ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

How is that you think you know a lot about lots of things. But you never do. Today I read about a clothing item called a gaiter. I looked at the photographs and then I looked up the word (gaiter(s)) – and they simply do not relate.

Wikipedia states:
Gaiters are garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats. Originally, gaiters were made of leather. Today, gaiters for walking are commonly made of plasticized synthetic cloth such as polyester. Gaiters for use on horseback continue to be made of leather.

Now I understand that, but it seems that neck warmers, circular scarves, pieces that wrap the neck, cowls etc are also called gaiters. And they are not created with plasticized synthetic cloth – they are knitted or crocheted in delicious, warm, sumptuous, and colourful yarns.

When did that happen?

Where have I been!

I have been callng my cowls, my “not Isadora Duncan Scarves”, my neck and shoulder warmers, and other versions of fashionable scarves etc all of which are designed to wrap and keep the neck warm – I have been calling them anything and everything but gaiter.

Rib & Cable neck / shoulder warmer

How does a leg protector become a neck warmer?

Collins English Dictionary and Thesaurus:
gait n Manner of walking

gaiters pl n cloth or leather coverings for the legs or ankles [French Guêtre]

I kept looking and there seems to be a trend towards the gaiter being a practical item of clothing for skiers and motorbike riders and there are no photographs of the delicious, fashionable, hand knit designer gaiters that started me looking on google images for Gaiter

So someone out there, decided that while a wrap for the neck is also a piece of protective clothing (hence, Gaiter), there is no reason at all why that protective clothing should not also be a fashionable piece.

Hence the hand knit designer gaiter.

I am creating a neck warmer to go with the blues, nearly striped, nearly intarsia, beret for my dear friend Jeanette. Not a scarf, but a neck warmer – you see Jeanette now owns and rides a bicycle.

I cannot allow myself to create a scarf for her, because in the time I have been living here in the Netherlands – now in our 20th month, I have viewed with some trepidation the scarves worn by all and sundry. There are many many beautiful scarves here, but they are a little risky as the common form of transport is 2 wheeled as in bicycle, scooter and motor bike. You all know the story of celebrities who have died because of the scarf they wore on that fateful day.

So now I create NOT ISADORA DUNCAN pieces – that is cowls, neck warmers, moebius scarves and so on. See my ETSY shop Category NOT ISADORA DUNCAN SCARF

Creamy rib and cable Neck and Shoulder warmer

Hood / Cowl

Rib & Cable neck / shoulder warmer

In New Zealand I created many many scarves. I used a variety of textured yarns and there are so many non plied yarns out there such as bouclé, eyelash, faux fur, different kinds of ribbons or tapes (ladder and rail road style) and other mixed textured and art yarns. When I created a scarf I always knitted these special yarns along with a fine alpaca, mohair or wool yarn – not only to create a warmer scarf but also for the colour effect and the feel of it next to the skin. I also found that knitting a normal yarn with the fancy meant the scarf held its shape better as well. I did this also with my many knitted shawls. I do still have a few scarves I have knitted – but if you own a bicycle I might not let you buy the scarf.

One could create scarves or shawls with a fancy yarn knitted with a “normal” yarn and never repeat a combination for years and years. If one wanted to that is.

Now having lived here in the Netherlands, I will probably not knit many more scarves as I really like the cowls and neck pieces I am creating and maybe even in mountainous New Zealand there will be a drive towards 2 wheeled transport and that means many more “NOT ISADORA DUNCAN SCARVES”.

I had so many hand knitted scarves here, comes from being a really crazy knitter – that early in December when the weather really turned cold and the wind was bitter – I hung 5 scarves outside our little steeg on the railing along side the road, and 2 on the bridge railing close by.

I hoped someone would take them as they were clearly there to be freely taken.

And noone did for several weeks. I thought it was because they were not very nice, or poorly knitted, or not good colours or something. Only a knitter could be this neurotic.

Then they all suddenly went – all bar one. I am delighted they have gone.

My son came from Switzerland for Christmas arriving on Christmas Eve. He came in with the remaining scarf aloft – saying I think this is one of yours, you must have dropped it and someone hung it over the railing. That scarf has now gone to Switzerland.

I hope they all went to good homes and keep someone warm.

On the day before Christmas Eve we also took lots of scarves to de Schalm – about 25 in all. Thank goodness all the scarves have gone and I now have space for my new knitting here.