Finally she is done and ready for the big time!
Who?
My Symphony Scarf, big sister to the Concerto Stole and Scarf I completed several weeks ago!

Although I’ve had my Just For You Mitts available on Ravelry and here on my blog for free since last spring, and the Concerto KAL has been going beautifully this autumn (with some awesome finished projects now up on Ravelry!)
, the Symphony Scarf is a special and very big step for me. This is the first time I’ve offered one of my own patterns up for sale, outside of some smocking designs that were published back in the 1980’s. Needless to say, I’m truly excited, despite the knocking knees that go with putting such a project out as a public offering.
I know I’ve designed a good pattern. It’s not a quick “grab a design from a stitch dictionary and knit it X number of times, then bind off” sort of pattern. Symphony has 3 large diamonds outlined by bands of stockinette, each diamond filled with a different design. The diamonds are nestled into a mesh background and the whole thing is finished with a completely original lace edging, which gave me a whole series of headaches all its own. It’s intended for intermediate level knitters who would like to challenge themselves by using some of the less common stitches – like nupps, clusters, bobbles, and centered eyelets. However, I’ve used those stitches within the various diamonds in limited quantities. Instead of committing to a project with hundreds of nupps, this gives the opportunity to use just a few – learn the stitch without going totally insane in the process. There are also a very wide variety of single and double decreases, knitted on edgings, and adding beads to knitting.
Because this is not a repetitious pattern, it turned into a 10 page publications, 6 pages of which are beautiful, professional quality charts. Listening to people talk in the groups, I decided to offer the computer generated stitch by stitch as an extra to those who request it when they purchase the pattern. It will be quite a long document on its own, as just the body of the scarf has 470 rows, and it isn’t as nice as if I’d written it all out, but it is quite functional for those who can’t use charts at all. When I say “not as nice,” where I would say: (K2, YO, SSK) 3 times, the computer prints: K2, YO, SSK, K2, YO, SSK, K2, YO, SSK. I tried rewriting it, but after spending over 2 hours one evening, I had only the first 35 rows rewritten and not even proofed. It just isn’t practical to do that project, at least not at this point in time.
I wanted to get some photos that showed the diaphanous nature of the scarf, but Murphy intervened. Not only do I live in town, leaving me a lack of clear sky backgrounds, but there was a very stiff breeze blowing. Still, I think this gives a hint as to the hand of my pretty Symphony…

There is a funny story behind this pattern… and it’s also why it’s taken me until now to have her done. When I was asked to teach beginner and intermediate lace, Concerto came to my mind in a flash, but Symphony had a name and nothing else for quite a long time. In fact, while trying to birth her, I accidentally came up with two other designs that are now in my sketchbook awaiting birth. After what was starting to feel like an eternity, I finally did begin to work out who Symphony was going to be, but she still wasn’t going to make things easy for me. Some parts were recharted so many times I lost track, and when I finally reached the edging and thought I had everything under control, I discovered I was dead wrong on that account, too! After several complete froggings and back to the drawing board moments with the edging, I managed to get one end completed a few hours before I was to hand it over to Arlene for display at the shop, advertising classes. It HAD to be blocked, so in a panic, I pinned her out and put her in the car on the blocking mats, then drove the hour with the windows wide open, hoping I’d have a dry scarf by the time I arrived. It worked… but I’d rather not have to employ that method again! And it was SO embarrassing to have it on display in the store with one end unfinished.
Eventually I was able to kidnap her to bring home and finish. Now she’s done – and more than that, the pattern is written, and as of now it’s up on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop available for sale!
How much more excitement can there be in store for me this autumn???

















I measured from this center point to mark the edges of the hole. Then I got the leftover carpet tape from when I installed the carpeting upstairs and used it to temporarily attach the movement inside the case. This way I could align it while looking at the front, but it would stay in place when I turned it over. Of course, from then on through the project, I had to take extra care to hang the edge of the clock off the workspace, because the shaft was protruding in front. For some reason, the movement didn’t come with any mounting screws, so that was another challenge – finding screws that were long enough and thin enough to do the job. The only thing I could come up with was a little too long, but since it would be behind the face, I used them anyway and flush cut the points off after I had them installed.
This photo was taken at a bit of a downward angle, so it looks like there was a lot of room to maneuver, but actually, the back piece is very close to exactly level with the light colored wood where the pendulum drive is mounted. There was also a screw protruding into the case right where the pendulum drive needed to be. It turned out that this was a screw I was able to replace with something shorter and absolutely perfect. I’d have never have been able to get the drive in without the tape to help me. And whenever I have to replace the battery on the pendulum drive, I’m going to crab and complain the whole time I’m doing it, as it is sandwiched into a narrow crawlspace between the front and back boards. But you know, it looks fantastic on the wall, and it really was worth doing it. 
























