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A Happy Mistake

I have been travelling recently and as you know when I travel I must, must, must have some kind of project with me to fill the hours alone.  Since I was out of the house for nearly two weeks I needed to fill my suitcase with as many pieces of clothing as possible and minimize space required to transport  crafting.  So, I took one project only, the crocheted Wavelength Scarf.  Click on the link to get to Ravelry for the free pattern.   Debra Ellerd designed this pattern in 2008 at a time when she was an experienced crocheter who had just learned to knit.  She was inspired by a knitting pattern created by Lucy Neatby for a Fishtail Scarf.  At that time Ellerd didn't yet have the skill to follow the knitting pattern so she figured out how to crochet it.

Done properly the pattern should yield a six-foot long scarf that looks like the one of these photos.  Lovely isn't it.



The design uses Noro Kureryon Sock yarn and is perfect for this scarf.  As you can see the finished product looks as if it were done with several different colours of yarn when, in fact, it is done with one variegated skein of yarn.  Since the colours come in long blocks and one crochets in long rows at a time, the effect is impressive.

Now to my happy mistake.  (Just before we talk about my mistake.  I do know how to crochet, but as you know I prefer knitting.  That means my skills with regard to crochet are, what shall we say, underdeveloped.)  With only this one project to work on there were no options if I had trouble understanding what I was to do.  (Sure a reasoned person would have perfected this in advance, but hey I thought I'd be fine.)  At the airport I ripped out the start of the second part of the wave six times and then quit counting.   After working at this for a couple of hours I gave up and made my own version of the wave. It is easier because it doesn't require constant counting and my derivation looks more like a slow-flowing river than a wave; and although my version missed the perfection of the pattern, I am satisfied with it.

The Flagel version of the Wavelength Scarf
I will get some help now that I'm home and make another scarf that actually does follow the pattern, but the Flagel version will stand.  (BTW it is also six-feet long.  See below.) So sometimes you don't get the finished project you had planned, but instead something that is equally as satisfying.  That makes for a happy mistake.

The six-feet of the Flagel Wavelength zigzagged across each other.

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