Plaid. Really.

so, there's this project i started before christmas. it was intended to be a gift... a scarf, that's all. simple, right? well, see, it's for my dad, and i wanted it to be awesome enough to be a dad-worthy gift. solution: knit a Cape Breton tartan scarf.

now, i didn't really realize what would be involved in this when i embarked on this little knit-venture. i mean, scarves take no time! i've got a couple of weeks - i'll be done with time to spare! *sound of sealing my own fate*

turns out i had to knit all of the lengthwise stripes of the pattern first, then darn in the horizontal ones. i should maybe mention that i don't work with any particular speed. i'm working on that, but, well....

so, i make my individual vertical strips. 15 of them, in varying widths according to my (made up) pattern. that's about as far as i got by the time christmas day rolled around. and i TRIED. i was knitting everywhere: on planes, in the car, while watching movies. i was a machine! but, alas, i just straight up didn't start this sucker early enough. because then came THE DARNING.

THE DARNING deserves caps because it's driving me insane. that's right: present-tense. i'm still working on it. originally i figured i'd swiss-darn the horizontals in. that wasn't right because i didn't want them to appear only on one side. so i tried my own (again: made up) method. it was ok. i went for about, oh, 50 painstaking rows, had an epiphany (knitpiphany?) and decided to rip all of the horizontals out (it was TERRIFYING) and start afresh with a new technique it's working out much better. i mean, this b*tch actually kind of looks like tartan now. it's a slow process, though, so i'm starting to feel frustrated. honestly, i just hope i finish it before winter ends, and Dad won't be able to use it.

[this is what ambition looks like: a partially-finished plaid scarf and the fear of god behind my dilated pupils.]