On a recent trip to Ireland, I was at a loss as to what I should gift my friend and hostess for the trip. I had taken up knitting over the winter and thought I could put that skill to use. The only problem was that I didn’t want to get her a ‘typical’ wool gift as she lives in the land of sheep and probably has access to an abundance of those products already. She also frequently spends time in California, so she would have the opportunity to wear it in warmer weather.
In the end, I went with a beautiful lace shawl which happened to be in the colorway ‘Ireland’. The yarn was by Three Irish Girls and I used the Gust Lace Scarf pattern from Ravelry. It was an easy pattern to knit and the repeat became like clockwork after time. It was also one of my first experiences with blocking. I was amazed at how much the scarf increased in size! Here are some pictures of the process and the final item.
Before blocking
Soaking the scarf
After blocking
My friend loved the scarf and I had an amazing time staying at her home in Ireland. Luckily the weather was surprisingly warm so the scarf was perfect for the occasion.
I think lace is always a great gift. Especially shawls, because you can wear them as shawls or scarves in quite a few different ways. I just recently knit an Annis as a gift. Haven't blocked it yet. Blocking lace is so much fun; it's like magic!
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