May KAL

I have been suggesting KAL patterns to Amy at Red Purl for a while now. Sometimes she jumps at them, sometimes...she doesn't. I had suggested this very cute Flower Scarf by Robyn Diliberto a couple times and I guess she now felt the time was right because she picked it for May's Friday night KAL.

My reward for picking the pattern? I got to knit the store sample.

It's a clever design. Besides just being cute, the center of the flower is actually a button that pops out of the flower. So you don't have to pull the scarf over your head, and yet it stays securely around your neck.

Or, if you like things around your head, some people at the store have been trying on the sample as a big fancy headband. It works!

The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download or, if you're not a Ravelry member yet, from Loopy Ewe. It was a fun fast knit, although you can a little bogged down in the Fisherman Rib. It's a slip stitch pattern so sometimes it feels like you're only making half the progress for all the work, but then suddenly it's long enough and you're done! The upside is that it makes for a wonderful deep, plush, yet relaxed rib.

Amy is featuring Blue Sky's Alpaca & Silk for the pattern. It is a truly wonderful yarn. It feels so soft, and it's lightweight yet substantial. The alpaca gives you warmth and the silk gives the yarn a beautiful sheen. It feels good to work with too. (Can you tell I like it?...a lot!)

Tips:

• I used one size smaller needle for the length of the scarf. I'd recommend one size smaller than that for the button, and one size larger for the flower.
• You'll need to start the flower on dpns, but after you've done a couple increase rows you'll need to switch to magicloop or cable needles, or start using more than five dpns.
• As the pattern says, do not overstuff the button. Also, stuff it with some of your yarn scraps so the stuffing will match. White polyfill will show through. (That wasn't too bad on my light pink sample, but it won't be nice on the purple one I'm going to do for myself.)

It was a nice rewarding knit and the final product is lovely. Whether it's for yourself or a gift, head to Red Purl for some Alpaca & Silk in your favourite colour and join us in the KAL!