KIP-ing and Clap-ing

If you'll pardon the somewhat wooden expression that generally comes when you're trying to aim a camera at your own face and smile, here ya go. The Clapotis scarf is finally done!

I made substantial progress on Saturday, that being World Wide Knit in Public Day. I haven't a picture of the group setting up at the Saturday Market in town, since I came to help set up and knit a tiny bit before I had to dash off to Commencement. But I did have my scarf in a small bag to work on. After the speeches were over and the graduates lined up, I whipped out the Clapotis and stitched away. Alas, I didn't have my camera with me so I have no photographic evidence of me sitting in full academic regalia, knitting. Before you think I was being bad, I wasn't the only one in the faculty who brought something to do. Our division chair was grading final exams.

And here's a close-up of the finished, blocked scarf:

In the blocking process, I learned that you really do have to be careful about washing silk in case the dyes weren't properly fixed (as is often the case) and run like the dickens. The dyes did run, but not to the extent that the whole thing was stained. A little gentle soap cleaned out any hand oils, and a little vinegar in the rinse water restored the silky sheen. Blot dry in a towel, pin flat, and voila -- Clapotis!

For a two-skeins-of-Alchemy-Synchronicity scarf-sized version, I did only two full repeats of rows 1-12 in the increase section (and the half-repeat called for), did 14 repeats of the rows in the body section, and two full repeats (and the half-repeat) of the decrease rows. Just in case, I ran a lifeline just before the last repeat and didn't run any of the ladders down from that point on until I finished.

This is all I had left of the Alchemy when I was done: