My Doctor Who Scarf
I was a bratty child growing up. I freely admit it. Back in the late 70’s, very early 80’s, I insisted that my mother knit me a scarf just like the one on Doctor Who. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know how to knit, or that the scarf was a gazillion feet long, I wanted it. My mom knitted me THE scarf, based on a pattern which I got from the BBC. The Sayelle yarn which she used was purchased from TG&Y for .49 cents a skein. I know all this because my mother never throws anything away. The “official” BBC pattern still had her penciled notes, as well as my calculations on it how many rows she had left to complete it. She also had the receipt, as well as the instructional book from TG&Y showing you how to knit and crochet. I’m not sure how long it took her to knit the scarf, but I only wore it once for a PBS pledge drive in Houston. After that, it was packed away in a box and forgotten. Throughout the years, Mom would always bring up “THAT DAMN SCARF which I crocheted for you“. Crocheted. In my mind, the scarf was never “authentic” because I was always told me she crocheted it for me. Again, see bratty child comment at the start.
Thirty some odd years later, I taught myself how to knit. I even knitted myself an “authentic” Doctor Who scarf with the help of Tara Wheeler’s website. It was a bitch to knit. I didn’t even knit the entire pattern, called it quits after ONLY seven feet with the rationale of it now being more practical. The entire time I was knitting the scarf, I was curious about the old scarf discarded away in the attic.
While visiting the parents on the island, Mom and I were talking about my knitting the scarf. Again, she told me how she crocheted that scarf for MONTHS, throwing out her brand of catholic guilt which was hitting it’s target dead on. We found the scarf, packed away in the attic in Galveston Tx for well over thirty years. It’s beautiful. Not only did she knit it, but she knitted it on size 3 needles. I used a 9. When I asked her why she said that she crocheted it, she said that she didn’t know the difference. The small paper instructional book which she used to teach herself how to knit also gave instructions on learning how to crochet. She didn’t know the difference.
The scarf is now my favorite Doctor Who item which I own.
I was a bratty child growing up. I freely admit it. Back in the late 70’s, very early 80’s, I insisted that my mother knit me a scarf just like the one on Doctor Who. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know how to knit, or that the scarf was a gazillion feet long, I wanted it. My mom knitted me THE scarf, based on a pattern which I got from the BBC. The Sayelle yarn which she used was purchased from TG&Y for .49 cents a skein. I know all this because my mother never throws anything away. The “official” BBC pattern still had her penciled notes, as well as my calculations on it how many rows she had left to complete it. She also had the receipt, as well as the instructional book from TG&Y showing you how to knit and crochet. I’m not sure how long it took her to knit the scarf, but I only wore it once for a PBS pledge drive in Houston. After that, it was packed away in a box and forgotten. Throughout the years, Mom would always bring up “THAT DAMN SCARF which I crocheted for you“. Crocheted. In my mind, the scarf was never “authentic” because I was always told me she crocheted it for me. Again, see bratty child comment at the start.
Thirty some odd years later, I taught myself how to knit. I even knitted myself an “authentic” Doctor Who scarf with the help of Tara Wheeler’s website. It was a bitch to knit. I didn’t even knit the entire pattern, called it quits after ONLY seven feet with the rationale of it now being more practical. The entire time I was knitting the scarf, I was curious about the old scarf discarded away in the attic.
While visiting the parents on the island, Mom and I were talking about my knitting the scarf. Again, she told me how she crocheted that scarf for MONTHS, throwing out her brand of catholic guilt which was hitting it’s target dead on. We found the scarf, packed away in the attic in Galveston Tx for well over thirty years. It’s beautiful. Not only did she knit it, but she knitted it on size 3 needles. I used a 9. When I asked her why she said that she crocheted it, she said that she didn’t know the difference. The small paper instructional book which she used to teach herself how to knit also gave instructions on learning how to crochet. She didn’t know the difference.
The scarf is now my favorite Doctor Who item which I own.
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