Brian's Scarf

My friend Brian was graduating from law school, and I planned to attend the ceremony with a couple of friends. I decided I wanted to give him a small gift, but I was hard pressed for ideas. I Googled suggestions for gifts to law school grads, but all the suggestions were terrible—paperweights, pens, and such. I refused to give something so generic and meaningless, so I decided to knit a scarf and possibly a matching hat. I knew a knitted scarf and hat would be out of season in the May heat, but I went ahead anyway. The snag was designing a pattern that would work with typical lawyer attire. Most knitting patterns are too casual to be worn in a formal setting, and accessories are particularly tricky. Brian, who is tall and well-built, proved tricky to knit for. Then I spotted the diagonal knot stitch scarf, decided that was the one, and then discovered that it didn't work well with the yarn I wanted to use. I had purchased Cascade Yarns' Eco Alpaca, a gloriously soft and fuzzy baby alpaca yarn, since it was of a fine gauge and neutral color that would work well with a suit. I played around with different patterns and finally decided on a plain rib. It's not an exciting pattern, but it works well with the yarn and won't clash with other articles of clothing.

In the end, though, it didn't matter since he refused to accept the gift. Still, I can either give it to someone else or wear it myself. I must admit I was loath to part with the soft yarn.