I wish I could get a picture that does justice to this beautiful yarn. It's Shimmering Silk Fingering in a limited edition colourway called "Life is a Flower" by Expression Fiber Arts. The colour is much more dimensional than my lighting (and my iffy smartphone camera!) can pick up.
And the texture. Ahhh, such a joy to work with. Everyone knows that knitting can feel very meditative; this yarn just invited a blissed out state. So, we've established I'm a fan, right?
I felt pressure to choose the rightest, perfectest, loveliest pattern to honour this beautiful yarn. After much consideration, I picked the Falling Water scarf, available for free on Ravelry.com. I knit about 7 or 8 inches, then test blocked it to see if it would block out wide enough or if I should add a pattern repeat or two. Since it blocked out to about 6.5 inches, I thought it would be perfect. I thought. (Dramatic pause. Foreshadowing.)
Beautiful, huh? Knit, knit, knit, knit. I knit it to just over 52 inches long, hypothesizing that since it blocked out width-wise as the pattern stated, it would lengthen as suggested as well. This is a yarn that needs blocking to really show its stuff.
Check it out. Unblocked compared to the previously blocked end.
I blocked it using my DIY blocking wires. I really didn't get much length. Maaaaybe a couple of inches? But definitely 6.5 inches wide.
The calm before the frog
I was concerned about the length. I told myself that I could definitely figure out ways to wear it even though it's shorter than my usual go-to 6 foot length for scarves. Then, I tried it on.
Get ready to cue the sad trombone.
The challenge was how it hangs. It doesn't want to be a luscious 6.5 inch wide statement scarf. It wants to be a scanty wee whisper of a scarf. Being not a scant wee whisper of a wearer, this isn't going to work for me.
Insert usual abashed verbiage about "oh dear! I look so tired and I should have slapped a layer of makeup on and tried to do something better with my hair." But let's be honest, if I waited for all those stars and planets to align, the pic would never happen, so... HERE I AM.
Anyway, absolutely gorgeous yarn. Delightful pattern. 5 stars each. Together, they just don't add up, sadly. Imma frog this scarf and do something more drapey, like maybe a very deep cowl that sort of pools down. And I'm likely to use the pattern again too, with a more substantial yarn.
Live and learn, right??
