Silk Shrug

O.K. I have to say this first: It's the second time in 13 years, that I killed our home phone. I forgot it outside, and it got drowned in a rain storm. I was amazed that it still kind of worked. I could dial out, but nobody could hear me. So I've got a brand new phone, which is almost as small as a cell phone, with lots of tricks. It's got a nicer ring tone as well. I choose some kind of Mozart piece. Now I don't want to pick it up right away, but listen to it, not like the last phone's ring, which was so annoying, that I could not get it to stop fast enough. The first phone I killed by the way, went into our pool. Why do electronics and water don't mix so well? ;o)


And now back to this posts main theme: Back in May I decided to send my DD Hannah a care package for her upcoming birthday in June. I collected many items of which I thought she would like. I also thought I should knit her something special, but small, because I didn't have that much time, considering the (none) speed of Canada Post etc.
I decided on the little silk shrug from "Lace Style". I liked the original in it's lovely blue color. Blue is not one of Hannah's favorite colors, so I ordered it in this burgundy:


Since it was for her birthday, it was supposed to be very special, that's why I ordered the original yarn used in the book. It's LaLana Phat Silk yarn. I've read about LaLana yarns, and was excited to be working with it soon. I did not care that it was on the expensive side, but had to swallow hard, when the shipping cost was US $ 16 for those two skeins (even though the real postage on the package was $ 3.81).
The day they package came I wound both skeins in yarn cakes and cast on. What a lovely, pleasurable knit it could have been, but as you can see in the following pictures the yarn was horrible. Thick and thin throughout the first yarn cake. I must admit I was seething, because usually I use yarn substitutes, and this was something special.

For the first time in my life I complained to the company. To my surprise I heard back the next day, which was a holiday in the US (can't remember which). I was offered to return the yarn in exchange for the same, but better quality. But I already had almost finished the shrug, and I was out of time. So I was offered to choose some yarn of my choice at no cost whatsoever to me.

It was customer service at it's best, and even though the shrug looked kind of pumpy, and not as wonderful as I thought it would, I was mollified.
I choose this lovely blue Phat Silk Fine. Still don't know what I'll knit with it. It has to be something special, because the yarn IS wonderful to work with.

One skein is 142yds.

The silk shrug pattern is by Pam Allen from "Lace Style". It's very well written (one size). It took 1 1/2 skeins to finish it. The second skein was fine, so the first one must have been the odd one out.

Unfortunately I don't think it was a success at all. I don't' think Hannah really liked it that much. It took her until now, to send me some pictures of her wearing it, and I had to ask repeatedly for it. I don't blame her, really, since it's hard to knit something for someone, if that someone didn't express total desire to get it in the first place. I LIKED it, which should have stopped me, because we don't have the same taste at all. :o)

There were also three fruit cozies in the care package, and it looks like Hannah liked those, because she sent me this picture as well. She's using them! Yeah! :o)