A Key Hole Scarf...

I came across this very cute scarf pattern in one of my many knitting books, and with some leftover yarn (you may recognize it from the felted needle case), I decided to whip up one of these scarves as an extra Christmas gift (because why don't I add another project to my list...?).  But, it was a great project to have with me on our many hours of car travels over the holidays, and since it worked up so quickly, I ended up making two (of course, that was more based on the fact that I ran out of yarn - again! - and had to buy a second one, so then I had extra of that!). It is meant to be a lot shorter than a regular scarf since you just tie it around your neck and then feed the end through the key hole, so it really does knit up quickly.

I really liked the shape and design of the petal-shapped ends, and knitting the key hole was not nearly as complex as I was fearing it might be. Simply divide your 30 stitches onto two double-pointed needles, alternating each stitch to the front and the back, and then work each side separately (that makes complete sense, right?!).

There are so many different variations to this scarf with colour, texture, and pattern, that it might be one I add to my repitoire and knit when I have any leftover pieces of yarn. Plus, I might experiment with felting one, just to see how it looks and feels. I have heard that felted fabrics are very warm, so that might be a good alternative to yet another design feature. In fact, I have the perfect wool waiting for just this project...