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Last year one of my my favourite authors, Seanan McGuire was one of the Guests of Honor at Continuum, a speculative fiction convention. (What? You’re surprised I’m one of those Geeks?) As if that wasn't enough to get me searching for travel tickets, turned out my friend Dr Jodes (yes that Dr Jodes) was also going to be there, taking the Australian book industry by storm and capturing fantasy/romance lovers’ hearts forever more.
I was going, no question about it. Cats, zombies, faeries, lots of smart nerdy talk for hours PLUS a well grounded excuse to sit on my duff and knit for three days? Dream. Come. True.
Also, my Father in Law was going to be visiting just after getting back from the convention. I’m not sure what your FiL is like (assuming you have one), and I admit I only have this one to base my expectations on, but mine is pretty darn cool. I figure he’d have to be to help create the awesomeness that is Liebling. Someone this cool needed a cool hand knit pressie and decided that I would use my panel listening time to knit him something.
Maybe a pair of socks? Those are always good for times when you don’t want to have to pay too much attention to what your hands are doing.
Problem: This was supposed to be a surprise and I had no clue what size foot FiL had. Also, FiL is pretty smart and knows I'm a Knitter. I didn't want to risk FiL cottoning on (or maybe woolening on?) to my cunning plan. There is no guarantee his son's ability to watch something being made for him for months without realising IT’S ACTUALLY FOR HIM until you hand it over insisting this is the case came from FiL.
So no socks. No problem. Maybe a hat?
FiL is from Perth. I’m not entirely sure how Perthheat weather works, but I don’t know if it gets cool cold enough for wooly hats. Also, not everyone wears them and though FiL and I get on splendidly, I’m not sure he’s a hat kind of guy.
So hats were out of the running too. I started pondering what I knew about FiL. He loved his grandchildren, he was pretty darned funny, he used to work in broadcasting, he’s a geek. Then it hit me, like a TARDIS being driven by that Scottish Guy. I’d make him The Scarf.
You know the one I mean - the epicly long striped scarf worn by Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor in Doctor Who. It was perfect. Even if Perth didn’t cool off enough to wear such a thing, it could be a decoration on the back of a chair or hanging off a clock.
It was decided, I was going to make FiL The Scarf.
Now, for those of you who are clever enough to notice, The Scarf is pretty effing long. It’s part of what gives The Scarf the authority to be capitalised, and for you to hear the capitalisation in its name. It’s several meters long of pure garter stitch.
Because I’m me, this next bit shouldn't surprise you at all (I certainly didn’t think twice about it). I was completely convinced I’d be able to complete a multi-metre-long scarf in a 3 day weekend. I was going down on the train, sitting on my butt all day Saturday and Sunday, and coming back home on the bus sunday - plenty of time to knit several meters of fabric, I was sure of it.
Sure, I’d read tweets and posts from other geeky knitters about how it took them several months to knit The Scarf. But they all must have been knitting The Scarf at home, where there are distractions like laundry and kiddos and Real Jobs, not at a Convention surrounded by the magic that is other geeky people. No, I would knit The Scarf all in that weekend, no worries.
Also, because I’m me, I decided I was going to make my own pattern from researching photos of The Scarf in action, rather than trust that some pattern floating around the internet was authentic. (Nevermind that other very trustworthy, detail oriented, cosplay loving geeks likely had a hand in creating the patterns already out there. I’m sorry fellow geeks, this was nothing on you, and totally my geek side in overdrive.) I found a collection of photos of Tom Baker and The Scarf and calculated out how long the scarf should be, roughly, how much yarn I should need, and I went shopping.
I had to order online to get the amounts I needed (remember epicly long scarf). When the yarn arrived I was so excited that I cast on immediately, even though the convention was a week or two away. One evening’s worth of knitting got me this far.
By the next night I’d managed a fair bit more. The Scarf was about as long as my leg (I am not short by any means), but I hadn’t even completed the first quarter of the length I’d charted out.
That nagging voice of reason inside my head started poking at me. Are you sure you can get this done before FiL arrives in three weeks? You’ve got a looooooooong way to go still. I ignored the nugget of worry that was forming in my gut and kept on stitching away, at a reasonable but restrained pace. (I didn’t want to run out of project before I got to the convention, of course.)
The Monday before the convention I’d managed nearly one quarter of The Scarf. Here it is laid out on the benches at a local cafe, for a bit of scale. It was getting so big that, between it and the remaining yarn, I had to clear out my market basket to carry it around.
