Zipped Up!

Hey there!



A little over a week ago I finally finished a baby gift that I started in 2012. Fortunately I know myself pretty well and I chose to make a size 2-3 so it out to fit my cousin's now 2 year old son just fine. I really hope so because I love this sweater. It's a Sirdar pattern that I've loved since the first time I saw it.



There are so many things I adore about it. There are big, basic things like the softness and color of the yarn. It's KP Swish in Delft Heather.  There is something about a heathered yarn that is so soft and inviting and this one is no exception.  It's got a lovely depth to it.

But there are little details about this sweater that thrill the knitter in me beyond reason. One of the last bits of finishing was the ribbed edging that was knit on after I assembled the sweater. I had to pick up over 250 stitches to do it and it came out well but I had no idea how well until I was binding it off. That's when I noticed how perfectly the ribbing matched up with the center cable that continues from the back hem right up and over the head.



And then there's the zipper. I'd never installed a zipper in any of my knits before and I do not sew at all.  I really avoid it as much as possible. But I really felt like this sweater demanded a zipper so I read countless online tutorials and then I sat down with pins and thread and meticulously sewed in the zipper.  I love it! It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I'm so proud that it lays flat and doesn't pucker.



Last but not least there is the grosgrain ribbon that I found to make the inside of the zipper pretty. I scoured the internet and a few stores looking for just the right one but I think it was worth it. What little kid doesn't love airplanes?

Red for My Nephew

Amid all the running around and general craziness I've been super busy knitting. It seems like now that I've gotten back to it again I just can't stop. It's like I'm compelled to finish all the WIPs and try all the patterns that have been languishing in my queue. As a result I have a backlog of FO's to share. Can you believe that?

Since I just got back from Indiana I'll start with a baby gift I delivered there.

Normally I wait until a baby arrives to start knitting for it. It's kind of a superstition I guess but I just can't shake it. This time I had a gift ready when my new nephew arrived because it wasn't originally meant for him. I started it quite a while ago for my cousins baby. He just turned one.

While it wasn't the right size for the baby it was originally intended for, my nephew "M" has plenty of room to grow into it.

Isn't he handsome?

At Long Last a Finished Object

My sweet baby is one step closer to having some Mommy knits. I felt like I needed to catch up on baby gifts before I knit for my own babe. So I have been dawdling and procrastinating over a silly baby sweater for my cousin's son for months. There is nothing that puts quite the same damper on a project as the feeling that it's required. It saps all the fun out of it.

Then I heard that my cousin, who lives in Canada, was going to come down for the 70th anniversary party. Suddenly I felt the urgent need to finish it so that I could give it to her in person. That and the fact that the "baby" will be one next month.

So I pushed through it. I really focused and neglected everything else and I got all the knitting done, the pieces sewn together, and the ends woven in with a few days to spare. Then I was ready to install the zipper. Damn! Wrong size and wrong type. I went looking for the correct zipper but I really didn't have the time. Who knew it would be so hard to find a separating zipper? Not me.

So I did something that totally goes against my nature. I gave it to my cousin without a zipper. Mostly I wanted her to see that it was done. I offered to take it home and finish it off but she said she'd work it out. I suspect that my aunt is going to be getting a call.

All that aside, this really is a sweet little sweater with a lot to recommend it. The color is yummy. My cousin was thrilled with it. The yarn feels nice and soft and light. Perfect for a baby sweater. The pattern worked out perfectly. This is my second Sirdar pattern and I found it very easy to work. Well written and reasonably easy to follow. I'll be starting another one of their patterns soon. The finishing work (aside from the missing zipper) makes me proud. It gets better and more enjoyable each time I sew up a sweater.

Thanks to Miss M for modeling her cousins sweater. She wiggled and waved and demonstrated well that this sweater has plenty of room to grow. That good to know for the mommy knits ahead.

The better than expected progress of the kippot has had a broader effect on my current finery activities. It means that I can allow myself to work on other things as well. I'd like to be knitting sweaters for my sweet Marissa but I'm trying to be responsible and won't allow myself to knit for her until I get caught up with my gift knitting. The first on my list is this sweater for my cousins baby... who is almost 1!

The problem is that I severely underestimated the effect that pregnancy would have on me. It sapped not only my energy but my focus as well. I started this sweater last spring but before long I was frogging it and casting on in a larger size because I knew it would be a while before it was finished.

