Why are there so many scarves about rainbows?

The secret of Scarf 15? Rainbows. Pure rainbow happiness for cold little girls (or cheerful grownups). Scarf 15 makes me so happy. Henry says it is his favorite of all the ones I've made. I hope somebody nice gets to wear it someday. Someone who lets her friends wear it at lunchtime.

Here's the no-longer-a-secret rainbow ingredient: Rainbow Yarn!

See how nicely it plays with the soft and squishy turquoise yarn?

Here you can see the beautiful drape that the hand weaving makes possible:

And, oh that happy fringe! Here's a closer view of the fringe:

Happy happy, all around.

Scarf 15 is for sale in my Etsy shop.

the true meaning of unique

Do your Facebook friends like to share their pet peeves about misused words and phrases? Mine do, but I wonder if it's because so many of them are educators. One word that gets misused quite often is "unique." Many people use it to mean "unusual" when it really means "one of a kind." Dictionary.com defines unique as: "existing as the only one or as the sole example; single;solitary in type or characteristics."

Each of my scarves, like each of their owners, is unique. There may be others of the same color, others that do the same job, others that are just as pretty, but none that have the same combination of characteristics and quirks. How comforting that is! In a world where everything is mass produced, it's reassuring to know that uniqueness still exists - that it needn't become a synonym for "unusual."

I'm so accustomed to making things for people I know and thinking about how they will wear them that now I think about the imaginary someday owners of each of my scarves as I make them. I can't help but wonder if they'll love the color or the style or the length or the pattern. I imagine them throwing the scarf on over a simple outfit to feel pulled together or being grateful for the softness as they pull it up over their nose on the coldest February day. I'm so accustomed to making things for people I love that now I can't help but love these strangers, and feel so happy to be making something to make them happy. Every little unique scarf for every little unique someday owner = happiness.

Easy Being Green in Scarf Fourteen

In her profile for Ravelry (an online knitting community), my friend described her favorite colors as: "green, green, blue-purple, and did I mention green?" Scarf 14 was inspired by her unapologetic love for this most amiable color. Green is the color of new growth - so fitting for this project of mine involving so much personal growth. It is the first sign of spring poking through the muck of winter. Hello, green!

Lest this scarf take us into leprechaun territory, I mixed the bright Kelly Green (hey, my color!) with a variegated green & brown. It's still mostly green - the brown sneaks in through little dark stripes and subtler, lighter stretches - but it feels more appropriate for fall and winter. It will still perk you up on a dark day, but will actually go with your winter wardrobe.

Speaking of growth, don't you just love how the scarf grows from this tangle of yarns to the soft and suave accessory pictured above?

Scarf 14 was sold in my Etsy shop. It's going to be an early birthday present for someone who loves scarves and all things green. You can just imagine how happy that makes me.

This just in!

Look what arrived in the mail - my tax permit! That's right, folks - it's not all yarns and looms over here at One Hundred Things to Do - we've got some business going on!

But something else was delivered to my door that I'm equally excited about. Can you guess what it is?

It's a fringe twister! It's been taking me an hour or more to hand twist the fringes of my scarves, so I decided to invest in this little doodad. It cuts the fringe twisting time approximately in half, which means I can charge less for the scarf. Win win.

That there's the fringe on Scarf 13, looking all pretty in in brown and green. I don't think you've officially met, so here's a closer look.

Scarf 13 was a custom order - an ultra-skinny, ultra-long scarf in wool and cotton - and was sold on Etsy.

Sea Scarves in Captivity

Ah, remember back when Scarf 12 and 13 were little and used to take baths together? Those were the days. Not as cute as the one of you and your cousin in the bathtub with popsicles? You're right. They do look a little more like sea creatures than toddlers.

I'm not torturing them - just washing them for softness and to fluff up their fibers, allowing them to reach their full coziness potential.

loom in the morning light

Will the real Scarf 12 please stand up?

+++ Earlier today I published a post all about Scarf 12. If you're getting this via Reader, you've probably already seen it. The trouble with that post is that all the pictures weren't of Scarf 12, they were of Henry's scarf, which I grabbed by accident to photograph this morning. Oops! Here we go again - same story, different pictures. +++

Last winter I made a scarf for Henry (my better half) and everywhere he wore it people told him he looked like George Clooney. Henry looks nothing like George Clooney. What's up with this scarf? Magic, I think. Only answer that makes sense.

