My Doctor Who Scarf Projects

A few years ago, one of my best friends introduced me to Doctor Who and the 4th Doctor's scarf, one of the show's iconic accessories. In the autumn of 2013, I decided to learn how to knit, and my friend kindly pestered me about knitting the 12 foot long scarf for him. In January of 2015, I finally did. Since then, I have made a test scarf for myself, an improved one for him, two commissions for friends, a custom blue version for my crazy uncle, an Etsy commission, a custom edition for my little sister (the width is two stitches narrower than the original), and the season 18 "red" scarf.

 Each scarf took between twelve days and four weeks to complete. I was ridiculously excited for the first one. I basically only stopped to eat and sleep between Christmas Eve and mid January. The fastest was the most recent original.

 The first day the scarf on the left was delivered, it weathered snow, twigs, sawdust, and sweat. Since then it has stretched to 14 feet and visited several states. The scarf on the right is mine. It has gone from 10 feet to 10 and a half feet and has seen less travel. Another difference between the scarves is that my scarf used a green yarn that was discontinued before I was able to stock up for the other scarves. The latter green was worsted, which assisted in most of the second scarf's expansion.

 My first commission! I met the recipient of my third scarf and nerded out with her about the show and all the places this scarf would visit. Her's also sports the later, more vibrant green.

 The blue version was my favorite challenge. I searched craft stores including JoAnn fabrics, Michael's, A.C.Moore, and Hobby Lobby for weeks before finding the perfect combination of six blues and one complimentary gray. The pattern is the same as the original except with eight tassels instead of the recommended ten.

 This was taken the day I completed the first project, before I even put the tassels on. It measured ten and a half feet, shorter than expected because I accidentally used the wrong gauge needles.
The scarf project has been the theme of my year, so far taking up about six months. I've learned a lot about patience and dedication in the process. Investing in the yarn, tools, and time was a commitment almost as big as my part-time job earlier this year.

My last project this year was the "red" scarf from season 18. Before stretching, it measured 13'6'' long, 10'' wide. I knitted it in 2 and a half weeks using acrylic yarn. It took another week and a half to put the ends in, crochet the edging, and put all 42 tassels on. My sister looks like the Doctor's companion, Tegan, so she did the modeling for me.