The long delay also inspired my handling of an error I made. You can probably see it in the picture. I screwed up the offset on the texture pattern for quite a few rows on the first piece I knit. That was the back and it was big so I chose not to fix it. Instead I employed the strategy I was taught for blue booking (citation), consistency trumps perfection. In other words, if you repeat an error throughout then it becomes a design feature. So I repeated the error on the two front pieces and now I think it's fine.

Since I took these pictures last weekend I've finished the second front piece and one sleeve. The second sleeve is on the needles. So, after months and months of languishing in my neglected pile of knitting it seems like this is swiftly headed for the finish line. But will it be ready in time? I hope to see my cousin in a little over a week and I've never put a zipper in a knit before.

Way back on the 11th I told you about one of the 2 gifts I knitted for the holidays. Today is all about the other one.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, my niece "R" asked for this when she overheard her brother making his request. She said she wanted an ear warmer in an olive green. The yarn for this one was just as easy as the yarn for the Fresca Hat. I happened to receive an email from Webs about the limited edition short skeins of Madeline Tosh Vintage and was instantly sold on a color called Lowland. Isn't it gorgeous? It's a good thing that this yarn is so awesome because the pattern I chose required me to knit about a mile of tube. Fatally boring if not for the deliciousness of the yarn.

The pattern I chose was called the Anthro-Style Plaited Wrap by Melynda Bernardi. I was really torn between a traditional ear warmer that was flatter (and boring) and this one. I also saw a few versions of this including a few that were cabled but the comments indicated that this one worked the best and it just looked cool.

Knitters often say that a pattern is about the construction but I've never seen one where this was more true. The knitting involved here is super simple and boring... a seemingly endless, stockinette tube. Boring! Then comes the folding and weaving which took quite a few tries before I got it right. I really don't think it has to be that hard. Better instructions would help a lot but once I figured it out it was fab!

The end result is a woven wrap with an invisible seam that is thick and warm and lovely. My niece likes it very much too. Even though it was quite late.

The Fresca Hat

I never even discussed gift knitting this holiday season because I was barely knitting anything at all. It seemed to be completely out of the question. Then, at Thanksgiving, my nephew J, the college dude, saw one of Marissa's hats and asked if I could make one for him. He said it was the only thing he wanted for Hanukkah. He's never asked for anything before and I love him so how could I say no.

I asked a few more questions about style and color and he's such n easy going kid. He just wanted a hat, any hat. Nothing specific but he pointed to a bottle of Fresca and said that he liked that color. Happily, Cascade 220 came in a color that satisfied my need for depth and his love of Fresca green.

Equally fortunate was the fact hat I already had the perfect pattern in my list of favorites. Knotty But Nice by Natalie Larson really appealed to me. It had been a gave for ages and I was so happy to finally try it. I wasn't disappointed at all.

This was such a quick knit and it made me smile all the way through. The only mod that I made was to use different needle sizes. It says to use 7's all the way through but based on Rav notes I started with 5's for the ribbing to get a nice snug fit. Then I changed to 7's for a few rows leading into the chart before moving up to 8's for most of the chart to counteract the effect of the cables which tend to pull the knitting in and make it less stretchy. Finally, after finishing the chart I moved back down to 7's for the crown. It worked like a charm an I would do it exactly the same way again.

Now I just hope he likes it because it's still sitting in my living room. Weeks after the holiday ended. Fail! In my defense I should explain that his sister heard the conversation and made a request of her own. Naturally I said yes to that too but I wanted to send them together and the second piece was only finished earlier this week. I think that hand knit gifts are worth waiting for and hopefully they will too. More on my niece's headwear soon.

Yarn Arrivals Mean All is Well

When it rains it pours and that's never quite as true as when I'm talking about yarn. Earlier this week a large-ish box arrived. Bruce brought it in to the house and told me that yarn had arrived. I asked how he knew it was yarn before the box was opened. The return address? Nope, He said that a large box that was relatively light could only hold one thing. Hearing this conversation one of my daughters remarked that yarn arriving in the mail meant that things in our house were getting back to normal. They all agreed it was a good thing.



Another sign that things are getting back to the usual is the appearance of a semi-new knitting project on my needles. I say semi-new because I originally cast on for this in March or April (and only knit 2 rows) but since it's a baby sweater and I waited so long I had to cast on again in a larger size because babies grow fast. Clearly it's moving a bit faster this time.

