I decided to branch out from the circular to the linear for a number of reasons. Firstly, one of the lovely folk on the Folksy forums suggested that perhaps my shop could do with a bit more variety in terms of stock. I agree entirely, although I do rather love hats. Secondly I had a crazy impulse buy of some Debbie Bliss Como wool which is the most gorgeous, snuggly wool I've ever worked with(90% merino, 10% cashmere).
Financially it wasn't the smartest of moves because the wool alone cost nearly £20 which isn't great for a hand knitted accessory (people do seem to be expecting high street prices despite the fact that (i) mass produced accessories are often machine knitted so there is considerably less labour time (ii) synthetic materials are cheaper than those with a high wool content (which is what I almost always use) and (iii) even if the materials on the high street are good quality there are various economies of scale with which I can't compete) but I just thought 'what the heck' and went ahead anyway. I don't know if I can justify the expense on materials again though, so perhaps this will be a one off!
One problem I did have was trying to photograph the thing! Hats are a lot more manageable in that regard - they tend to sit still - whereas the scarf kept fighting back. I also had trouble finding a way of arranging it to get as much in as possible. Here are a few of the ones that came out reasonably well (Folksy only let you have 3 and I felt I could have done with more on this occasion!)
What do you reckon? Should I make another one sometime? I have to admit if the weather doesn't perk up a bit soon I might be very tempted to keep it for myself! So if you want to get in first, have a look at the listing here.
