One of the most difficult parts of working on this year’s state fair project was that it consumed every moment I had to crochet from the time I began working on it the first day of August until I finished yesterday shortly before noon.

For the past ten-and-a-half weeks, I planned my life around the project, taking bits and pieces with me wherever I went, weaving in squares, joining them into strips, and leaving a trail of yarn scraps behind me.

In that time, several other projects were begging for my attention, but I had no time for them.

Today, however, I was able to turn my attention away from the state fair project and toward this yarn that I purchased at Knit One Weave Too in June of 2013:

I had bought the yarn while I was in Edwardsville, Illinois, for the Fifth Annual Buchtafest. It is a hand-dyed, fingering weight, merino wool nylon blend that very much resembles the Red Heart Super Saver colorway known as “grape fizz” which is particular favorite of mine, so I bought all two skeins that were in the shop.

About mid-way through this year’s state fair season, I knew what I wanted to do with the yarn, but I had no idea what pattern I would use. In a few moments stolen here and there, I would search various pattern databases certain that someone somewhere had designed the project I had in mind, and then last night a crochet friend shared Zelna Olivier’s free “Road Trip” scarf pattern with me, and I knew I had found the right pattern for this yarn:

Because I am using a fingering-weight yarn instead of the DK weight used in the pattern, I tried out several smaller hooks than the 4.5 and 5.0 mm called for, and got a look and feel I thought would work with a 3.5 mm hook.

Here is how far I got before clouds completely blocked what there was of the late afternoon sun:

As for the scarf, I hope that the one I make looks as fun Zelna Olivier’s.