"Transitional Scarf" by Veronique Avery FO

Pattern: "Transitional Scarf" by Veronique Avery

Source: "Knitting 24/7"

Yarn: 3 Balls Debbie Bliss Amalfi (70% Cotton, 15% Viscose, 10% Linen, 5% Silk)

Colour: 32008 Lot: 7179

Source: The Naked Sheep

Needles: 4mm Aero Straights

Size: 5 1/4" wide x 65" long

Start: June 18 Finish: June 26, 2010

Modifications: None

First of all, I admit, I didn't swatch. Its a scarf - I indulged myself and dove right into casting on...what a naughty knitter! 

The book states this design is intended to produce something to wear "between seasons".

The finished product (a birthday gift for my Aunt) feels very appropriate to this idea both in the hand and around the neck.  My Aunt's summers are spent on Georgian Bay where there is always a cool breeze - especially in the evening so I think she'll get lots of wear out of it not only spring and fall but during the summer as well. I suspect the fact the colour looks fabulous next to her skin (very much like Darling Daughter's colouring in these shots) will also prompt her to often grab it on her way out the door.

This is my first FO from "Knitting 24/7".  It was, indeed the kind of knit that as a project was

"portable and simple enough to make use of those nooks and crannies in life when things are busy but hands are free".

Working this piece in a week to a deadline was too forced to rely on "nooks and crannies" of time but I can see how it would lend itself to that kind of knitting.

The yarn is similar to but different from the one stipulated by the pattern but of all the cotton and cotton blend yarns we looked at the Amalfi had an unparalleled depth of colour and a soft, casual sophistication that really appealed to my Aunt.

I saw this yarn knit up as a sleeveless stockinette top at Passionknit. Fortunately I was already well into knitting this scarf because the texture of that fabric was kind of course - especially on the purl side. The yarn didn't celebrate the knit side of the stockinette terribly well either and I might have been put off using the yarn if I'd seen that sample first. It doesn't even feel like the same yarn in this lacier application where it reminds me of cotton chenille.

The colourway seems almost luminescent with a crisp freshness reminiscent of adding a squirt of citrus to a vegetable dish or salad. (I had the same impression when knitting with the DB Donegal Luxury Tweed this past winter  so I assume this must be something purposeful on the part of Ms. Bliss and her design team.)

Apparently this yarn is described by DB as a "summertime tweed". There are no tweedy flecks but it does indeed give that very impression. BTW the shot above and the one below is of the "wrong side" of the work. 

I like the softness of this side without the strong vertical element of the lines of double slipped and passed over stitches as you can see in this next picture...

I skipped my usual wet blocking and instead steam blocked it on the ironing board after heavily misting both sides.  This flattened things out to create a nice fabric and drape and smartened up the stitch work without squashing everything to death.

The pattern notes encourage a very loose cast on to allow for the scalloping of the ends and it seems I managed to accomplish that. (Big excitement for this generally "tight" knitter!)

The three needle bind off joining the two halves knit from the bottom edges up seems successful in that the pattern from each half lined up nicely.  (Is that line of garter supposed to be there in the middle? As you can see I decided that it was intentional - or at least not too objectionable because I left it that way but seriously, did I do it wrong?)

However correct or incorrect the bind off, I think she is going to love it and wear it and its finished on time so I'm happy with it too!

I'm also happy to have all of you to share it with! Thanks again for taking the time to drop by!

New Dawn Climbing Rose