I Palindrome I, Done!

I finished this a few weeks ago, but wanted to post my final pictures after I had a chance to wash and block it. I wanted to see if it changed drastically after that process. (It didn't!)

I ended up doing 28 repeats of the pattern. After blocking it came out 4 inches wide by 83 inches long.

I love this scarf. The brioche stitch just makes it so lofty and cozy...so much so that I can't ever see myself wearing it in south Florida. I guess I need to plan some good cold weather destinations this year! To be honest, when I cast on I was hoping my sister would see me working on it and hint how much she liked it and how it would make a great birthday gift for her. But she never said a word about it. Hmph.

I soaked the scarf in Eucalan, expecting it to look like a bloodbath after a few minutes. I was pleasantly surprised; the yarn color bled a little bit, but not nearly what I was expecting. I decided to just pull the scarf a bit by hand and not pin it to block it, so the 'blocked' size is just a few inches longer than what I first knit. The yarn opened up and of course, Malabrigo is just so darned soft and pretty!

Jay Campbell's Great American Aran Afghan Square

I decided to make the Jay Campbell square from the Great American Aran Afghan for my mum to give to her on Mother's Day this year. She got the pattern booklet a year or two ago but has never made anything from it. I'm not committing to making a whole afghan, but this is one of her favorite squares and I figured I could make it into a pillow cover or a small wall-hanging. I used super soft Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton and size 7 needles.

This particular block of the afghan is interesting because of the construction of it - knit in the round, from the outside in. Mine ended up being 13 inches square. It's a great example of how blocking can really transform a project.

No decision yet on what it will become (I think a pillow would be best and the pattern booklet includes instructions for doing a cover with some cables along the edges). But for now it looks good just gracing the top of a small cabinet!