The Doctor Who Scarf is finally done. Good lord, it’s done. I can’t believe that I have crossed that absolute bastard scarf off of my to-do list. I can’t tell you why that scarf caused such a visceral reaction in me, but it did. I almost wept with joy when I bound off the last stitch.
This is the Doctor Who Scarf (Tom Baker) published by the BBC sometime between 1963 and 1989. The Husband has been asking for this scarf for about eight years. I put the pattern into my Ravelry library in 2017. I decided this year that I would knit this scarf for him for Father’s Day. I followed the yarn recommendations (though they were incredibly vague) and ordered over $300 in yarn of varying colors and brands, trying to pick the best match against the pictures that I could find online. I was a mix of PaintBox Aran weight, Ella Rae Aran weight, and Cascade 220 worsted weight yarns. There were seven different colors in this scarf. The recommended amount of yarn was incredibly over estimated and I have a ton of yarn left over.
What went wrong? Technically nothing. Knitting this scarf was simplicity itself. It is 70 stitches wide and knit completely in garter stitch. The most complicated thing was remembering to slip the first stitch. It was knit with thicker yarn and on size 10 needles. This should have been an absolute breeze that knit up super quick. Here are some facts about Mrs. Collins: 1. I do not love garter stitch, neither the knitting nor the resulting fabric (generally). 2. I am symmetrical to a fault. Things without symmetry make my eye twitch and my soul scowl. I do not like them at all. 3. I think I have a mild affliction of either carpal tunnel or tennis elbow or both in both arms. This generally doesn’t bother me much unless I knit too much too fast for a long period of time (especially when using larger or very small needles). So when you combine a 7-foot long garter stitch scarf in horrible colors with no symmetry in the pattern with large needles and knitting a lot, very fast, to try to get the project over with= you get the perfect storm of a shitty project. Add to the fact that I had to weave in 1.6 million ends for each color change. My elbows are still hurting, and my eye still periodically twitches when I have flashbacks of the erratic striping pattern.
What went right? Everything else. He loves the scarf! He thinks it is the bee’s knees and he is so happy to have it. It is finished and it is everything he wanted it to be. I am very happy that it is finished and that I can check that long ago stashed pattern off of my to-do list. I am proud of the fact that I set a goal to finish it, and while it wasn’t exactly on time, I did get it to him within a reasonable timeframe. I set the goal of Father’s Day and finished it within a month of that date. I did have to take some breaks due to the elbow pain.
In conclusion: I am so happy this is done. I can’t ever imagine him wearing it outside of maybe 15 minutes at a convention. It is too thick, heavy, and warm. He is not petite and he has no problem warming up. But he will have it and the associated bragging rights that come with it. I cannot see any scenario where I will knit another one of these scarves. I can’t even think of a reasonable price that I would charge to knit another one. One and done, as they say.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 