Lacy birthday scarf II

We went to a friend's birthday party yesterday, and I gave her the lacy scarf I have been knitting in Manos del Uruguay laceweight yarn.   The pattern is Mirabelle by Jennifer L. May, which is a free download from here.  It is designed for one skein of Manos Lace, which makes a good sized scarf.

I am really pleased with the result - it is amazingly light and delicate.  The yarn is a wonderfully soft mixture of mainly alpaca with some silk and cashmere, and this colourway (Titania, which is variegated purple and green) suits the pattern well.

Being fairly new to knitting with such fine yarn, I am still surprised at how much difference blocking makes. Before blocking, the fabric is scrunched up and stretchy, and the lace pattern is not so evident.
 

Blocking transforms the fabric completely.  It emphasises the spaces between the stitches, almost more than the stitches themselves.  The finished scarf seems to be made of air as much as yarn.

Altogether a very worthwhile project - fun to knit, didn't take long, and looks really good.

Happy Birthday, Jeanette!