Sucker? Or KNITTER

A couple of weeks ago, while at a community event, a friend    -no not really - an acquaintance approached me with  her a ratty, old, worn out hood/snood in hand.

"Could you knit me a new one of these?"
"Well, actually two."
 "I used to knit but haven't knit for years."
 "It won't take you long."
" I guess I will have to buy some yarn - or maybe you have some."

There was no pre-amble.  No - "Are you busy?"
"Do you ever knit for others?"
"How much would you charge to..."
 There is no hurry but ..."

Call me a sucker if you like but more aptly you could call  me stunned into acquiescing silence.  By
 the time she suggested I might have some yarn, I was recovered enough to tell her I have lots of yarn but being a fibre snob, they are all natural fibres.  Silks, Mohairs, Wools, Linens etc and I was sure she didn't want the laundry hassles dictated by those fibres.
No, she agreed she didn't.  So I suggested she buy some acrylic yarn in a Knitting Worsted weight and that I would knit them on the machine.

At noon, at the close of the event, she returned to my chair to ask for my address.  "I will head  over to the yarn store  right now."  Sure enough, Fred and I were still at the table eating lunch when the door bell rang.

My initial reaction was to get them knit up and returned to her ASAP to get them out of my hair    knitting basket.  But Fred suggested a delayed delivery might be a better idea.  No use letting her think I can whip these up PDQ.

Today, almost 2 weeks have passed and I am definitely ready to get them back to her.  This one is knit with  Life by Stylecraft in grey and  Patons Decor in maroon.

 

The multi-coloured one,

 

fresh off the machine and not yet blocked or seamed is knit with Schachenmayr Bravo Jacquard Color.  It is a few inches shorter than the grey one, despite using all of  3x 133 metre balls.

Her old, ratty snood is 13 inches across (26" around) and 14 inches long.  She asked to have these knit a bit longer so as to completely cover the back of her head when she pulls them up like a wimple.

 

The non-pattern pattern, if you are interested in knitting one of these by hand  would read like this:

With a circular needle of the approriate size for your yarn,  cast on enough stitches to equal 26 inches.
      If your gauge is 5 sts per inch, like my multi coloured snood, you will cast on 26 x 5 =130 sts.
Work K2, P2 ribbing or a hem, whichever you prefer,  for one inch.
Switch to Stockinet stitch and knit for 17 inches.
Finish off as you began - with  one inch of K2,  P2 ribbing or a hem.
 Cast off.

Then - don't tell anyone that you knit.