It's not for Miss M. It's a gift for my cousin's baby. This is another Sirdar pattern with an amazingly unimaginative name - I think it's Jacket J. The yarn is Miss Babs but I have no details on that with me right now either. Does it matter? The important thing is that knitting is happening again. Yay! I'll get you details later.

Matt's F@#king Deer Hat

This year I only gave 2 knitted gifts for the holidays. One was a pair of socks and this is the other - a new hat for my B-I-L who loves to hunt. This is Matt's Fucking Deer Hat.



It's actually based on the fornicating deer chart but I like my name better. And it's more practical too. How? Well, let's say that my sister and her family go apple picking next fall and... no, wait, too many kids there, wrong scenario.

Try this instead. Maybe later this winter my B-I-L goes out hunting with the guys and when he comes home he comments on how cold it was. My sister could turn to him and say "well if you were wearing your fucking deer hat, then the cold wouldn't bother you." Perfect, right?



Anyway, the yarn I used is Shepherd's Wool and it's so soft. Thankfully I had plenty of it too because the floats on this were ridiculous. They were so bad that I elected to knit a full lining to hide them completely. Did I mention this sucker is warm?



The only issue that I have with this is the fair isle itself. When I did the mittens last winter my floats were fine and it all looked nice and even without much real difficulty. This had to be ripped once and even now it's not quite as perfect as I'd like it to be. I'm still happy with it though and I hope that Matt will be too.

Blue For Baby J

Way back at the beginning of the summer our little friend Miss B got a Baby brother. Baby J arrived and, I started knitting. But only after lot's of angst. I already had the yarn, Debbie Bliss Rialto DK, but then I couldn't find a pattern. Then I found a pattern but I thought I'd need more yarn. You know the drill. I went on and on like this for at least a month before I found the perfect pattern in Sirdar leaflet #297-Cheeky Chinos. How did I not see these patterns before?

Anyway, I like a lot of the patterns in this leaflet but the very imaginatively named Design J really spoke to me. It had just the right amount of interest without being fussy.



This was a very good knit for me. The pattern was clear and easy to follow. I even managed to do most of the seaming without too much grumbling in a way that shows a wee bit of skill. I was a little worried about the collar at first but after blocking it sits exactly right. I love it.



As I worked on this I envisioned wooden buttons and I was so excited when I went to my favorite button store to choose exactly the right ones. It turns out that the right buttons weren't wooden at all. Something about the slightly purple cast to the yarn really wasn't right with the natural look buttons.

Perfectly matching blue buttons were way better. I really do think that the right buttons are important. Thet can make or break a project either by enhancing the look or distracting from it.



This was finished in mid July but I just gifted it a week ago. Thankfully I always knit a size or 2 into the future so this is still just a little bit big on Baby J so I bet that it'll be perfect for the fall and winter.

A Little Something For Keeping Warm

I went to see Green Day last night and all I can say is wow. Or I would say wow if I had any voice at all. Thank goodness this isn't a podcast. Anyway, the band played for over 2.5 hours and the whole audience, including us, were on their feet, hands waving and singing along for all of it. It was so worth the money and the exhaustion the day after.

On to the knits. Last week I delivered not one, but 2 knits to my M-I-L. The first was the hat that I shared yesterday and the second was a little shawlette. As soon as I saw Summer Flies by Donna Griffin I thought of my M-I-L who is always cold these days. She's the only one I know who's wearing sweatshirts in this heat.



I loved the simplicity and laciness of this pattern. It was interesting without being fussy. When my M-I-L was visiting in June she was looking at and admiring some of the lace that I'd made in the past. I knew she wouldn't want something big but a little something to put over her shoulders would work.



As I mentioned before I couldn't go with straight wool. She'd never believe that it would be ok for Florida. After looking at many yarns I wound up with Panda Silk which does have wool in it but it's mostly bamboo and silk. I just fell for the color and the softness and I knew that the wool would be better for holding it's shape after blocking.



I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture but the yarn has a shine to it. The silk or bamboo take the color a little differently than the wool and that gives the yarn a slightly sun-kissed appearance.



I loved this project. I only saw the pattern and got the yarn a little over a week before I left on my trip which put me in quite a time crunch. I needed to knit it and block it before I left. Happily the pattern was fun and easy to follow and it went really fast. I finished the knitting in 48 hours. The less said the better about how I did it.

