Well, my last ribbed alpaca scarf went over well. To the point where it’s being used on a daily basis and I might have trouble wrangling it away for a wash if I don’t have a replacement ready :-) So this will be the swapping scarf.
11/8 - Wasn’t happy with the width of the scarf using the original pattern (51 stitches across) so have frogged the entire thing and am redoing it with 35 across. Longer, skinnier scarves are easier to double and loop unobtrusively under coats. This will hopefully also mean that I do not have to buy a 3rd ball of yarn to make it as long as I’d like (66 inches).
11/9 - Things this scarf has taught me: Seed stitch. Icording sides. How to frog and recover from messed-up rows without completely starting over. No, really, I used to either just let the mistake stay or start over completely because I was afraid of taking my piece off the needles. Am now comfortable enough with recognizing the way loops are supposed to look to rip and re-thread without killing my project :-)
11/12 - Ended up with a 61” long scarf at 35 stitches across. Probably could have gone even a bit narrower than that, but this was still a nice size. It fits neatly under the jacket when doubled and tucked, and that’s the important thing. This alpaca is a bit woolier than the other stuff I got, probably because it’s 100% rather than a mix. It’s still very comfortable on the neck, though. The combination of the color and the pattern make this a very subtle but elegant scarf that would work perfectly with a suit and overcoat. Just because the guy prefers monochrome doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish :-)