SURPRISE! - SA's B-Day Present

One of my favorite things to do is buy or make a present for someone while showing it to them and telling them it's for someone else. My aunt did this to me once when she was buying some horse figurines, and it was so great when I opened the present to see the horses that I had picked out for someone else were for me.

My latest knitting project was basically finished on September 21st, and I'm happy to report that it has been gifted to SA. I told her it was for a friend of mine who's birthday is coming up. I asked her opinion about it multiple times and tested it out on BB in front of her to see if it was long enough. It is a scarf/shawl made of light-minty-green, almost turquoise, fuzzy, soft yarn. I reinforced my lie by telling SA that I couldn't make something for her because I didn't want to step on her grandma's toes because SA's grandma knits her the most amazing scarves. Being the diplomat that she is, SA said, "That's OK. I have a whole trunk full of scarves."

Now the first time I told SA that I wouldn't make her anything because that's what her grandma did for her, she responded with a disappointed, "Ahhhhhhh...., but....."

SA then proceeded to get me a book on knitting for my birthday. I am a beginning knitter, and the book she got me is a great instructional flip book with all kinds of stitches and patterns and stuff. I can see it from where I'm sitting.

It dawned on me that it would be a big surprise if I did knit her something, so I set about designing something special for her. A lot of thought went into the design. It is a custom, one-of-a-kind scarf/shawl, or sharf, as I like to call these things that I make sometimes; long enough and wide enough to cover the shoulders and arms if needed, yet made from a yarn that allows for just wrapping it around a person's neck, if desired.

SA is a very strong, hard-working young woman. She takes her familial, school, and work responsibilities seriously. She is tough. She's also a great athlete and takes pride in being better than the boys in her current soccer league. I worry that she doesn't eat and sleep enough to keep up with all the demands that she has on her time, so I nag her about it. I think she's getting better at taking care of herself. She is also funny, kind, and loyal. SA has a heart of gold with an equally stellar mind. She is not perfect, but she is open with me about those things that trouble her. For all of her tough exterior qualities, I've seen a gentleness inside her that brings me to tears. In some ways, she reminds me of me when I was younger. I was never as good an athlete as she is, but I did dance and took great pride in doing my best. She is competitive and struggles with all the nuances involved with being competitive.

AS I was saying, though, for all of her tough exterior qualities, I wanted to honor her inner softer, feminine qualities. This was the inspiration for my design choices. I picked the softest green yarn that I owned and set to work. I wanted it to be a bit looser, so I chose a size 11 knitting needle to work with the yarn that is basically a thread with fuzzy fibers coming off of it.

The entire width of the sharf is 42 chains. I knitted two and purled two and repeated to come up with a pattern equaling 21 changes for 9 rows. Following that, I knitted for 22 rows planning on making a total of 88 rows of knitting separated with the 9 rows of alternating knitting and purling. I soon realized that I would have to make the sharf longer, so I added another 88 rows of knitting and one more set of 9 rows of the alternating pattern. So all in all the pattern is 9 rows of knit two, purl two making a pattern equalling 21 going across; 22 rows of knitting, another 9 rows of the knit two, purl two; 44 rows of knitting; 9 rows of knit two, purl two; 44 rows of knitting; 9 rows of knit two, purl two; 44 rows of knitting; 9 rows of knit two, purl two; 22 rows of knitting; and finally, 9 rows of knit two, purl two.

I had to redo the end where I bound it off because my stitches got too tight and it didn't match the ruffly other side. I'm glad I did that. It was a pain, but well worth the improved final version. That's right. I even made the sharf a bit ruffly.

BB delivered it to her on the day after her birthday, and she's called to thank me and tell me that I am really sneaky. Tee Hee. The weather has cooled off considerably, and I wonder if she's chosen to wear it anywhere, yet. I hope she likes it as much as she says that she does. I remember the first time I showed it to her telling her that I wasn't sure which project I was going to give to my friend. SA held the her sharf and said, "OOoooooo. sssooofffttt." :D

Here's to all my tough women friends. Please remember to honor your softer side, too.