So, did my M-I-L like it? Yes, she says it's perfect.

Adina's Welcome

I finished another baby sweater. This one is for my cousin's daughter, Adina. I really love making baby stuff. You can get all the details and interesting construction of an adult garment but the nearly instant gratification of doing it on a much smaller scale.


I love so many things about this sweater, staring with the yarn. I used KP Swish DK in Tidepool Heather and I'd use it again. I chose it because it was superwash and offered many colors. I'm very into nontraditional colors for baby gifts and I think this fits. The blue-green is really nice but the heathering makes it truly lovely and soft. Speaking of soft, this yarn is really, really soft. It was perfect for the purpose.



The pattern is Baby Ferris by Norah Gaughan and it's been in my favorites for a really long time. When I finally started on it I was surprised to see that more knitters hadn't made it yet because it's vey cute. Then I started working on it and I'm thinking that the amount of finishing may be a turn off for many. This knits up in six pieces including 2 for the back. That's a lot of finishing and then there are the bands that get knitted on. I think the finishing took almost as long as the knitting.

But when the results are this cute isn't it worth it? Look at the shaping on the back. So sweet.



I really enjoyed knitting - and even finishing - this sweater. I think that the end result is worth any fiddliness and the instructions were very clear. There were only 2 places that I ran into trouble and I think that it has to do with sizing the pattern down (it was originally published as a child sweater). The sleeves are wrong. The pattern says to cast on using the larger needles and knit for 5 inches before picking up 50 stitches and knitting the sleeve. I couldn't do it. I tried. I wound up casting on with the smaller needles (I switched to the larger ones for the rest of the sleeves) and knitting a 6 inch strip. That allowed me to pick up the requisite 50 stitches and knit on happily. The other issue was seaming the sides. It just didn't match up quite right but I made it work.

The Felted Daypack

I finished - and delivered - another handknit about a week ago. As my brother noted, it was a bit non-traditional. I made a Felted Daypack from the pattern by Joy Geib Doss for my sister-in-law.



I first started this way back in November intending to give it to Misun for Hannukah. No dice! I got lost in a slog of stockinette and made slippers for her instead. I turned back to it in February intending it as a birthday gift. I'm either way early or a little late depending on how you look at it. My S-I-L is a leap year baby. Ha! I chose to see it as early for her next actual birthday.

I wish I had a better picture to show how it fits but here it is on my S-I-L's back as she walks my niece who likes to climb on everything. It looks like the right size to carry the stuff you'd need out and about for the day. It's really the same size as my handbag but without the pockets.

This brings me to the knit itself. I used Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in Daffodil and Ink. When I was about 3/4 finished with the project I started worrying a lot about the yellow and if it would felt since I know that light colored yarns are a bit of a crap shoot. I needn't have worried. As always this stuff felted like a dream.

I knit it mostly as written except for most of the finishing. I left off the pockets because... ok, let's be honest - I was tired of stockinette. I could say that it was a matter of practicality or aesthetics but I'd be lying. If she really wants them then I can add them later.



The other change was the closure. The pattern called for making a felted cord to fo through eyelets and a loop to attach the flap to a button on the body. None of this sounded great to me. I was worried about the flap staying shut and stuff falling out and I just flat out didn't feel any love for the felted cord so I left them off.

As I sat and attached the straps it hit me that I really wanted the same type of closure for this bag that I have on my Keens and I told Bruce. Wouldn't you know that he had an extra one laying around? He'd requested a replacement for one of his shoes a while back and they sent an extra. It was perfect. I threaded it through the eyelets and it holds the bag closed very reliably.



Now the pretty blue and yellow button is just decorative. I really like it like that.

Tried and True Slippers

I'm hoping that my timing on this post is correct and that the gift arrives the same day these slipper debut on the web. It would stink if I ruined the surprise.



After abandoning one gift project and enduring a crash and burn on the second, I decided to return to the tried and true for my third attempt at a gift for my S-I-L. These are the Mohair Ballet Slippers (minus the mohair) by Bev Galeskas. You may recall that I made DQ a pair of these about 2 years ago. She still loves hers so I just re-applied more Plasti-Dip to the soles.



For my S-I-L's slippers I chose a brighter color because she's a happy kind of person. It's Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in a color that may be Summer Fuscia. And I added a few little flowers using some left over Koigu from long ago socks.

Let's hope that she likes them.

