Every so often you hear from a friend from the past.  This was the case the day I received a lovely message from a colleague who had retired a few years before me suggesting a get together.  She thought of me in particular as, like all of us seniors who are trying to keep our bodies and minds moving, she wanted to learn something new.  She must have remembered that I crocheted as her suggestion was that we meet, chat of course, and I teach her how to crochet.  Perfect, I thought.

My friend had a specific pattern in mind, (Lion Brand’s [free] crochet pattern, crochet lace scarf) so I asked her for it to prepare for the lessons.  I, myself have not crocheted in years.  I do feel pretty confident with basic skills of crochet but it’s another thing to teach another.  I wanted to be more prepared in the specific skills required for this.  So, I grabbed yarn from my leftover stash, an off-white worsted weight wool from Galway and set out to practice.  I must say I thought the process fun, fast, and pretty.  So, I kept going.

When I was finished and tried on the scarf, it was way too elastic for me.  True I hadn’t woven in the ends, yet but I was not liking the pulling.   The pattern called for a bulky weight yarn, I had used worsted weight.  Maybe, that was the cause.  So, to solve the issue, I researched crochet finishings, chose a pretty picot edge and crocheted it around the entire scarf (all four sides) giving it the body I like in a garment and the secure feeling that it would keep its shape.  I purposely chose this edging as a compliment to the delicate nature of the pattern stitch.

(Look at the difference between the picot edging on the left versus the unfinished look of the right side.)

Here I am in the gardens in front of our house on a cool summer morning with my finished scarf.  Not only do I have this new accessory in my wardrobe but it will remind me of a friendship renewed.