FO: Calenhad

Pattern: What pattern?
Yarn: Handmaiden Sea Silk, 45g
Needles: 3.5 mm

Another spring-ish triangular scarf, this one more or less improvised. I cast on at the centre top and started with a garter-stitch tab, then knit standard triangular-scarf increases at the edges and down the centre line. I pulled the lace pattern from one of my stitch dictionaries.

I wish the photo was more true to colour–it looks fine on one of my computers but totally washed-out on the other. The yarn’s a gorgeous rich raspberry, with very slight shadings of darker pinks and an almost coral-pink mixed in. I’m always impressed with the depth of colour in Handmaiden’s (and Fleece Artist’s, for that matter) semi-solids.

I’m usually a soak-and-pin blocker, but this time I tried steam. Honestly? I don’t think I’ll do it again for a lace project. It took less time (what with not having to wait for the project to dry), but even though I pinned the scarf out during the process it didn’t block out as hard as I would have liked, and there was some bounce-back, too. I can see that it may be useful for textured knits and things that require smoothing more than anything else, but for lace it doesn’t provide the results I want. Had I more time I would have re-blocked it, but it’s already left the house around someone’s neck. So.

Before I scoot off to ponder patterns for my remaining 55g of Sea Silk, I have to shower some love on my Harmony circs. The shafts are beautifully smooth without being slick and have just the right amount of drag for silk or other slippy yarns; even though I knit quite tightly I was able to keep up a good rhythm without having to stop and squidge the stitches along.

The name of the scarf is a geeky and obscure reference to the trilogy of films I watched while knitting.