Let's Knit a Scarf While Playing Shiritori

I want to say, "I played Shiritori and made a scarf!" That's all there is to it, but I knitted a scarf, so I want you to take a look.

You might think, "Wait, this is a scarf?" but no matter what anyone says, it's a scarf. Look.

Today's high temperature is 35 degrees Celsius (95°F).
It's too hot to really remember winter, but if you have something woolly to wrap around your neck, you should be able to keep warm, and that would be appreciated.
Since this should be able to fulfill that role perfectly, it is nothing but a scarf.

When I go outside, the heat makes me feel dazed, but I want to at least remember a cold day to cool down.

What does "knitting while playing Shiritori" mean?

You might be wondering what "knitting while playing Shiritori" even is, so let me explain.

For example, first I knit a "saw" (nokogiri).

Next is something that starts with "ri". Let's go with "squirrel" (risu).
The knitted motif is connected to the one knitted just before it.

I want to make it about the length of a scarf by connecting motifs like this.

As for what motif to knit, I decided to think about it after posting each one on X (formerly Twitter). (I explained it this way because it was also a form of rehabilitation since I had been away from knitting lately.)

Knit and connect one by one

After "squirrel" comes something that starts with "su".
Should I go with "watermelon" (suika) or "dried squid" (surumeika)...? Either way, it ends with "ka".

Hmm, which one should I choose?
Maybe the legs of the "dried squid" will create a fringe-like look for the scarf. Alright, let's go with "dried squid".

Next is "ka". While looking at the vegetable section at the supermarket, I started wanting to knit a "turnip" (kabu).
I'll connect the legs of the "dried squid" by tangling them with the leaves of the "turnip".

When I uploaded a photo to X, someone said, 'It looks like The Enormous Turnip!' It really does look like that...!

Next, I'll do 'pork belly stew' (buta no kakuni). I've been wanting to eat that anyway.

I tried knitting it, but isn't the color a bit too dark? It's the kind of darkness you'd get if you simmered it in a thick, muddy sauce...
Thinking, 'It should be more like this color...', I pulled out some brighter yarn and started over.

While looking at photos of real pork belly stew, I noticed that the fat is plumper than the lean meat. I'd never had the chance to observe it closely before, so I had no idea.

I wanted to make something that looked delicious, so I knitted it again from scratch.

Deciding on a motif while asking for opinions

Next is 'ni'. 'Garlic chives' (nira) would be good for adding length to the scarf. 'Marinated egg' (nitamago) would go well next to the 'pork belly stew', but either way, it's going to be food again. Maybe I'll run a poll.

The 'marinated egg' got the most votes, but there were many interesting suggestions in the replies under 'other' as well.

• Garlic sprouts

• Carrot (ninjin) (rejected because it ends the game!)

• Japanese sword (nihonto)

• Herring (nishin) (it ends the game!)

• Chicken (niwatori)

• Simmered vegetables (nishime)

• Ninja

Setting aside the food options, the 'Japanese sword' was hard to pass up... but I ended up choosing 'ninja'.

Is the next one "ya"? Or is it "ja"?
"Yakisoba," "Yakiniku"... if I go with these, everything that starts with "yaki" becomes a candidate.
"Jagaimo" (potato), "Jam," "Yari" (spear), "Yadokari" (hermit crab), "Yasha" (yaksha)...??

Hmmmm...

While I was hesitating, someone watching suggested, "How about 'jaguchi' (faucet)?" Oh, that sounds like it could add quite a bit of length...! The reason is, if you let water gush out of a faucet like *jobabababaaa*, it would look like this.

With even more force...

It's got a lot more sense of movement now, hasn't it? And I gained a lot of length all at once. Yay!

Next is "chi." The only things that come to mind are "chimidoro" (blood-stained) or "chimame" (bloodshot eyes). What should I do? Wanting to get away from "chi" for a moment, I asked, "Please reply if there's anything you'd like me to knit."
I decided to knit based on the suggestions I received, and here it is.

For the chocolate part, I used a sashiko-like technique to stitch it in bit by bit.

It's been so hot every day that I've started wanting to knit another ice cream.
Speaking of ice cream that starts with "su," it has to be this.

These two ice creams are also an expression of my desire to "feel even a little bit cooler..." but ice cream is cute and colorful, and the color scheme has suddenly become much brighter.

It's become long enough to wrap around my neck, and this will be the 10th motif. It's a good stopping point, so let's end it here.

Speaking of something that starts with "ba" and ends with "n"... there's only one thing!

While I was making this, the air conditioning wasn't working well because of the heat, and I thought a few times that I must look like a criminal, desperately making a bomb in this heat...
The fire part turned out a bit flower-like and cute. Even though it's a bomb.

A scarf made of 10 motifs

The shiritori game ends when the last character is 'n'. The motifs I knitted ended up being this lineup.

1. Handsaw

2. Squirrel

3. Dried squid

4. Turnip

5. Braised pork belly

6. Ninja

7. Faucet

8. Chocolate mint ice cream

9. Watermelon popsicle

10. Bomb

And here is the scarf that connects them all...!!

If only the water around my neck felt cool... that would be nice.

I have no idea if this scarf will be useful when winter comes. It might be warm, or it might be so full of holes that I'll end up yelling, 'How am I supposed to use this?!'

Regardless, I think I'll try wrapping it around my neck again once winter arrives.