…and needs malpractice insurance!! A good friend sent me a picture of a scarf that was literally in shreds and asked if I could do anything with it:
This picture is of the center (middle) of the scarf. The two ends were in better shape.
Uh, no! Then she explained that it had belonged to this woman’s father and he had died recently. It had great sentimental value. Would I look at it? Okay — I told her to bring it to our knitting group.
She brought the scarf and the mother-in-law of the woman who now owns the scarf. The MIL also comes to our knitting group from time to time and is a lovely person. It was hard to say no to this woman’s pleas, but I did say there were “issues.”
Issue 1: Look at it! It is a shard! Shredded. Nothing there! The yarn was thin everywhere, not just in the area with the most holes. It would be difficult to salvage sufficient yarn with the strength to do any grafting.
Issue 2: It is Brioche Stitch. I have never really knit the Brioche Stitch before and after googling it, could not find anyone who had grafted it. But, you know how I love a challenge.
I took the scarf home and proceeded to do a practice swatch of Brioche just to understand the structure. The stitch looks like a complex 1×1 rib: the purl sts are slipped with yarn in front, and then the knit stitch is worked without moving the yarn back into proper position. This creates a yarnover, which is knit togther with the knit st on the following row.
Once I got the hang of the stitch, I dismanteled the scarf and arranged the sts on needles the way I wanted to have them for grafting. I knew that I would need to graft two rows to create the one row I needed. (I will do a later post and show some pictures of the process…maybe!).
The first row of the two (the right side) went as planned and looked pretty good. As expected, the yarn I was using to graft shredded every few sts. I had at least 20 ends when the whole thing was finished!
The wrong side did not look so good. Once I got it done I realized that I had missed a critical step. But, I am just stubborn enough that I plan on figuring out how to do this without the mistake!! We shall see.
The finished right side:
You can see the line where I grafted, but I think it looks pretty good. The wrong side is another story:
It is definitely more noticeable. This is where I will need to file a malpractice claim! I hope she will be pleased. It is still as fragile as a dandelion puff, but at least it looks like a scarf.
And now, I just have to find that next great knitting project…I am thinking either the orange or the black and white:
What do you think? 
PS: A couple of you asked about the damage to the scarf — what the heck happened? I think it is just from overuse and abuse. If I find out anything different, I will report back.
Wow! You worked a miracle! It looks wonderful. A very nice thing to do.
Comment by Ann — November 4, 2011 @ 10:40 am
Just the idea of grafting in brioche makes my brain hurt a little. It gets very tricky to make sure you’ve got all those slipped stitches in the correct places- even a picking up a dropped stitch in brioche takes a lot of time to get correct. You did a lovely job- especially considering the constraints of the fragile yarn!
Comment by Katy — November 4, 2011 @ 11:20 am
I can graft easily, and I can do brioche stitch forever, but the thought of grafting brioche makes me want to go lie down. Very impressive–congratulations!
Comment by Linda — November 4, 2011 @ 11:28 am
You are awesome. My first thought was “no problem, just cut out the bad part and graft it”. Until you said Brioche.
I’m sure she’ll be thrilled with how well it turned out.
Comment by Cheryl S. — November 4, 2011 @ 11:44 am
I’m very curious as to what happened to the scarf to cause such damage. Any idea what caused it?
Comment by Millie — November 4, 2011 @ 12:10 pm
Impressive repair – you are a sorceress! Now, those high-fashion scarves? I think the orange. Might be hard to sharpen points onto a couple of telephone poles, though.
Comment by Emm — November 4, 2011 @ 12:48 pm
That was a mighty challenge and you did a brilliant job ! You should be proud of yourself !
Comment by ilana hopwood — November 4, 2011 @ 12:55 pm
Wow! Amazing work. I, too, am curious about how the scarf ended up with that much damage.
As for the next project…..I’m rather taken with the giant pom-poms on the lavender scarf.
Comment by Thea — November 4, 2011 @ 2:00 pm
Impressive repair – even if the grafting is “noticeable” it is far, far better than the shredded scarf that it was.
As far as your “next project” – I hope you aren’t planning to drive a car wearing any of those!
Comment by Amy — November 4, 2011 @ 2:02 pm
I’m not religious, but I want to say you’ve done a mitzvah. That’s a good deed, but way deeper than that, a good deed that carries out a sacred law. In this case, the sacred law has something to do with love, memory, generosity, striving for excellence and never giving up. Sorry, I know this sounds a bit over the top, but this post really struck a chord with me. (Maybe because I have an afghan that needs this kind of attention, but it’s beyond my powers.) in any case, nice work.
