Here's Looking at You

I have finally finished the eyeball scarf I've been working on since January. It's ready to go home to William, its new owner. Now we just have to coőrdinate our schedules to do this. 

On Friday night, I glued little black glass beads to the felted irises, and I threaded a very sharp needle with Regia sock yarn and proceeded to stack the eyeballs on this yarn. 

Since I'd forgotten my needles, and didn't want to buy a new set (because, really, who needs to pairs of US 35 / 20 mm needles?), I cast-on the scarf on Sunday. The original pattern calls for a total of five stitches, but I chose to cast-on nine. Holding the two yarns together, I began to knit them up, and every now and then I'd slide an eyeball down and knit it into the scarf. Placement of the eyeballs was somewhat haphazard, but there were enough for a three-foot-plus-a-bit scarf.

The eyeballs that are on the dropped yarn-overs kind of dangle. They're creepy.

While this wasn't a difficult project, if I ever do it again, there are some things I'd do differently.

1. I would make more eyeballs. Fifteen just isn't quite enough, I think I'd aim for 20.
2. I would needle-felt the irises as a flat sheet, on a sponge or something, rather than felting them right onto the eyeball.
3. While making the eyeball, I'd attach the felted iris and start rolling it along toward the end of the eyeball making process, so I wouldn't have to needle-felt it onto the eyeball.
4. I think I would glue or somehow tie the eyes to the yarn (I used Malabrigo Rasta for this project, in colourway Porrinho), rather than trying to thread them onto a sock yarn thread.
5. I'd cast-on fewer stitches. Five didn't seem to be enough, but I think nine was too many. Maybe seven would do the trick.
6. I think I will call my version of this yarn, Here's Looking At You.