Got My Versatile Scarf!

How wonderful to find a lovely, lightweight, versatile scarf awaiting my arrival home after a week of teaching out-of-state at a conference! It was such a marvelous homecoming gift, and I guffawed loudly when I saw that my pal lived in the same town--Las Vegas! She was very sneaky, when she wrote me, saying, "I understand the temperatures in the winter are in the 50's..." as if she just happened to have that little tidbit of information while living somewhere else across the globe!

This is a very, very special scarf, made by Clara, and it's especially special because it was her very first finished project! To be the recipient of a gift so precious makes me feel very honored. Wearing it, I will feel all the energy and time that went into making it, and how proud Clara must have been to have finished it, sat back, and looked in wonder at what she had just created. Is there anything quite like your very first piece of knitting? I remember mine as if it were yesterday.

Clara's scarf is going to have a great home here in the Mojave Desert. It's so lightweight and soft, so open and airy that I will be able to wear it not only on the outside to keep warm, wrapping it all around me---but also wear it on turtleneck sweaters (it looks smashing on my black cashmere!) as a necklace.

I love being creative in wearing scarves, and this particular scarf lends itself well to creativity.

I also appreciate that it's washable, and that it won't require blocking once it dries. It springs back into shape very nicely, rip-roaring and ready to go on the road with me to the next conference. I can see it becoming a "trip" staple, keeping me both warm ourtdoors and also being able to wear it as a fashion accessory while teaching indoors.

Thank you, Clara, for this marvelous scarf and for allowing me to enjoy the fruits of your very first finished piece of knitted art! I will treasure this.