Miss B's Second

The daughter of a good friend had a birthday recently so, naturally, I knit. I had it in my head to make a dress for her and searched through Ravelry and my personal library for just the right pattern. Then the summer issue of Knitter's appeared with a pattern by Rick Mondragon called Bluebells & Shells. It immediately grabbed my attention because it was sweet and simple and totally different from the dress I made for my niece. This is key when knitting for 2 similarly sized little girls with birthdays about a week apart. Avoid bordeom and knitty monotony at all costs.


The shape of the dress is simple with a flared skirt that ought to be perfect for twirling. The interest comes from the use of 2 different versions of slipped stitch. There is a controlled, and subtle version on the bodice and a bolder, playful version at the hem. Both were fun to knit. What wasn't fun was knitting in all of the resulting ends afterwards. Ugh and double-ugh. I thought that I'd never finish.



Although the KP Shine is softer, I went with Elann Sonata for this dress. Both yarns are cotton and come in great colors but Sonata feels more sturdy. For kid stuff I want a yarn that can stand up to a bit of abuse.

As this point in the post I'd love to offer a modeled shot but... my model wasn't up for that. I was happy that she tried on the dress and it fits perfectly.

I don't take it personally that she couldn't get it off again fast enough - you'd have though that it was on fire. By the time she put it on it was about 8pm and Miss B is 2. Tired toddlers are not good models. Not at all.

Miss M's Dress

My niece recently celebrated her first birthday and I am pleased to say that my birthday gift for her was received right on time. That's a rarity for me.



Now that she has her gift I can share it with everyone else. This is Summer Breeze by Zabeth Loisel-Weiner which is listed on my projects page as Lacey Girl. I get a kick out of the fact that either of those links will show you pictures of my version on the pattern. It feels good to know that the designer approved of my modifications to the pattern.



You can read all about my mods on Ravelry or either of the earlier blog entries about it. I really am happy with the way the dress came out and pleased with the decisions I made. There is only one thing I'd do differently in the future. I used a row of purls to transition from the green to the blue and it works well but I should've done another straight knit row after it before starting the lace. You can barely see it in the picture but there are two little purl bumps at regular intervals where the lace and purl row intersect. It's not fatal but it would've been better without that tiny bit of wonkiness.

I used KP Shine Sport in the River and Green Apple colorways for this dress. I love the colors of the yarn and the softness and ability to put it in the washer make it perfect for kid-wear but I have small misgivings about the yarn too. As I knot with it I could feel it getting slightly fuzzy. This stuff is destined to pill like nobody's business. I just know it. But if you're looking for a cotton yarn with great colors in a sport or worsted weight your choices are limited. Many of them are near misses - not soft enough, narrow color range, too heavy. Someday someone will come out with a perfect cotton yarn and I'll be waiting.

The most important thing about this dress is that it fits. It fits! I made a size 3 for my year old niece but she is an *ahem* big girl for her age. She is cute though. My hope is that she can continue to wear this for quite a while. At least until I made her another one.

Riley's Summer Ensemble

I finished another lingering project this weekend.

This is made from a Drops pattern that goes by the thoroughly unimaginative name of B13-17 Dress, bonnet, socks and duck. Thank goodness I wasn't looking to the title to tell me much about the pattern. I would've missed out on a really good one.

The pattern isn't perfect but it wasn't hard to follow at all. My biggest problem with it was that the skirt was deadly dull and boring to knit. It was just a big tube of 3x3 rib with a bit of lace thrown in. Can you imagine how boring it would be without the lace? Oooo I shudder to think.

Anyway, the payoff for all that 3/3 rib knitting was a really sweetly draping skirt that looks pleated thanks to the decreases at the top of the skirt. It flared very gently at the bottom before the crochet edge was added and now, with the edge it's wonderful. This is going to my 4 month old niece who's still not mobile but I imagine that this dress would be great for a toddler who could twirl around in it.

I knit this pattern mostly as written but I deviated in a few details. None of then were major but they do make it mine. The first was that I used more colors. DQ and I chose these three shades of Katia Mississippi 3 and I was a little worried that this would be too patriotic looking but despite the stripiness of the skirt and the eyelets in the top that could be interpreted as stars, I don't get a flag-like feel from this at all. It looks like a tennis dress to me or perhaps the perfect frock for lunch at the country club. My S-I-L is lucky that this won't fit anyone in my house because if it did, I'd keep it for myself and make something else for her. I love this dress just that much.


