Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Night Owl Scarf

Knitted lace is beautiful but I have always been intimidated by it. The beautiful lacy patterns would inspire me but the written directions always seemed too complicated-yarn-overs, knitting through back loops and increases and decreases in the same row. I decided to give knitted lace another try. A scarf seemed like a good first project because I didn't have to worry about shaping the garment. I chose Brown Sheep Nature Spun yarn and a Vine Lace pattern. The pattern is easy to knit and works well with a worsted weight yarn. For those of you wondering about the name, I decided to name the scarf for the late nights I spent knitting it (often until 2 a.m.) rather than for the lace pattern that I used.


Mozart modeling the Night Owl scarf.


This is the actual color of the scarf.


Directions for Night Owl Scarf:

2 100 gram skeins (approximately 245 yards/224 meters per skein) of Brown Sheep Nature Spun, Alpine Violet color

Size 7 knitting needles

This scarf was knit on Addi needles using a worsted weight wool.

Gauge: 5 sts per inch on Size 7 needles in Stockinette Stitch

Finished measurements: 8 inches wide and 54 inches long before blocking.


Cast on 40 stitches.

Pattern Stitch:

Row 1: Purl
Row 2: K3, *yo, k2, ssk, k2 tog, k2, yo, k1; rep from * until one stitch left, k1.
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: K2,* yo, k2, ssk, k2 tog, k2, yo, k1; rep from * until two stitches remain, k2.

Repeat Rows 1-4 until scarf measures 54 inches. Cast off.

The end and sides of the scarf will tend to curl under during knitting but blocking will take care of this. To block the scarf lay it on an ironing board and straighten the sides and the end. Lightly steam the the scarf with a steam iron. Don't move the scarf until it is cool to the touch.