two nights at the opera

Well, two opera scarves... these took a little longer than two nights to knit, but they were pretty darn quick nonetheless. I knit these for our moms.

for my mom:

Yarn: Mirasol Yarns Hacho, #306, 2 skeins
Needles: Clover US 8 bamboo straights

Notes: I cast on 32 stitches for this. The scarf's on the shorter side, but the width is perfect. The yarn is a springy merino that feels soft in the skein, but feels a little crisp or dry while it's knit up. It washed well, with little-to-no bleeding. I didn't block it very vigorously.

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for Paul's mom:

Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino, Stonechat, just under 2 skeins

Needles: Clover US 9 bamboo straights

Notes: I cast on 29 stitches for this one. I should have done 32 to get a bit more width; I didn't use the full two skeins, and it's a little too long. I washed it in lavender Eucalan, and I had hoped not to have to rinse it. The yarn bled like crazy in the wash, so I ended up doing at least 3 rinse cycles. It's not nearly as soft as it would have been un-rinsed -- it feels crisper than the Silky Merino Ishbel in teal that I didn't have to rinse. On the plus side, this has a lacier feel that I really like.

My favorite opera scarf is still the first one that I knit (out of the Plucky Knitter's lusciously soft Merino Cashmere Sport), which has found a home with Melissa of Owl & Acorn for "Pay It Forward." I'd love to have one just like it of my very own -- there's another skein of that same yarn in Captain Wentworth (dark blue) that just might work.

Here's Kylie on her tuffet:

She loves pillows and down comforters. She'll perch atop them, or even use a pillow as a headrest, just like a human.