The time for Continuum came around and I lugged carried with me The Scarf and it’s assorted bits. The weekend was fabulous. The panels were amazing, Seanan was amazing, Dr Jodes was Amazing, and I even found a group of stitchers to hang with. Here we are taking up the entire front row of the main ballroom for a panel about zombies and women in zombie fiction.
I knit on The Scarf the entire weekend. I am not kidding when I say this, I am not over stating the truth. My hands were going non-stop. If I was sitting, I was knitting. If I was standing still I was knitting (this includes in the lifts). There were times I was knitting while I was walking. I had a mission and no TARDIS or time-turner to help me find a few extra minutes to knit. It was right then, or never.
Unsurprisingly, did not manage to finish it. I did, however, get labeled as “The woman knitting The Real Tom Baker Scarf”. I’m not bragging. (Yes I am, who am I kidding?) By the time I had to get on the bus back to Sydney from Melbourne I had managed nearly three-quarters of The Scarf, and I was panicking a little. This was not helped by the driver refusing to let me take my knitting into the bus with me (he insisted I had to put it under the bus, with the suitcases) because, get this, it wasn’t ALLOWED during the ride.
I did not, even in my state of increasing panic that I wouldn’t have The Scarf completed in time for FiL’s visit, mame the driver, DESPITE the 9 hour long ride back to Sydney. I deserve a cookie for that. Or maybe just some yarn.
In the end I did not have the scarf completed before FiL arrived for his visit. Turns out Liebling’s ability to not realise something being knitted on in front of him is for him came from FiL, and I spent the first day of his visit finishing the last length of the scarf in front of him. Here’s a photo of the finished scarf, DOUBLED OVER, across the floor of the house we were staying in, and a photo of the fringe.
And this is FiL, with The Scarf. Pretty dashing, I think.
P.S. If anyone is curious how you calculate yardage/meterage/etc for a recreation project from images let me know. I’m happy to do a tutorial post on this.
P.S.S. I’ve fixed the issue with the comment function. It works now - leave me a comment about something you’ve knit at a convention or a meeting or conference! I’d love to know.
Enjoying the blog?
It takes a lot of caffeine and yarn to make this happen! ;)
Last year one of my my favourite authors, Seanan McGuire was one of the Guests of Honor at Continuum, a speculative fiction convention. (What? You’re surprised I’m one of those Geeks?) As if that wasn't enough to get me searching for travel tickets, turned out my friend Dr Jodes (yes that Dr Jodes) was also going to be there, taking the Australian book industry by storm and capturing fantasy/romance lovers’ hearts forever more.
I was going, no question about it. Cats, zombies, faeries, lots of smart nerdy talk for hours PLUS a well grounded excuse to sit on my duff and knit for three days? Dream. Come. True.
Also, my Father in Law was going to be visiting just after getting back from the convention. I’m not sure what your FiL is like (assuming you have one), and I admit I only have this one to base my expectations on, but mine is pretty darn cool. I figure he’d have to be to help create the awesomeness that is Liebling. Someone this cool needed a cool hand knit pressie and decided that I would use my panel listening time to knit him something.
Maybe a pair of socks? Those are always good for times when you don’t want to have to pay too much attention to what your hands are doing.
Problem: This was supposed to be a surprise and I had no clue what size foot FiL had. Also, FiL is pretty smart and knows I'm a Knitter. I didn't want to risk FiL cottoning on (or maybe woolening on?) to my cunning plan. There is no guarantee his son's ability to watch something being made for him for months without realising IT’S ACTUALLY FOR HIM until you hand it over insisting this is the case came from FiL.
So no socks. No problem. Maybe a hat?
FiL is from Perth. I’m not entirely sure how Perth
So hats were out of the running too. I started pondering what I knew about FiL. He loved his grandchildren, he was pretty darned funny, he used to work in broadcasting, he’s a geek. Then it hit me, like a TARDIS being driven by that Scottish Guy. I’d make him The Scarf.
You know the one I mean - the epicly long striped scarf worn by Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor in Doctor Who. It was perfect. Even if Perth didn’t cool off enough to wear such a thing, it could be a decoration on the back of a chair or hanging off a clock.
