The Huckleberry Ascot was from the Holiday 2007 Interweave Knits. The yarn called for was Blue Sky Alpaca's Melange, which Windsor Button had recently started stocking. Melange was a dream to work with (I will probably want to do another project in their yarns - maybe the Alpaca & Silk or their regular sport weight alpaca), soft and non-splitty. The color is slightly heathered and just enough purple to make the recipient happy.
The project is a good practice in short rows, bobbles and picking up stitches making it a good choice for an adventuresome beginner. Because the base of the project is garter stitch, you can concentrate on the techniques involved without worrying about the differences in stitch tension.
I bought 3 skeins to work this project (the pattern called for two, but paranoia suggests that I should buy an extra skein and keep the receipt). I used just under the two full skeins. Now I just need to decide if I'm going to make something else with the other skein of yarn or if I'm going to return it for store credit. The yarn is nice enough to want to keep the extra skein for myself and the weight of the yarn is light enough to make it a good choice for projects like Fetching. Of course, before I make another pair of Fetchings I should finish the first pair I started last year. Maybe I'll get that done before the new year. They still only need the proto-thumbs after all.
