Saint Patricks Day means two things: Guiness and the Anniversary Sale at Knit Happens. I celebrated fully with Guiness yesterday, and I stopped by the sale this morning (okay, okay... so by "morning" i mean 1pm). I bought... well, more than I planned, as usual.


My most random purchase, by far, was this handpainted merino. It is a muted orange and blue, which those who know me will understand is a color combo that is close to my heart. In the skein, it's lovely. I liked it so much that i cast on immediately on the metro ride home for a swatch. In stockinette, the yarn was practically self-striping.

I decided to try it in a pattern from Scarf Style, using a pattern made for painted yarn called "Misty Garden" by Jo Sharp. It is lovely yarn, and a lovely pattern. However, it is clear that the two do not combine to make a lovely scarf.

Nevermind the pooling on each side of the scarf - I realize I could probably solve this issue if I alternated skeins. What I find more troublesome is that the middle portion (which is pooling-free) is... well, it's the ugliest thing I have ever knit in my life.

Now I remember why I never buy painted yarn. It looks SO lovely, but is such a challenge to make not look like crap in a knitted object. A little color variation is different - a few shades of blue that flow together is less complicated to deal with; but orange and blue? ugh. in the end, i don't want a scarf that looks like puke (come on, i know you were thinking it too).