2ND Annual Project Scarf

I am proud to announce that work has officially begun on the Second Annual Project Scarf for 2012-2013!

I have already made 2 sections myself, and have received my first bag of contributed knitted sections, from our faithful knitter, Audrey in S. Plainfield, NJ.

Please feel free to print and distribute this 1st annual PS flyer to help us spread the word.

Also, for those of you who have been following the Project Scarf blog, all stats have been updated on the website, so please visit us at http://www.projectscarf.org…and be sure to check all the pages, especially Knitters, Where in the World, The Buzz, and  How Long?

And special thanks to another Angel,  Jeffrey Denecke at Knitting Fever, Inc., who just donated two huge boxes of absolutely spectacular specialty yarns…next year’s scarf recipients will be dressing in STYLE!

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1st Annual Project Scarf is Complete!

 

 

 

Please feel free to print this 1st annual PS flyer and distribute at your LYS (Local Yarn Store, for you newbies!) 🙂

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Let’s make the second annual LONGER and with more knitters, whaddya say?

Thanks to all the fabulous knitters whose loving hands have graced this project…

Knit on!

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Et voila!

I am proud to announce that Project Scarf #1, 2011-2012, has been officially completed.

Heavy!

The final length is TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE FEET and TWO INCHES!  (And 2 feet 3 inches in diameter.)

Once I dismantle it, I will give you the total count of scarves.

Check back over the next few days for news of our donation to People to People, and hopefully photos, as well.

A great big thank you to all of our contributors, and if you don’t yet see your stats on the website, don’t worry, I will be adding all the final details over the next few days.

Please enjoy this slide show of the last sections added:

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Now let’s get started on Project Scarf #2, 2012-2013!

Happy knitting everyone…

Betsy

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We’re back!

To all of my faithful Project Scarf followers and supporters:

KnitLit members lay hands on Project Scarf

THANK YOU for all of your contributions.  Although the blog has been quiet due to personal circumstances, the scarf has continued to grow, and we have continued to gain more followers online.  So, the personal:  I lost my job in June, and have been focusing on doing what I need to do to survive and find gainful employment.  I am happy to say that I am beginning to emerge from the other side of those difficult times, AND I would like to say that continuing to receive all of your beautiful scarf donations has given me solace and strength.  So thank you not only for your contribution to this charity, but also personally, from me, for your graciousness in supporting this endeavor.

As you may recall, we decided to scrap the Guinness Book of World Records goal, because the requirements were too restrictive.  I wanted to be able to take anything and everything that was sent my way.

Project Scarf on its way to the grand unveiling!

As of yesterday, the scarf was 156 feet, and 7 inches, and I still have a few more segments to attach.

I brought it to my KnitLit group and we had a grand unveiling, stretching it out to its full length on the third floor corridor of Haverstraw Middle School.  I am going to try to upload the video to our Project Scarf Facebook page, so you can check it out there.

KnitLit members with Project Scarf

So…I have come to a big decision.

Rather than having these beautiful scarves sitting around all summer until next season, I would like them to go out into the world and be of use to people who need them now, while we still have some winter left.

I have contacted People to People, which is a local organization that serves more than 1,200 families in need right here in Rockland County.  They provide food, clothing, and other essential services.   Their motto is “helping our neighbors through difficult times with dignity”, and they do just that.  They are a remarkable organization, and they have told me that they will be happy to take as many scarves as I would like to give them.

So I will finish attaching all the sections I have, in order for a final total length count and a photo, then I will dismantle them all and take them down to People to People.

I will also include information about the project, website, and contributors, so they will understand how many loving hands have graced this project.

Everyone's a star in KnitLit!

After that, I will be happy to keep going, and start all over again, so those of you who want to keep sending scarves, please do!

Thank you again, everyone – I am truly honored that you have wanted to participate in Project Scarf.

Stay warm, and keep on knitting!

Betsy

 

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Where in the World is Project Scarf?

First of all, in mentioning the length of P.S. in my earlier posts (93 feet and 9 inches, soon to be over ONE HUNDRED!), I forgot to mention that the DIAMETER is now over 18 inches (here’s proof):

3 feet across!

 

Kind of fun to see it against one of my very first photos:

And so it began...

 

Next:

Project Scarf has been to TWO theatrical productions over the past two days!

Last night, P.S. came with me and sat on a blanket at Tallman Mountain State Park in Orangetown, NY, where my star actor son played the Duke of Exeter in Shakespeare’s Henry V.  This amazing production was put on by the Children’s Shakespeare Theater, (they can also be found on Facebook) directed by the magical Diana Green.  Everyone did a great job, and it was a blissful setting for knitting and theater-going, with PERFECT weather.  If you’d like to see pictures of these talented young thespians, click here.

 

Then this afternoon, Project Scarf had the pleasure of accompanying me to the Penguin Repertory Theater in Stony Point, where we saw Shipwrecked! It will be running through September 4th, and tickets are selling fast, so if you are local, get yours soon! Many thanks to Artistic Director Joe Brancato and Executive Director Andrew M. Horn (all around cool, talented guys) for inviting us as their guests today.

 

 

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Thanks!

And another knitter has joined the ranks of Project Scarf:

Ann M's fuzzy artwork

 

Thanks to Ann M., of Edison, NJ, for sending our first Project Scarf section of “fun fur”!  I think I may just need to knit up some more to go with it!

