Ardrum Scarf

I finally worked up the courage to block the Ardrum Scarf.  I finished it about a month ago and it had been sitting in a drawer ever since, patiently awaiting further developments.  Well, yesterday its number went up.

Let me tell you, I was terrified when it came to plunging this fragile pile of yarn into water and manhandling it into shape.  All sorts of disaster scenarios flashed through my head.  What if it felts?  What if I break a thread?  What if, what if, what if?  You see, this was my first time ever blocking lace, or to be more precise, laceweight. 

Scared or not, I finally did it, got the scarf properly wet and commenced pinning.  Surprisingly, no major disaster occurred and the shawl is now drying up in all of its stretched glory.

You may have noticed that I changed my regular blocking arrangements.  Usually I pin the victim to the carpet in the only carpeted room in the house, but we are awaiting a visit from a certain young lady (she of the Poppy Girl fame) and the room in question happens to double as her playroom.  I may be ignorant when it comes to toddler care but I know enough not to set them free in an area full of pins.  I went for plan B, which was a spare mattress installed in the living room. 

Turned out that in my haste to prevent accidents involving someone else's child I completely ignored health and safety of my own dear dog.  Persuading the said dog that walking over a mattress full of pins is not a good idea proved impossible and I was feeling the first delicate inklings of frustrations, when my Other Half suggested a brilliant solution:

'Let's haul the mattress up on the dining table'.

Here it is, a visual proof of my brazen disregard of decor propriety (please ignore general crappiness of the picture).

The fact that my Other Half came up with this solution and that he doesn't mind at all also says a lot about him.  Envy me!

Pinning to a stripey mattress had one unexpected advantage - I had all my straight edges sorted out without even trying.

If you were wondering, the whitish string is my answer to blocking wires, because I don't own any.  In fact, the string worked so well that I can't see a reason why I should own them, ever.  Frugality and simplicity, that's the ticket (and we will NOT mention permanent insolvency at this point). 

The lace pattern is not very clear, for which I apologise.  The stripiness of the mattress is to blame here;  it occurred to me that inserting a blank page under the lace would make the design more visible, but the idea arrived after I pinned the whole thing and I didn't want to tempt the Fate too much.

To tell you the truth, the lack of clarity may not all be due to stripes.  I realised (with some horror) that I should've used larger needles.  Stretched to the utmost, the scarf will pass muster but only just.  My kind sister (who is the soon-to-be owner of the scarf) commented that invisible small-holed lace will contribute to the shawl's warmth-emitting qualities, but I admit I'm somewhat* disappointed.  It may not count as a Major Disaster, but it's definitely in the Could've Done Better category.  Lesson learned, and considering pain involved, it's probably remembered for life, too. 

I will probably take some live action pics of the scarf once I un-pin it, so stay tuned.  Also, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but the pattern for this beauty is Ardrum Scarf by Aisling M Doonan.  The pattern is free, which is one more reason why you should knit your own.  Have fun! (And remember to use large enough needles...).

One more thing.  This...

...is the reason for naming my current WIP 'Amaryllis'.  The unnaturally short stalk is most likely due to my neglecting forgetting to water it for a considerable period of time.  Poor plant, it must have decided it's now or never. 

Amaryllis the sweater is coming along nicely.  I got to the armholes the other day, so I'm working back and forth now.  I also got a chance to try it on and *deep breath in* it looks like it's going to fit.  So far, at least.  Don't say it too loud, touch wood, perform any superstition you can think of so that the rest of the work is not jinxed beyond redemption.  Illustrated report to be published soon.


*somewhat?  I seriously considered ripping the whole thing up and re-knitting it