How long does it take to knit a scarf?

(photo from ebay)

I saw some of this Stylecraft Poodle wool a couple of years ago in a shop in town  and saw from the label '1 ball=1 scarf'.  I'm not a good knitter, in fact I can only do plain stitch and haven't ever progressed from being able to knit a scarf.  I really liked the wool which was lovely and soft, having mohair added in, and thought it looked simple enough for even me to manage. 

 So, I bought some in 'Lavender', took the label off and read the instructions.

 Four pictures, easy to follow, I thought.  However, I was completely baffled by the way the wool looked as there was a black tape at one side, with the wool hanging down from it and for the life of me, I just couldn't work out where the needles went, how you made a stitch or even how to start it off. I looked for help from the Internet and while there were stockists and people who had used it, there were no instructions for a beginner that I could find. I left it for a while...
A year or two later, I came across it again and had a brainwave - I could ask a very good knitter at work and she'd be able to sort it out.  However, she was baffled too.  I asked the lady on the wool stall at the market, but she'd no idea either.  I took it to my Mum, who is also a good knitter and she was stumped .  My mother in law, also a good knitter, couldn't work it out either.  By this time, I was ready to donate it to a good cause.  In the end, my sister worked it out and showed me how to knit it and that the stitches were made using the black tape bit.  I spent an hour or two knitting it up and she finished the ends off.

 Here it is, modelled by a dressmaker's dummy (and very nice she looks in it too).  So, it took me a good two years to knit my scarf and I don't think I shall be rushing to knit myself any more.  (I have since found out that Stylecraft is not making this wool anymore - perhaps other people have been as confused and baffled as we all were!)

Blog Swap results

 You may remember me mentioning that I had signed up to take part in my first blog swap.  The theme was 'cosy autumn' and we could send a minimum of five items, two of which had to be hand made.  Here is what I received from my swapper - the cookie jar- who is from Ireland.  It came in this lovely sturdy storage box (this was something I hadn't though of doing, but will do if I take part in any more swaps).

A treasure trove of purple packages.

Or should that be a mountain of purple packages!  My swapper had been extremely generous.

 Here are all the lovely goodies.

 A gorgeous scarf (in my favourite colours) and a pair of long length fingerless gloves/mittens which will get a lot of use because I have extremely cold hands.

 Hot chocolate and some fair trade chocolate with marshmallows and pieces of honeycomb in it - Chris has already decided we are sharing that!

 A cat and knitting wool mug, some beautifully scented soap and a scented candle.

 An embroidered notebook, a cake/biscuit recipe book and a copy of 'Dubliners' by James Joyce.

 Finally, two sets of tulip bulbs and a card.

Wow! What an amazing swap this was.  Chris remarked that it felt like Christmas.  I am very lucky, absolutely delighted and am hugely grateful to my swapper.  Thank you so much!  So, what did I send, you are asking?  That will follow in my next post...