Ann had this to say about Project Scarf:

“I think it’s a great idea. Good luck!”

Ann will be added to our Project Scarf “Wall of Fame“, and will have the distinct honor of bringing Project Scarf over it’s 100 FOOT mark!  (Once I attach it, my family is demanding a 100 foot party…I’m all for it.  Sounds like a great reason for a party to me!

 

Thank you Ann!

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Update

Sorry it has been a while folks…life has been, shall we say, for lack of a better word “busy”.

Meanwhile, Project Scarf continues to grow, both in length and fellowship.  Gratitude is my word of the day, week, month, year, lifetime.  Scarves keep coming in, kind words keep coming in, and stay tuned for another article!  This one will be in OM Times, written by the fabulous and multi-talented Leila Cook.  I’ll post the link as soon as it’s up.

So, I have attached storyteller Kate Dudding’s gorgeous sections, pictured here:

Kate Dudding's P.S. submission

And then I laid out the entire scarf to measure.  First, I learned the hard way that it is best to roll it up backwards, rather than just unrolling the whole thing (which resulted in a twisted, tangled MESS.)

P.S. being unrolled for measurement

Next, I had to lay it out in sections, and actually used my husband’s work tape measure, rathy than my flimsy (TOO short!) knitting tape measure.

Measurement in progress

Next, I labeled every 10 feet, as another thing I have discovered is that my short term memory must be going.  I cannot tell you HOW many times I have lost count and had to start all over again!  And voila – we are up to…

93 feet and 9 inches!

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And speaking of Length…

At last measure (which is NOT the most current), P.S.was up to SEVENTY SEVEN FEET AND ONE INCH!

That is the height of the Tsunami in Japan last March.

 

Phew!

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Guinness

OK – I finally got an official response from Guinness.

The good news:

There IS a record for the world’s longest hand knit scarf.

RECORD 

The current record (current as at the date of this letter) is: 
The longest scarf knitted by a team measures 54.29 km (33.74 miles). It was knitted by the volunteers, friends and supporters of Ty Hafan – The Children’s Hospice in Wales. Work started in May 2002 and the scarf was measured at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, UK on 23 June 2005. 

The bad news:

The requirements and parameters for breaking the record are very specific, and as follows:

GUIDELINES FOR ‘LONGEST KNITTED SCARF – TEAM’

1. Needles must be 4 mm (No. 8 UK). Casting must be done in the conventional way using two needles.

2. Garter stitch must be used as this record is attempted by both beginners and accomplished knitters. (Scarves in rib stitch may be considered, but the number of stitches per row would need to be adjusted accordingly.)

3. Number of stitches per row – 66 (in garter stitch).

4. Width – 30.5 cm 12 in.

5. The knitted lengths must be firmly sewn together with wool using overstitching to complete the scarf. The scarf must not be stretched while measurements are being taken.

Problems with this:

1) I already have close to 100 feet of scarf which does not necessarily meet these requirements. Hence, officially breaking the Guinness Record would require starting all over again, and losing the wonderful momentum we are gaining daily (not to mention disappointing all the hard working contributors and supporters who have already sent contributions, or have them in progress.)

2) I hesitate to limit the requirements so much…personally I prefer the simple 5″ inch wide requirement – leaves the whole process much more inclusive and open to creativity.

So…as new friend, yarn therapist Leila Cook said to me: “Who needs Guinness when you have knitters?” (By the way, as long as you’re here, go check out Leila’s awesome blog, Peaceful Knits.)

I hope this does not slow us down, but I am content to try to break the length record unofficially…purely for the process, for the building of community, for the promotion of the art of knitting, and for the glory of being able to say “we did it!”, and then to know that all of those lovely scarves will go to help people in need.

So now, anyway, I have an actual length to strive for: Project Scarf must grow to more than 33.74 miles!  Holy cow, we’re going to need a huge team of people to lay it out and measure it when the time comes!

If anyone can do it, it’s knitters.

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Guinness

Had an official e-mail recently from the folks at Guinness Book of World Records that they are backlogged due to technical problems, and I should expect to hear back from them within two weeks.

How Long IS It?

Luck o' the Scarf?

 

Meanwhile, as the scarf is now over 56 feet long, it means it:

 

* could stretch the length of a sperm whale (wonder how many times it could wrap around it?)

 

* could adorn the 50 Foot Woman, head to toe with extra length to wrap around her neck…

 

* is 17.0688 meters

 

* is about 18 yards

 

* is the length of the distance between high and low tides in the Bay of Fundy

 

* is the length of the Guinness Blob Jump Record

 

 

* the depth a snowplow needs to dig to open a road through the Japanese Alps in springtime – click here and scroll down for a cool photo!

 

Any other ideas for 56 feet?  Send ’em in!

 

Business-wise, Project Scarf moves forward.  I am looking into forming an LLC (and perhaps ultimately seeking non-profit status).  I am also working on developing school time programs and traveling educational programs for libraries, etc.

 

And, once again, a shout out to Jennifer Marsh of the International Fiber Collaborative and The Dream Rocket Project, who has been giving me some excellent guidance, and sharing her expertise. If you haven’t yet checked out her Dream Rocket Project, please do- it’s so cool!

 

Knit On, folks, and don’t forget to print and put up Project Scarf flyers!

 

Thanks!

 

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