More knitting!

The Harry Potter scarf is finished--we're ready for Halloween! The scarf turned out well and is just the right size. I'm sure only a knitter would think this, but a hand knitted scarf makes all the difference. That and the wand my son and his dad made: They rigged up a light bulb at the end and colored the brown tape to look like wood. My own Halloween costume is coming along, but it's more complicated (involves sewing).

I also finished my scarf, although it's not the one I told you about in the last post. I was thinking aloud to fellow Raveler Lisette (Ilovescarves) about my Malabrigo, and she mentioned she'd made the scarf Just Enough Ruffles with two skeins of Malabrigo. Of course it was the perfect pattern for this yarn. The scarf is by Cosmicpluto, and I somehow managed to get it on sale for $2.80 during Rhinebeck Weekend (but normally it's just $3.50). I ordered up the pattern, and the scarf came together so quickly. Here's the result:



Just off the needles, my gray scarf looked a bit like an octopus's tentacle wound around my neck! I was a little worried, but some steaming got the ruffles under control. Thanks, Lisette, for suggesting this pattern! By the way, if you haven't seen her Ravelry page (she's ilovescarves), go right now and look at it. She has some amazing projects, and they're all photographed so prettily.

Yesterday I visited a new yarn shop in the area, Serial Knitters Yarn Shop in Kirkland, WA. We've had a few shops close in the last few years, so it was good to see one open, and also to see that one of my favorite staff members from an old shop has resurfaced at this one. I didn't get to stay very long, but I liked what I saw. The shop has good natural light and carries many yarns I like: Rowan, Habu, Debbie Bliss, Mirasol, and Noro to name a few--along with some I haven't tried: Hazel Knits, Madeline Tosh. But something they do that I haven't seen anywhere else is sell their customers' knitting and crochet books on consignment. What a great idea, because everyone has books they'd like to move along. With the sale of the books, the customer earns "yarn points" to spend in the shop. Look what came home with me:


Rowan 36 on the right is one of the last volumes where Kim Hargreaves is designing for the company, and there are lots of gorgeous things in it. Rowan Book 10 is the most sought-after of the early publications. It features designs by all the Rowan heavy hitters (Kaffe Fassett has some of his best work in here), and Kate Moss as a model when she was still an unknown. The third one is Kim Hargreaves' Thrown Together. I paid half the original cover price for these, which made them a very good deal indeed, since Rowan Book 10 goes for a lot on eBay. Needless to say, I'll be visiting Serial Knitters again soon, and may even check out the yarn next time.

Next up are some arm warmers using the popular Toast pattern on Ravelry, and then on to some of the other things on my list like Christmas knitting. Hope you're having fun with your fall knitting, too!