Eureka

I think I've found the perfect scarf pattern for knitting night! Whenever I try to knit a complicated lace or cable pattern at knitting night, I invariably have to rip back a row or two after I get home. Dim lighting and good conversation just don't mix well with fancy patterns. The Opera Scarf pattern is free from Blue Sky Alpacas. There's just one pattern row that's quite easy to remember.
I'm using the Plucky Knitter's Merino/Cashmere/Nylon sportweight in "Grace Kelly - Rear Window." I cast on 29 stitches rather than 23 (multiple of 3 + 2), and I'm using US 9 needles.

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Monday's mail included a lovely pay-it-forward parcel from Stacey, AKA Peaknit. The Sweetheart washcloth is so darn cute I'm almost afraid to use it! Susan B. Anderson (a Madisonian) designed this pattern, and my knitting circle is doing another one of her patterns as a KAL at our retreat next month -- Knit Chickens.
And the soap (from the Lippincott Soap Co.) smells heavenly. I love fancy, handmade soap. All the other goodies are marvelous, too. Some of the chocolate has already been consumed (yum!), and stitch markers and lip balm always come in handy. I still have one more pay-it-forward parcel to finish up myself (Melissa @ Owl & Acorn, I'm sorry I'm so slow!).

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The pieces of my Ariosa cardi are all knit up, and I'm blocking them in stages. With any luck I'll seam it up this weekend!
Overall the pattern was easy to knit. The directions for how to do the decreases aren't terribly clear about how to maintain the lace rib pattern, but it wasn't hard to figure out.

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sleepy Capricha and grumpy Kylie