Unhealthy Obsession

Evidence of how one college student's obsession with knitting has completely driven her nuts.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Busy Bee - Branching Out, Prize Winner!

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted. It can get really tedious to constantly update, especially since it means taking pictures, uploading them, and posting them. Anyways, I am rounding the corner to finals, so you can understand why I haven't posted ;)

For starters, I did finish my Branching Out scarf at long last. I finished blocking in mid-May, and I started the project early May. Two weeks is not bad for my first lace project!

After I blocked it, the length of the scarf increased maybe 6-8 inches! The stitch definition was much better, and the scarf more even-looking, but I definitely preferred the original size of the scarf. That is something to keep in mind if I choose to make another one for myself.

This was my first time blocking anything, so it was mostly experimental. I saturated the scarf, and pinned it down to a towel with seamstress pins. They didn't stay in place very well. It was also difficult to shape it in such a way that it was of even width from one end to the next. For my cardigan, I'm going out to get some foam core for a blocking board, and hopefully some T-pins, which should hold better.

An overview during blocking:
Branching Out 051605 002 Edit

A close-up during blocking:
Branching Out 051605 004 Edit

I gave the scarf to my mom several weeks after Mother's Day. Unfortunately I never got to take a picture of the finished product. Today my brother sent me some pictures he took of my mom wearing the scarf (he claims they're paparazzi photos ;) Finally, some proof that she actually wore it! ;)

You can see my post about finishing in the Branching Out KAL here.

Project Details:
Pattern:
Branching Out Scarf from Knitty.com
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr, 50% silk, 50% merino wool - about 1.2 oz.
Cost: $3.75/oz at Weaving Works, about $4.50 total.
Needles: Brittany Birch DPNs, size 8 - would prefer pointier tips for lace
Start to Finish: Approx 2 weeks

In other great news, I was picked as the winner of the first Branching Out KAL monthly drawing! I was so surprised and so excited! I never expected to win at all. The prize is a skein of 100% merino lace wool, hand dyed by Danielle at NoNoKitty. You can see all the prizes here. Thanks April and Danielle! :)

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