The first piece of the puzzle.

the saddest little scarf i ever did see.

A starting point is just that. With knitting, that starting point is fumbling with a pair of needles for a long period of time and winding up with a misshapen, hole-ridden hunk of fabric that not even a mother could love, much less wear.

This scarf took me two years to knit. Yes, seriously. You would think that it was an intricate piece with cables and intermediate stitches, but no – just plain garter stitch on plain needles.

Every once and awhile I would pick up my set of needles and Red Heart variegated yarn and do a row or two, but get frustrated at how the finished product was working out and throw it in a drawer or closet until I re-discovered it. My knitting was a joke to my friends, seeing as most of them knew that this scarf was years in the making.

I will keep this scarf forever, as an indication of how far I’ve come. Looking at it now, it’s far too short to wear and the fringe is laughable, but I keep it at the bottom of my finished project box anyway.

Once in a great while, I’ll pull it out, run my hands over the scratchy fabric, and smile. After that, it’s folded back up and put back with the other finished pieces. There’s a history to everything.