It was a pleasure working with such soft yarn, and I got pretty far along on this scarf when I realized that twenty-five stitches across (the same as I'd used in my previous scarf) was just too wide in a chunky yarn. It a) didn't look good, and b) would use up a lot more yarn than was necessary. But mostly, it didn't look good; the proportions were all off. And I wanted this scarf to be nice and long, so the owner could wrap it round her neck a time or two if she wanted. I didn't have the heart to rip it out myself; I asked Kevin to do it while I was sleeping. I came down in the morning to a pile of not-too-tangled yarn, took a deep breath, and set out again with nineteen stitches across. Much better.
I didn't try for anything complex or crazy; I wanted to finish this in good time to send off for a holiday gift, not get tangled in something difficult I didn't know how to do. But I did want to add at least one new element, just to keep myself interested. I kept the squares from my last scarf, but instead of seashells, tried little clusters instead. Not all the way through; just a few near the ends. Easy and fun, and I think they soften the effect of all those squares.
I'm happy with the finished result -- happy enough that I would have been okay with keeping it and wearing it myself. :-) But it's off to J's A on Friday, as soon as I make her a little care tag. It's a little weird sending one of my creations out into the world, with no idea how it'll be received. I suppose it's not so different from publishing stories in that way. Hopefully she'll like it!
I'm happy with the finished result -- happy enough that I would have been okay with keeping it and wearing it myself. :-) But it's off to J's A on Friday, as soon as I make her a little care tag. It's a little weird sending one of my creations out into the world, with no idea how it'll be received. I suppose it's not so different from publishing stories in that way. Hopefully she'll like it!
Love the clusters. Can you post the stitches for the scarf?
Where do you get Misti Alpaca? Somewhere like a Michaels, AC Moore or JoAnn Fabrics or at a specialty shop?
I bought it at a yarn store, but I think if you know you like a yarn, the best option is probably to buy it online — you can find much better prices. I keep being seduced by the little yarn stores, though — and they do offer lots of helpful advice.
Do you want the squares as well as the clusters? Or the whole pattern? I haven’t tried writing up a pattern before, but maybe that’d be a good challenge for me. It shouldn’t be too hard…
I’ll check out my local yarn stores.
The whole pattern would be great! Would you say this pattern is for a beginner or someone with more experience?
Definitely a beginner. That’s what I am!