The Gift of Blocking

And now we take a break from the creepy knitting to bring you this finished project! The Gift of Friendship Scarf by Christine McKnight knit with Schaefer Anne.

This was a great knit! The pattern is very easy to memorize. A bitch to tink, but using a life line was a life saver. I used a fingering weight and didn't really worry about gauge. What I should have worried about was pre-blocking vs blocking. Note to self - knit a swatch and wash and block to calculate percentage of growth next time you knit a lace project where gauge isn't critical. Duh.


Pre-blocking the scarf measured 7.5" wide and 32" long. Kind of short, I know. I figured I'd knit until I got good and tired of knitting. Schaefer Anne has a lot of yardage so I got good and tired of knitting a little sooner than I expected. I kept guesstimating how long the scarf was actually going to be, and I guess all that thinking hurt my head because one night I just decided that I was done. (See the note to self above.) I finished the garter edge and decided that I had planned all along for a shorter scarf. And truthfully, I like this scarf shorter. It's not meant to be a muffler, just some fluff for the neck area to keep out the draft. I like how it looks draping across the front of the neck, crossing the ends behind the neck and bringing the ends back to the front and tucking. (Basically the exact opposite of how a scarf is traditionally wrapped.)


With blocking it measures 8" wide and 44.5" long. Not too bad! I love how the mesh highlights the subtle color changes in the yarn. The yarn reminds me of blueberry bushes. Any guesses as to where this scarf is going? It is a gift, after all...