On managing my expectations...

My sweetie loves hexagons.

So when the Fall knitty came out, I was quite certain that her xmas present would have to be this shawl but as a scarf, and from some vegan material. We were yarn shopping, and she swooned over a certain linen. Being a bit of a trickster, I convinced her she would never use the linen, and I bought a couple of skeins when she wasn't looking.

I e-mailed the Hex designer and told her my intention: to change her shawl into a scarf, and knit it with a fingering linen. She was very helpful and willing to answer all of my questions and concerns. At first, this task seemed possible, something i could make happen, but the longer I sat without starting the project, the more daunting it became. I was nervous and got a bit down on my knitting self. By this point, it was already December, and I hadn't even cast on.

And so, i had to re-examine my project and intention, then accept that I needed to look for something else. I started to comb Ravelry for linen scarves, and found a Seafoam linen that seemed like just the thing...especially since I had let my anxiety get in the way of starting my project, and it was dangerously near my departure date.



And so I started to knit and knit and knit. Everywhere. On the subway and while waiting for things to start, and on the plane to Los Angeles. I knit on the couch and before bed, when waking up and while waiting for my coffee to happen in my wee french press. I finished the scarf in *just* 8 days! This is a record for me. I've never finished a knitting project so quickly, and it was so satisfying to go from start to xmas present in a fat week.

It turned out to be just the thing, too. It's summer in New Zealand, after all, and the scarf was light enough for the season on the water. The linen, while tough on the hands, turned to magic after blocking--a beautiful drape, a lovely quick lace knit.