Well that was quick…

This fun moment was brought to you by, well, the Moments scarf by Araucania! It is all finished and I have already worn it to work this morning. It was so gloomy and cool at 6:20am this morning that I was really glad to wrap it around my neck as I walked through the big parking lot on my way in.

Now I will definitely make another (DD1 has made a request for a longer version), but I think I may have to sub some different yarn, as the Nature Wool is a bit scratchy, and although I can tolerate it just fine, especially when it is damp and chilly, the DD’s have no love for scratchy things. I’ll have to dig through my stash for something appropriately softer.

Now one minor annoyance is the fact that the pattern calls for 2 skeins of Nature Wool and 1 of Magallanes, but the scarf actually only used enough yarn from the second skein of Nature Wool for one row plus the bind off row. My finished measurements were very, very close, in both finished length and width, which I’m calling meeting gauge (it’s only a scarf people!).

However, that extra skein annoys the*bleep* out of me to no end! At $9.99CDN a skein, this yarn is not cheap (not saying should it be, it is so beautiful!), so why on earth wouldn’t the designer alter the pattern to use only one skein of both or conversely much more of the second Nature Wool skein. I now have 99.9% of a skein of yarn that I really didn’t need to purchase. Of course it will go into the stash and will not go to waste. Anyone who saw my Afghans for Afghans blanket knows I know how to use up a stray skein of two of wool, but still I resent being stuck with a lone skein with no plan. Had the scarf only taken 1 of each skein (2 in total) I would have preferred to spend even more money on two more skeins in another colorway for a second project. I wish designers and yarn manufacturers would remember when they were just knitters on a budget, trying to get the most bang for their buck at their LYS. Surely it would remind them to adjust their patterns to actually use most of the purchased quantity so that knitters would ensure they get their monies worth at the completion of a project.

Still, it is lovely isn’t it?
In other, but related, knitting news, my entry into Ravelry truly is like falling down the rabbit hole! Countless hours have been lost last week surfing around and learning the ropes and I’ve already fallen victim to my first ever yarn swap over here at KTS 4 http://knittersteaswap.blogspot.com/.

And, oh lucky me, my lovely in-laws treated me to a wonderful gift certificate for Yarn Forward http://www.yarnforward.com/ for my birthday! Do they know me, or what?! However, with the previously mentioned tumble off the wagon for want of the above scarf, I think my stash diet is officially over for the season. With the Inspirations Needlecraft show http://www.inspirationsneedlecraft.com/ coming up in 10 days (new venue this year – when it comes to yarn, fabric and needlecrafts, bigger is definitely better!) and our annual OKG http://www.ottawaknittingguild.ca/Public/Home.aspx vendors market next Monday evening, I’m doomed and refuse to set myself up for certain failure by trying to keep to my stash reduction diet. It would be like trying to eat turkey without all the trimmings – not a chance that’s ever going to happen! Better that I should diligently resume my diet after these events are over and done with and my need to buy yarn for the long cold winter is sated. Therefore this week will be spend culling together all the projects I have wanted to do but haven’t purchased yarn for, and compiling the necessary purchasing information for my ultimate shopping pleasure!

Knit on…

kate