As the scarf grows

The ISE scarf is growing - slowly. I have used 2 balls of Classic Elite and started a 3rd ball last night. Currently, the scarf is 25" stretched. Does anyone know how much growth I can expect from blocking? And, what type of blocking should I use?

I'll head to The Yarn Lounge today to pick up a 4th ball of yarn. I hope this will be enough to finish. My secret pal said she preferred scarves 40" or greater...
The photo unfortunately looks a little like a pile of wool. This pattern is really beautiful and the colors in the Waterlily yarn are fantasic. There are subtle hints of light and dark greens throughout. I'm hoping to finish a good portion of the scarf this weekend and get it in the mail by next weekend. I hope my Pal likes it! She's in Indiana so I'm hoping the merino will help keep her warm this winter.

On another note...
My husband just returned from San Francisco. He never ceases to amaze me. During the course of his week in the city, he somehow scouted out a LYS in order to buy me a gift(maybe he used Map Muse?). He discovered Artfibers, where he picked out a beautiful selection of yarns (the shop owners gave him some interesting looks and thought the yarn was for him because he kept asking about yardage and gauge :).

The first yarn, Kantuta, (and hopefully you can see the colors in the photographs) is a luxurious super baby alpaca. He bought me 2 skeins in color #8 - 94 yds each. The second yarn, Alfabeto, is 76% silk, 19% superkid mohair and 5% wool. I have 2 skeins in color #2. Each skein is 250 yds. It's absolutely gorgeous.

So, the big question now is what should I knit with these yarns??! Ideas are most welcome!