Comment by purlgin — November 4, 2011 @ 2:35 pm
Susan your talent astounds! Not only was this of the highest order of good karma but the fact that you could do anything at all to make it look this good is beyond words. My guess on the damage? A furry friend loved it as much as the owner did! 🙂
Comment by Liz C. — November 4, 2011 @ 3:08 pm
Your secret is out – you are definitely a Wizard (wizardess???)
I am in complete AWE! I don’t even know what brioche stitch is, but just reading your description makes me know that you definitely have magical powers!!!
I agree that this will be rewarded with wonderful karma.
Comment by Barb — November 4, 2011 @ 4:35 pm
I think it’s pretty impressive. I guess that’s why you get the big bucks.
Comment by surly — November 4, 2011 @ 4:41 pm
Oh, that is very impressive! And such a sweet and kind-hearted act. You are a dear. (And — I vote on the ORANGE one for your next project.)
Comment by Kym — November 4, 2011 @ 5:02 pm
Oh my goodness – I would have suggested burying it with the Father !!
Comment by Linda — November 4, 2011 @ 5:40 pm
You did an AMAZING job. Add a jewel to your crown in heaven.
Comment by Diane — November 4, 2011 @ 7:17 pm
Just the thought of grafting brioche makes be break out in a sweat. I would not have thought it possible! You are a miracle worker.
Comment by delores — November 4, 2011 @ 8:22 pm
I know you said ORANGE or BLACK and WHITE but I’m going to have to vote for the one with pom poms. I just think the pom poms lift it to a whole new level and it did need something. ;-)You know? Also, it’s a serious business wearing scarfs but would it kill them to smile?
Comment by Melissa — November 4, 2011 @ 9:22 pm
you are the kindest of people!! and you did a wonderful job on that scarf!!
Comment by Sue J — November 4, 2011 @ 9:35 pm
You never cease to amaze me with your abilities and talent! Wow. Impressive work. The ‘huge’ gauge scarves cracked me UP!
Comment by Kathy — November 5, 2011 @ 12:05 am
True wizardry. Not only have you passed your OWLS (or maybe that would be TURKEYS in your case?), you might have made it to Auror. Yes indeedy, it is a mitzvah of the highest order. As for the scarves, I gotta go with the lavender pompoms, but worn with the feathers on the white scarf’s model. Could these monstrosities, O Wizarding One, be by Twinkle Handknits? (And the editorial staff of Vogue Knitting thinks things like this are appropriate wear for us fat girls.) What was in those brownies in the design room?
Comment by Suzan — November 5, 2011 @ 8:58 am
If this is a case for malpractice, I’ll happily defend you (and I’m not even a litigator!). Beautiful job.
Comment by Renay — November 5, 2011 @ 10:31 am
Sounds like you should be called Saint Susan. Who else would risk their sanity and their eyesight to help out a friend of a friend who no doubt must not be a knitter or they would never have asked!
Comment by Chloe — November 5, 2011 @ 4:23 pm
Beautiful finish to a wonderful story, Susan.
Comment by 2muchfun — November 5, 2011 @ 7:36 pm
You are simply amazing. And kind. You did a beautiful job fixing that scarf.
I think the orange scarf, too. Although it might be a tad WARM. Not to mention the problems you would encounter getting in and out of the car. Oh, and some non-knitters might point and stare. 😮
Comment by Kay - From the Back Yard — November 5, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
I’m curious as to what she will do with the ‘new’ scarf? You have performed a miracle with yarn.
I think lavendar one- you could play with the pompoms!
Comment by Robin F. — November 6, 2011 @ 11:48 am
Oh, you did good! I think you have earned a well-deserved rest with some really soft, luscious yarn.
As for the new big scarves, I do not understand them. I love the orange color, and I love the feathery black hairstyle, but I think I’d leave the runway models to the giant stitching…
Comment by Lisle — November 6, 2011 @ 4:58 pm
I attended Cat Bordhi’s Knitting Forensics class at Sock Summit this year…she would be very proud of you!!
Comment by twinsetjan — November 6, 2011 @ 5:06 pm
W.O.W.
Your status is now elevated to Knitting Master of the Universe.
Comment by Kim — November 6, 2011 @ 6:26 pm
I had a very similar-looking “accident” happen to my handknit emergency socks – the ones I keep in my car during the winter months. I assumed a mouse got into the car and chewed the holes.
Comment by quinn — November 9, 2011 @ 7:35 am
You are a genius! A brilliant one 🙂 unbelievable.
Comment by Ruth — November 13, 2011 @ 7:05 pm