It was decided, I was going to make FiL The Scarf. Now, for those of you who are clever enough to notice, The Scarf is pretty effing long. It’s part of what gives The Scarf the authority to be capitalised, and for you to hear the capitalisation in its name. It’s several meters long of pure garter stitch.
Because I’m me, this next bit shouldn't surprise you at all (I certainly didn’t think twice about it). I was completely convinced I’d be able to complete a multi-metre-long scarf in a 3 day weekend. I was going down on the train, sitting on my butt all day Saturday and Sunday, and coming back home on the bus sunday - plenty of time to knit several meters of fabric, I was sure of it.
Sure, I’d read tweets and posts from other geeky knitters about how it took them several months to knit The Scarf. But they all must have been knitting The Scarf at home, where there are distractions like laundry and kiddos and Real Jobs, not at a Convention surrounded by the magic that is other geeky people. No, I would knit The Scarf all in that weekend, no worries.
Also, because I’m me, I decided I was going to make my own pattern from researching photos of The Scarf in action, rather than trust that some pattern floating around the internet was authentic. (Nevermind that other very trustworthy, detail oriented, cosplay loving geeks likely had a hand in creating the patterns already out there. I’m sorry fellow geeks, this was nothing on you, and totally my geek side in overdrive.) I found a collection of photos of Tom Baker and The Scarf and calculated out how long the scarf should be, roughly, how much yarn I should need, and I went shopping.
I had to order online to get the amounts I needed (remember epicly long scarf). When the yarn arrived I was so excited that I cast on immediately, even though the convention was a week or two away. One evening’s worth of knitting got me this far.
By the next night I’d managed a fair bit more. The Scarf was about as long as my leg (I am not short by any means), but I hadn’t even completed the first quarter of the length I’d charted out.
That nagging voice of reason inside my head started poking at me. Are you sure you can get this done before FiL arrives in three weeks? You’ve got a looooooooong way to go still. I ignored the nugget of worry that was forming in my gut and kept on stitching away, at a reasonable but restrained pace. (I didn’t want to run out of project before I got to the convention, of course.)
The Monday before the convention I’d managed nearly one quarter of The Scarf. Here it is laid out on the benches at a local cafe, for a bit of scale. It was getting so big that, between it and the remaining yarn, I had to clear out my market basket to carry it around.
The time for Continuum came around and I lugged carried with me The Scarf and it’s assorted bits. The weekend was fabulous. The panels were amazing, Seanan was amazing, Dr Jodes was Amazing, and I even found a group of stitchers to hang with. Here we are taking up the entire front row of the main ballroom for a panel about zombies and women in zombie fiction.
I knit on The Scarf the entire weekend. I am not kidding when I say this, I am not over stating the truth. My hands were going non-stop. If I was sitting, I was knitting. If I was standing still I was knitting (this includes in the lifts). There were times I was knitting while I was walking. I had a mission and no TARDIS or time-turner to help me find a few extra minutes to knit. It was right then, or never.
Unsurprisingly, did not manage to finish it. I did, however, get labeled as “The woman knitting The Real Tom Baker Scarf”. I’m not bragging. (Yes I am, who am I kidding?) By the time I had to get on the bus back to Sydney from Melbourne I had managed nearly three-quarters of The Scarf, and I was panicking a little. This was not helped by the driver refusing to let me take my knitting into the bus with me (he insisted I had to put it under the bus, with the suitcases) because, get this, it wasn’t ALLOWED during the ride.
I did not, even in my state of increasing panic that I wouldn’t have The Scarf completed in time for FiL’s visit, mame the driver, DESPITE the 9 hour long ride back to Sydney. I deserve a cookie for that. Or maybe just some yarn.
In the end I did not have the scarf completed before FiL arrived for his visit. Turns out Liebling’s ability to not realise something being knitted on in front of him is for him came from FiL, and I spent the first day of his visit finishing the last length of the scarf in front of him. Here’s a photo of the finished scarf, DOUBLED OVER, across the floor of the house we were staying in, and a photo of the fringe.
And this is FiL, with The Scarf. Pretty dashing, I think.
P.S. If anyone is curious how you calculate yardage/meterage/etc for a recreation project from images let me know. I’m happy to do a tutorial post on this.
P.S.S. I’ve fixed the issue with the comment function. It works now - leave me a comment about something you’ve knit at a convention or a meeting or conference! I’d love to know.
Enjoying the blog?
It takes a lot of caffeine and yarn to make this happen! ;)
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