One more down…

A scarf for Trisha…

First, I have to explain some stuff about my extended family (this post’ll probably meander a bit). I’m one of the youngest of the cousins on my dad’s side of the family. At all the family gatherings, I always felt left out. The older kids were too old and the younger kids were way to young. I never really had anyone to talk to. It’s no wonder that my cousin Sean always associates me with having a my nose in a book (from the pre-knitting days).

My cousing Trisha and I, however, have a pretty special bond. It stems from a trip that I took my senior year of high school. We went to Ireland with my Grandfather.

Originally, I wasn’t supposed to go. It was supposed to be Trisha, my cousin Colleen and Grandad. Fortunately for me, Colleen had to back out. Grandad called my parents to see if I wanted to go. Since they thought it was a good opportunity (my grandfather was 79) and since I had plenty of money saved up, they agreed. A month later, we left.

Now, Trisha and I aren’t exactly two peas in a pod. She and her family are pretty religious. At this time in my life, I’d decided that religeon wasn’t for me (I just hadn’t told anyone yet). She’s 4 or 5 years older than me and at the time was working in Chicago. She listened to Josh Groban. I didn’t.

But got along splendidly! We searched for early (before 10) live Irish music together (for my grandfather), we shared some inside jokes at the expense of my grandfather’s driving skills (He frequently exclaimed “Damn clutch!” –oh and he lied to the rental company about his age so he would be able to drive…) and we ate some incredible yogurt (Sno Fruit Crumble. I tried finding a link, but I can’t. It saddens me to think that it is maybe no longer available. I kid you not, I had dreams about this stuff. It was so good!).

It was tons of fun and despite our differences, I really enjoy her company. It’s always so nice talking to her and she has such a great laugh. It’s also important to note that my grandfather made something like 7 or 8 trips to the emerald isle. We were priviledged to accompany him on his last. He died at 81. So, I thought I’d knit her something for christmas. It took me a while to decide on a design, etc, but I really like what I came up with.

The specs:

Pattern: I made it up. It’s 2X2X2rows of moss stitch over 22 stitches. Oh, and fringed.
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in a dark blue
Needles: US 10
Size: Long enough.
Time: Knit in two vacation days

And since I was at home when I made, this, I took advantage of my mom’s stampin stash and made her a card to go with… And I made it all by myself! It was hard. I definetly like the fiber arts better than the paper arts.

The little (ok, well thick) string tied to the top is some extra yards of the yarn so that if the scarf needs repair someday… also, the inside of the card has care instructions.

One christmas gift down. Lots more to go. (can you guess where I am in the photo below? I’ll give you a hint – it’s in Ireland!)

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