I intentionally did some of the color changes on purl rows. I really love the way it adds that skinny line of color. It makes the transition from one color to the next a little softer and more fun, like overstitching.

Another change i made was in the crochet edging. On the bottom of the skirt I used the edge specified in the pattern (although I added a foundation row) and it adds a lovely, lacey, finish to the swingy skirt. On the edges of the bodice I elected to deviate from the pattern and used a simple instead. It just seemed like a better fit.

To complete this gift I made a pair of booties. For these I used the same yarn and the pattern for Blue Steps Baby Booties by Regina Willer. To me this pattern was a little unclear in spots but I was able to use the picture and my knitting experience to fill in the blanks. They're very simple and sweet and I just hope they fit.

Big Sister/Little Sister Penguins

There has been quite a lot of fiber play going on for me lately. I'm spinning a lot, working like made to finish a few important knitting projects and, all the while, the crocheting continues. Mostly it's kippot. I just finished number 70 so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. After spending such a long time with one project as your constant companion knowing that the end is near brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's a relief to know that I'll finish on time but at the same time I know it's going to feel weird not to have kippot to work on when I have a random moment.

Before I started the kippot, crochet was totally foreign and, honestly, uninterestingto me. I just had no interest at all. That's changed a bit lately since I found amigurumi. To my great surprise I've found that crochet is fun, fast and kind of satisfying.

This little duo is the mother & baby penguins from Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli. This book is great! The instructions are clear and so are the illustrations so I can easily see how it's all supposed to come together. For a crochet novice like myself clear instructions is key.

Although they're billed as a mother & baby in the book I'm dubbing these as Big sister/Little sister penguins and I'll likely add a little bow on each before I give them to my niece who just became a big sister. I just have to finish the accompanying baby gift.

There is only one thing I would change about this project if I could. The yarn. KP Shine worsted is shiny and soft and I have no doubt that it'll hold up but it was not fun to work with because it fuzzes up constantly. I had little puffs of cottony yarn flying all around me as I worked on this and that's just not good. They made me sneeze and got on my clothes and it disappointed me greatly. Next time i'll get the cheapo yarn called for in the book.

Finished and Gifted Backyard Leaves Scarf

Did I ever mention how badly I suck at giving (and receiving) gifts? It makes me so uncomfortable that I practically squirm. On the giving end the issue is exactly what you might expect. I worry to an unreasonable degree that the recipient won't like it. Mot sure what my issue is on the receiving side - general weirdness I guess.

Anyway, I gave this scarf to my hairdresser yesterday and I can't tell you how relieved I was that he didn't open it right then and there. Whew! As it was I told him that I hoped that he likes it but I understand if he doesn't. Oh yes I did. I told myself a zillion times on my way over not to apologize for the gift but clearly it didn't help much. Can you imagine what would've happened if he'd opened it while I was there? Oy! Thankfully he's been doing my hair for a decade or so and is very familiar with my weirdness by now.


He really doesn't have to say anything though because I'll know if he likes it soon enough. I see him on his way to work many mornings crossing the park or in St*rb*cks. If he's wearing a snazzy new scarf the next time I see him then it's all good.


So, about the scarf itself. The pattern is Backyard Leaves by Annie Modesitt in KP Andean Silk in a color called slate. I read on Ravelry that other people using this yarn for this pattern felt it was ill-behaved. I disagree. It worked just fine for me. No complaints at all.


The pattern was also good. It wasn't the yarn-hog that Forbes Forest is so I finished a full 10 repeats on each side using about 3.5 balls of yarn. That makes this a pretty economical gift.

Thanks to the clever edge treatment in this pattern, this is also a very neat looking scarf... except for the join. To call it wonky is a bit of an understatement. I took a picture but, trust me, you don't want to see it. I'm sure the giftee won't notice but knitters like us would. Actually, even my daughter noticed but that's because it was blocking and she's often called upon to critique the severity of errors in my knitting. I suspect that, when tossed jauntily about one's neck. the untrained eye won't detect any issue at all.


I would've fixed it but the truth is that, although I've done plenty of successful grafting in the past, this was not an easy edge to graft (for me) and I doubt that a second try would've gone any better. If there is anything that would've made this pattern better for me it would be a better explanation of how to graft this particular scarves halves together.


Let's hope I see my hardresser - with his scarf - when I stop for coffee tomorrow.