Speckled Scarf

 

This morning while surfing over at  Purl Soho, which  is quickly becoming my fave knitting website, this simple but classic scarf caught my eye. It’s made with fingering weight linen yarn, and resembles woven fabric rather than knitted, I think. Equally suitable for women and men. Recommended needle size is U.S. 3.  The slip stitch pattern should go fairly quickly despite the fine yarn.

Funny, I just realized that with knitting as well as reading, I choose projects or books according to my current mood. It has to feel right, or I can’t drum up any enthusiasm. Lately, I’ve been going for wraps and scarves, even though I certainly don’t need more of those! What I most enjoy about knitting is watching the patterns and colors develop as I work. What kind of knitter are you?

World’s Oldest Woven Garment

The v-neck linen garment pictured above is a bit threadbare, but after all, it’s about 6,000 years old.  Excavated by Egyptologist Flinders Petrie in 1913 from a First Dynasty tomb at Tarkhan, an Egyptian cemetery located 50km south of Cairo, the dress was consigned to storage  with various other textiles until 1977, when the bundle was sent to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for conservation work.

Now on display at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London, the dress was made from three pieces of woven linen, with a natural pale gray stripe, and knife-pleated sleeves and bodice. Wear patterns in the cloth suggest that it was worn in life, not made as a grave  garment. Because the hem is missing, the original length of the dress is unknown, but its overall size suggests that it was worn by a slender teen or woman.

Interestingly,  the style of the Tarkhan dress  differs very little from styles of today. Perhaps someone will make a copy!

Espenson Drapey Tunic

Linen has become a new favorite of mine, since last year when I knitted  Espenson, shown here, and liked it so much that I made another in a different colorway. The yarn is Berroco’s Linsey, a linen/cotton mix, which knits up with great body and drapiness and comes in yummy solids and color blends. My first version looks exactly like the photo, an outcome that always makes me happy, but is never a sure thing!

Pattern available here