FO's!

I have two FO's to share with you today.

First, the Blue Pea Pod Baby Set. It took me longer than I anticipated to get here. The knitting went by in a flash. Then the finishing and getting photos dragged out. I better deliver this gift tout de suite, before the little guy out-grows it!



Lace and button detail:



Yarn: Patons Supersoft, cotton blend
Needles: US 4

The next FO is the Ruffle Scarf! Believe me when I say, I was more surprised than anyone when I finished this last night. I had light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel motivation on the knitting but I feared the finishing would become interminable. Well darned if it didn't go by quickly and easily. I haven't blocked it, though. The pattern says, "block lightly." I'm going to interpret that as, "Don't block at all. Just be glad you're done."



Here's the gratuitous close up:



And how it looks on:



Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca & Silk, Ecru color
Needles: US 6 and US 4
Pattern by Mac & Me

Last year, I knit the Lace-Up Shawl from AlterKnits. (Sorry, no pictures.) I purchased the exact amount of yarn recommended by the pattern. Turns out, it was way too much yarn. By double! In fairness, I didn't make the shawl as long as the pattern calls for (it would have swallowed its petite recipient whole, if I had). But nor did I make the shawl half as long as instructed. Did anyone else who made that shawl find the yarn estimations high, too?

I was annoyed by the wild over-estimation of yarn needed. This yarn is wonderful and worth it's price, but it ain't cheap. Oh, sure, I could have returned the unused yarn to the LYS for store credit. But returning yarn just seems so wrong. So when I found the pattern for this scarf, which called for about exactly the amount of yarn I had left over, I was thrilled.

I was doubly excited because I had recently seen this. I loved it but did not want to have to buy all the yarn (which you have to do with those Kim Hargreaves patterns). So this Ruffle Scarf pattern gave me a look I liked AND I already had the yarn. Oh happy day.

This scarf turned into a real test of endurance but it was definitely worth it in the end. Who knows, I may even block it someday.