The first alpaca scarf off the needles:

Pattern: Easy Wave Scarf from Knitting New Scarves
Yarn: Eki Riva Casual
Adjustments: because I was using thinner yarn than specified in the pattern, I increased the width to 30 stitches.
Comments: thought the pattern is fiddly at first, I got into a rhythm after a while and was able to sit and watch tv as I knit.
Verdict: it’s lovely!

The next alpaca scarf went straight on the needles. This time it’s the Celtic Cable neckwarmer:

And thanks to some knitting time at camera club, I finished the first of my final personal sock club socks:

After looking at the big pile of yarns I had for these, I decided the reddish toned ones didn’t fit and took them out. I want them to be mainly brown socks. Then, instead of randomly varied stripes I went for even ones, with a cream stripe between them. Which is still going to give me heaps of ends to sew in, but I like the look of them. I can’t help thinking, though, that I could have dyed up yarn with stripes like this, and had very few ends to sew in.

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I’ve decided to go ahead with the Socks For Others Club. I asked on my private Live Journal if any of my LJ friends wanted handknit socks, expecting to get no response, and was surprised to find I had more than enough interest within a few hours of posting. There’s even a waiting list.

I’m going to put the recipient’s measurements with yarn of their colour preference into bags so I get the same anticipation and surprise as I did with the personal sock club. Well, except for one cheat – I want to knit my Dad’s socks first as his birthday is in July. And I need time to buy or dye the other yarn.

Because, believe it or not, I don’t have enough sock yarn for this. I do have heaps of Patonyle, but I’ve noticed that it tends to go fuzzy with washing and I want to make sure the socks I give away are robust enough to survive a non-knitters laundry habits.