I hope everyone reading is enjoying the weekend. I had a great day attending the Sew Up North meet-up yesterday, and am thoroughly enjoying sitting on the sofa in my pyjamas this morning, with plans to sew while catching up with vlogs once I’ve clicked publish on this post.
It’s been a while since I shared a knitting project on the blog. This is the Polkagris Kerchief by Kate Davies, which I bought as a kit when it was released in summer 2018. The kit (pattern, yarn and bag) was £10 so it was a really affordable project and gift to myself.
The kit sat in my stash for a little while before I decided to knit it as an easy wind-down project at the start of 2019, once Christmas (and associated present making) was over and done with. With no fit worries, an easy pattern to follow, and good quality yarn to work with, I thoroughly enjoyed this project from start to finish.
Since finishing knitting the kerchief, however, I have rarely worn it. I loved the original launch photos – which inspired me to order the kit in the first place – but I find it quite difficult to style. The kerchief won’t stay put without being knotted (or a pin added), but a knot looks very bulky on such a small scarf. I’ve had a look back at the product photos and have spotted that it tends to be worn with a small knot at the very ends of the kerchief or tucked inside a high neckline, so I’ll have another go at pairing it with some outfits in the next few weeks. This is the perfect time of year for the scarf if I can find a way to be comfortable wearing it, while the weather is cooler but not yet cold enough for my larger scarves.
These photos were taken just after I finished the kerchief, during a holiday to Alicante in early January. Not long after, Kate Davies was challenged for failing to make clear her stance on racism and diversity in the knitting community, and then reacted badly to criticism, posting defensive blog posts and deleting her social media accounts. As a result I wasn’t comfortable sharing this project at the time, but since then her business has clearly taken steps to diversify, in terms of people referenced in Kate’s writing, and featured in product and other imagery.
I purchased another Kate Davies kit last year, for a much more involved project, which I’ve just finished knitting and am looking forward to sharing soon. It’s also a shawl, but couldn’t be more different from this kerchief.
