there are other projects that have spent the past few years packed up in boxes. My season 16 Doctor Who scarf is one of these. 

I don't even have to look at my Ravelry notes to know that this is my oldest work in progress. The Bearded One bought me the yarn as a Christmas present years before we got married. I cast on in February 2009 (!!) and worked on it in spurts over the next year or two. It was good company to all my required reading college reading. The Scarf was several feet long by the time I put it down to work on other more interesting projects. It is nothing but garter stitch for literally miles of yarn after all. 2.62 miles of yarn if you want to be precise about it.

I wasn’t trying to break any speed knitting records when I started. I figured it would be something I’d pick up and work on whenever the mood struck. Though I didn’t think it would take 8 years. But, yarn as my witness, it will not take 9. And as it turns out, my brain and fingers are craving simple auto-pilot knitting. All I have to do is count the rows for each stripe. 

Since I pulled The Scarf out of WIP limbo a couple weeks ago, I've made good progress. Past me was super helpful and included The Scarf, the pattern - complete with detailed row count progress - an accurate row counter, and one ball of each color in the bag. Evenings with tv, movies, and audiobooks have seen the scarf grow from one third complete to not quite halfway done. And it’s already 80” long. 80” long. It already makes a pretty good blanket piled up in my lap. And I can wear it while I knit on it which is pretty cosy. I can only imagine what wearing it in its full tasseled glory will be like. Well, I’d better get back to the knitting if I going to be able to wrap up in it by next winter.