Wave Scarf - A Memento of Australia

Anne Collins Australian Hand-dyed Merino
Colorway: Ocean

In 2016, I spent a good 5 weeks in Australia. It certainly wasn't long enough, but all fun things have to come to an end. While there, I spent some time at The Rocks and happened to meet a wonderful textile designer by the name of Ann Collins. She was friendly, helpful and oh... the items she had on display! It was so difficult to choose what items I wanted to bring home. I finally decided on two delicious skeins of yarn - one of her hand-dyed Australian merino and the other her hand-dyed mulberry silk. Ann also included a pattern with both skeins of yarn. I had decided when I returned home that I would look for the perfect pattern that would capture what I loved most about my stay there. I looked for awhile, gave up, and forgot about it. When cleaning my closet, I came across the bag of yarn and upon pulling it out, found that the perfect pattern was in the bag, all along. It was Ann's Wave Scarf pattern! I was entranced by the ocean and spent nearly every day by the water - either at Circular Quay or at Manly. This scarf has all the elements of the sea to me - the colors as well as the wave pattern.

I casted on and have been knitting on and off for awhile now. I haven't gotten a lot done, but have questioned my technique of the drop stitches. It looks messy to me and I'm not really sure how it should look, since I've never really done a drop stitch where you can see the yarn/stitch definition so clearly. I have also gotten my fingers caught in it and pulled the stitches, which gets frustrating. That's when it's time for me to set it aside. I have watched some YouTube videos to see if I am doing things correctly, and as far as I can tell, I am. I guess I'll just have to keep going, block it, and see the results. I know blocking can make all the difference. I had considered just ripping it out and making something else, but after seeing the videos, I think I'll continue and finish the scarf. The wool is so beautiful that I want to create something that will show it off.