Scarves: Fashionable--but fatal?

[Tallor]

Originally Posted by Celti

I have several cashmere scarves, several more woven silk scarves, a fancy thick and plush Fourth Doctor wool scarf...

Does the Fourth Doctor scarf double as a climbing rope?

[Celti]

Originally Posted by Tallor

Does the Fourth Doctor scarf double as a climbing rope?

Only if you're climbing no more than ten feet or so. I'm also a touch heavy for it, I'd stretch it all horribly out of shape.

[Bruno]

Another comment on the strength of hand-knit fabric:

My neighbor's mom was a passionate knitter. This certainly influenced the family's fashion and interior decor, but notable is that all the dishrags, dishtowels, and washcloths in the house were knitted, and they really survived the kind of abuse that implies.

She used very thick yarn and thick-gauge needles, so they had a rather spongy consistency and a highly textured surface that was good at holding water and scrubbing stuff.

You have to hand wash wool knit clothing, but that's because of the problems with stretching, and (worst case) if a machine catches the yarn somewhere and pinches it off, the whole thing turns into a mess of yarn tying up your machine and clothing and that's pretty much the end of that.

Apparently you can cut knitted fabric somehow for sewing, but it's some sort of mastercraft to do, rather than something you do casually with scissors.

[Celti]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Apparently you can cut knitted fabric somehow for sewing, but it's some sort of mastercraft to do, rather than something you do casually with scissors.

Pre-wash and dry it to minimise stretch; make sure you have a completely flat cutting surface that's large enough none hangs off, so it doesn't stretch out from its own weight; make sure you have the grain of the knit properly aligned, and ideally you cut the fabric folded in half with the "right" side of the knit on the inside. You can use scissors, but a rotary cutter is much much easier.

Oh, and of course, when sewing the final garment/article, one must make sure to properly hem any non-selvedge edges so they don't unravel.
Can you tell my mothers growing up were seamstresses and costumers? :o)

[Icelander]

How could the OP not go with Scarves: Fatally fashionable?

[Tallor]

Originally Posted by Icelander

How could the OP not go with Scarves: Fatally fashionable?

Because my post was about how I wasn't originally convinced that scarves were fatal! :P