I Became a Test Knitter

When I was invited to test knit a pattern I knew I had to try it and I'm definitely happy that I did!  And after checking with the designer I have permission to display some photos:

It pushed me to try knitting a shawl, which isn't something I had tried yet.

It also gave me a chance to work with Malabrigo sock yarn.  I've knit with Malabrigo worsted before, but I have to admit it wasn't my favorite. 
I know that's akin to blasphemy in many circles, but while I agree that it's deliciously soft I've found that I'm personally not a huge fan of knitting with the loose, single ply yarns like Malabrigo Worsted and Berroco Peruvia.  I've been happy with the resulting items, just not as fond of the actual process of knitting them.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Malabrigo sock is plied and more fun for me to work with but is still soft and has the lovely variations in tone that give a lot of depth to even seemingly solid colors like this one.

I am still a novice with blocking large knit items and I didn't get this stretched to the dimensions suggested in the pattern, but I'm happy with how it came out and I could always re-block it larger in the future.

Pattern: All Spruced Up! by Christina Wilkins
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock - boticelli red
Needles: US 5 - 3.75 mm
Completed: October 22, 2010
Availability: She (the designer) blogged about the upcoming pattern availability here.


So I fulfilled my test knitter obligations -- kept notes of any typos/problems, gave feedback, and provided photos of my finished knit -- and I have a beautiful shawl to show for it!