I first mentioned the problem here on December 30th. Middle nephew requested a shark scarf to go along with his shark hat. (I finished up shark hats for his younger brothers in January.)
How does one make a shark scarf? There were some patterns, but I didn't think they worked well with the hat. Not as an ensemble. And the request was for an ensemble, kind of.
By last week I had kind of given up. I went out and bought some heavier weight yarn than the hat, but in the same color, so they would work together. My thought was I would knit a triangle-type stitch pattern to mimic teeth and call it a day.
On Thursday at work, I had some time and internet access. On a whim, I searched "shark tooth knitting pattern". The "tooth" part is different than the previous searches. Well, that, and I had specifically searched "scarf".
I found a very interesting scarf in that search, but it was on Pinterest, and Pinterest was blocked at school. But that led me to looking at the page from that search, which got me to this post with a bunch of shark knitting patterns, and that led me to the shark blanket. (Sorry, this link is only visible if you have a Ravelry account, but the shark blanket is on the previous link if you scroll down the page a bit.)
The shark blanket was made using a washcloth pattern. They made twelve blocks, tiling them 3 x 4. One column could work as a scarf...
And an idea was born.
Alas, the yarn I bought would have made those blocks 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, which is way too wide for a scarf.
But... If I do the blocks sideways, the width works for me, and I'd have to make fewer of them to complete something scarf length.
(It's either that or buy finer yarn. I'm not buying finer yarn.)
I finished my first block on Friday...
I think I'm going to add a couple rows on the bottom and top just to give the shark a bit more "breathing room". But otherwise I think I've got it. The back even works...
The plan is to knit five of these, sew them together, alternating "right" and "wrong" sides (because scarf), and hope that middle nephew likes it.
I'll show it off when finished.
(There were a few turtles sunning themselves while I took photos...
I couldn't resist including the picture.)
It's nice to have a plan. Now that I have a plan, it shouldn't take too long to complete the scarf. It's the planning that takes forever.
It's the same for quilting, once it's out of your head, it can be very quickly done. This pattern is fun for a scarf. Love the turtles, of course!
ReplyDeleteI like it! And I think your nephew will like it too! I look forward to seeing the scarf when it is completed!
ReplyDeletebetty
Nice! And thanks for sharing the turtle photo. :) They are one of my favorite creatures.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to include more in the future :)
DeleteGlad you found your shark pattern.
ReplyDeleteMaybe turtles are next?
Just keep plugging away cos like all those threads haves to lead somewhere!
ReplyDeleteMe too :) I'm hoping it'll be as good as I envision in my head.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really neat looking. Also, nice turtles!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed.
DeleteGreat idea. Solves the problem perfectly :) I like the idea of turning it - actually think that's a better option for a scarf anyway.
ReplyDeleteHow cool they are!
ReplyDeleteTurtles have an elegance about them.
Thanks.
DeleteBeautiful ❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteIt's a shark, I think we will need a bigger boat! haha. Great job. I love seeing the turtles laying around on logs while sunning.
ReplyDeleteIn a couple months, all the little bitty turtles are all over the place.
DeleteHmmm, to me it's difficult to see the shark but that could just be my eyes (or my laptop monitor). It's definitely an interesting pattern.
ReplyDeleteIt's subtle. I think it pops better on washcloth cotton at a smaller gauge. But it'll work for my purposes.
DeleteHow did we live without the Internet? There's only been a couple times that I remember Google not coming up with something. Your nephew is so lucky to have you for an auntie.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!!!
ReplyDeleteWow! that's pretty cool. I love that you can see the shark in the pattern. i bet he will love it
ReplyDeleteHopefully.
DeleteI clearly see the shark pattern (both sides) in your knit. How fun!
ReplyDeleteI think some monitors are brighter than others. It is subtle.
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