Of course I couldn't go too long without recreating the magic of the George Clooney scarf, so that all men (not just my husband) can have the good fortune to go around being mistaken for movie stars.

The secret is a silvery gray wool crossed with a variegated gray and brownish-olivish wool/acrylic blend. The result is a surprisingly sophisticated scarf with colors that shift in the light. Very adaptable, kind of like George Clooney.

Newlin the Cat is getting as close to it as possible so that he might be mistaken for George Clooney too. I don't have the heart to tell him the magic only works for people.

Scarf 12 is for sale in my Etsy shop.

My Constant Companions

Meet Audrey and Newlin, my roommates. They are very into sitting in my lap and have lately been ousted by the loom, which is sitting there instead. They are usually nearby when I am weaving and though it looks like they would get in the way of things, that's usually not the case.

Newlin really loves to climb into the loom when he can, or just sit next to it when it's filled with yarn. He doesn't mess with the yarn, just looks at it.

They're my constant companions and cheerleaders, but I totally understand that seeing cats near something they might put around their neck makes allergic people panic. That's why I offer a wash'n'send service for you allergic folks - just say the word and I'll make sure your scarf is cat hair free before I send it your way.

I should also note that they don't usually snuggle up to the yarn, the way Audrey is doing up above. This is a rarity (and for me a very cute one), which is why I caught it on camera.

And Now For Something Completely Different: Scarf 11

If you've been here before you've probably figured out that I'm a sucker for smooth, subtle neutrals - scarves that wow with texture and form rather than in-your-face color. It's just how I roll. Until now.

Meet Scarf 11: Miss Pom Pom. I've never been able to resist this pom yarn - it's just too fun, isn't it?

Here's our friend Miss P on the loom:

The warp yarn is a cotton/acrylic blend that's soft and squishy - it's one of my go-to yarns for knitting baby things and a perfect match for the poms.

One of my favorite things about Miss P is the variety of textures. I pulled all the poms on top of the scarf as I was weaving, so one side is a field of soft squishiness. The other side shows off more of the weaving, resulting in little scattered patches of threads. They're both soft, of course, but the differences gives the scarf a little more interest, possibly even (dare I say it?) a little more sophistication.

Everyone who has met Scarf 11 has fallen in love. Some have squealed and run right over to savor her plushness (not just teenagers - think women in their 60's). I can't wait to see who takes her home.

Scarf 11 is available for sale in my Etsy shop.

In the Pink

This afternoon I took advantage of Texas' tax free weekend to pick up a few new duds. My mom encouraged me to get a shirt with a mauve and pink paisley pattern. I usually shy away from warm colors, thinking they don't look good with my skin tone, but she convinced me. I loved it so much that I immediately removed the tags and wore it out tonight. Later, when I was hanging it up in my closet, I was startled by how much it stood out against all the blacks, blues, and grays of my wardrobe. Not a pink, purple, or red in sight. Until tonight.

I thought back to my post about Scarf 5, in which I said "I'm not a pink person. I don't believe I own a single piece of pink clothing." Boy, have things changed in just a few short days! I think this scarf project is shaking things up for me.

I am dressing in the pink and I am feeling in the pink. Thank you, scarves!

Scarf 7: Rainbow, meet Rain Cloud

Wouldn't Scarf 7 look great with a denim jacket? My cousin Zak says it's perfect because the colors are happy but not too bright. My mom says it's perfect because it's not too wide, so you can loop it around and around your neck.

I had such fun weaving Scarf 7 because the stripes are all one yarn, making it fun to see what's coming next! And I love the way the colors interact with the silvery gray lengthwise yarn (warp yarn).

You can find Scarf 7 for sale here, in my Etsy shop.

Scarf 6: Brown and Blue and Soft All Over

I tried a new design for the borders on Scarf 6. It brings in a little extra of the blue/green/teal yarn and adds a little something special that's hard to put your finger on.

Subtlety is the name of the game with Scarf 6, who I can see comfortably flopping around an Ivy League campus, surprising those who come near with its tealy charm.

Scarf 6 is currently for sale here, in my Etsy shop.

Scarf 6 was also featured in a Treasury List!