The best intentions

Here's the thing about yarn: it can be anything, but sometimes it has a mind of its own. It doesn't necessarily want to be what I want it to be. Case in point:

It's Classic Elite Beatrice in Aspen Grove (color 3215), purchased at a great price from Webs. Behold the loveliness.


I want this yarn to become a scarf. A thick, squishy scarf, preferably reversible. I'd like the pattern to be interesting too, since scarves can be, well, boring to knit. So I cast on and start a braided cable pattern. Um, no, not working. Frog. I cast on again and try a herringbone rib. Nope. Garter stitch on the bias is kind of nice, but somehow I can't bring myself to make a garter stitch scarf. Next I try a baby cable rib. Sorry, thanks for playing. 2x2 rib looks all right, but it draws in too much. Basketweave stitch, while not objectionable, doesn't quite do it for me. What do I end up with?

1x1 rib. I'm not thrilled, but it seems that this yarn wants to be something really simple. Ye gods, I may crack under the monotony of doing 1x1 rib for over five feet. And while I had originally intended this scarf for a woman, it's starting to whisper "man scarf" in my ear.

Another thing I find disappointing about this yarn is how little I'm enjoying knitting with it. It's too thick, and these US size 10.5 needles feel, well, unwieldy. Maybe it's because of all the socks I've knit, but I'm not feeling the thrill I get when knitting with a finer yarn. Hey, maybe I'll start a sock. It can be a reward system. If I knit three inches of scarf, I can let myself knit the sock for 10 minutes. What could go wrong?