Showing posts with label Austen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austen. Show all posts

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Emma's Father

I've been watching the new BBC production of Jane Austen's Emma on PBS, Sunday nights. I was prepared to hate it - how could the two former productions - Kate Beckinsale's and Gwyneth Paltrow's - be bettered? But I actually like it. I like the way that they've tried to make Emma herself more like a young girl with more imagination and energy than her limited country life allows her to expend. And, of course, I like the fashions.

Mr. Woodhouse's scarf-shawl caught my eye immediately:

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So much so, that I went out the very next day after the first episode and bought the yarn from my LYS to begin a project to replicate it...

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It looks as wide as a shawl - at least twice as wide as a regular scarf, maybe more.

This is my plan... I used 3 skeins (250 yds ea) of Swan’s Island worsted in Robin's Egg blue and a size 8 Hiya Hiya circular needle.

I started with a cast on of 69, using one st on each edge for the edging and making the pattern on the remaining 67. After some experimentation, I ended up with 20 rows moss st and 12 rows plain (garter st.) knitting. I have done this four times for the end of the scarf, and now will knit moss stitch for the central part of the scarf - the part that goes around the neck - then repeat the pattern for the other end, ending with moss st.

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I do think I will put the fringe on the ends; I think it makes it look more old-fashioned.

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When I'm finished and have all the unexpected problems worked out, I will post this on Ravelry and here as a free pattern all nicely written up and printable.