Starry Summer Affair

I did make it to the yarn store, and they did have another skein, and I did finish the last eight rows (yes, only eight rows from the second skein) of the shrug yesterday morning. Of course it's oppressively hot here today, so I hope you appreciate me putting some alpaca on my overheated self to show it off.


This design was originally called a Summer Affair, but since I changed the lace pattern to the aforementioned Estonian star stitch, I changed the name, too. It makes me think of a starry summer night, just starting to get a bit of chill in the air, and me putting this little shrug on as I take a romantic stroll along the banks of the Seine with, like, Idris Elba (or maybe a stroll along the banks of the North Saskatchewan with hometown boy Nathan Fillion?)


Anyway, it turned out quite pretty, although I won't point out to you the things I did wrong, which are glaringly obvious to me. I will mention that I shortened the peplum a bit by decreasing the short rows a bit faster than the pattern called for. I also sort of wonder if I shouldn't figure out a way to block the lace edging. It looks sort of cool all ruffly like that, but I could block it to make more of a scalloped edge, although blocking it would be a bit of a pain, if I really want to do it right. As yet undecided.

All in all, it is a cute and quick little project (would have also been inexpensive had I not had to buy that second ball of yarn, but now I guess I have lots left over for some other little bit of alpaca froth, when the weather cools down again. I'm thinking a reversible cable scarf on teeny needles...)