Singing the Praises of Scarves

There's something supremely wonderful about a scarf. I'm not sure what it is - logically a full out sweater covers a much greater body surface area, but I don't think they are quite as exciting. Maybe its the fact that you are allowed more creative license with a scarf; nobody really expects your scarf to be in complete cohesiveness with your outfit, if it doesn't really match 'hey! It's a scarf!'. This is likely because deep down, in spite of fashion, we think of scarves as functional pieces meant for warmth. This is great because you can get away with outrageous prints and patterns that would seem blinding and wind you up on an episode of some makeover show, should you wear them on any other item of clothing such as a shirt or pants. Honestly, imagine this Burberry scarf as a men's button down...

Yikes!

There's also the fun aspect of being able to wear a scarf in a whole slew of different ways. Generally, there's only one way to wear a pair of pants - unless you turn them inside out... But with scarves you can go simple and casual or opt for intricate knots and twists to give some dramatic flair to your look and impress all your less expert scarf-tying friends. These are just a few examples:

Click here to learn how to make these awesome knots.

And of course there is the lovely handmade aspect. It takes a certain amount of skill and precision to knit something like a sweater, and not very many people know how to sew, but, with a few youtube tutorials and a trip to the craft store anyone can knit a scarf. It doesn't matter if the scarf is a bit lumpy or has some dropped stitches, (things which would make a knit sweater rather difficult to wear). In a scarf these little imperfection can often be quite endearing because they represent the effort and thoughtfulness it took the non-knitter to make you such a cozy gift. I am by no means a proficient knitter, yet I made a few as Christmas presents for loved ones. Sidebar: [The scarves were made with uber-plushy (yes, that is an adjective, who cares what the dictionary tells you) 'homespun' yarn that was heathered and veriegated and it was even called Ambrosia. Seriously it was divine, I was almost tempted to keep it for myself.]

I just realized that as I sit here typing away about scarves I am ironically bereft of one, and that is making me laugh so I feel like this is a good time to sign off. Maybe I will go grab a scarf, after all, it has been dreadfully cold today. 

Stay warm and DFTBA.

- H

P.S. While I may have challenges when it comes to putting yarn to needle, I have a friend you could knit a dragon if you asked nice enough. No, seriously, she has knit a plush dragon, he was orange and blue and adorable.