(NQC)FO* and the new Science Knits webring

Are you a scientist by trade, but a fiber artist by hobby? Do you sneak your knitting into the lab? Have you ever spent a boring seminar dissecting the cable pattern of the person sitting in front of you? I've started a new webring just for us: Science Knits. I have quite a few knitting friends at my current job, and i know there are many others out there. I was inspired by Theresa's blog poll, where she found that nearly 14% of her readers identify as Knitters and Scientists. Its sort of a fun experiment. Do other scientists treat their crafting in an orderly, scientific manner? i certainly don't. my crafting is usually unplanned, spontaneous, and not very well documented. but then again, my boss might say the same thing about my experiments. ha!

In honor of starting the Knitting Scientists webring, i decided it was about time to finish up my own personal DNA scarf (started almost two years ago). Here is the *(Not Quite Completely) Finished object.

i haven't had a finished object in so long that I couldn't wait until the ends were sewn and blocked to show the picture! I chose not to make the ribbed neck portion, like a true fisherman's scarf, and stayed in helix pattern all the way through. The yarn was a super soft alpaca purchased on clearance at the LYS. It was actually a laceweight yarn, and i used smaller needles and more yarn than the pattern called for. Its very light and airy (but still super warm from the alpaca). Why am i finishing up warm alpaca scarves now, when the weather is finally getting nice? i'm also itching to knit socks right now. my seasonal knitting clock is totally screwy.

You know how you always read that your gauge can change over time? well here's proof positive:

i'm hoping to mask it with a little aggressive blocking. but if that doesn't work i might rip back and finish that wobbly end on a smaller needle. Its unlike me to do that, but i think it will bother me if i leave it. I intend to keep this scarf for myself to wear with my lightweight fall/winter/spring coat.