Whit's Knits: Checkerboard Lace Scarf

I love this pattern because it's made up of just basic yarn overs, knit two togethers and slip slip knits. Never will you have to purl three together through the back loop or slip one, knit two together, pass the slipped stitch over. The simple geometry of the pattern also makes it really easy to catch mistakes.

Made out of The Fibre Company's Canopy, a fingering weight yarn that is 50% baby alpaca, 30% merino and 20% bamboo, it makes a perfect spring scarf. The alpaca contributes a soft drape, while the merino adds bounce and life. The bamboo gives a subtle luster to the whole thing.

The Materials

• 3 skeins of The Fibre Company's Canopy Fingering/Sport, 50% baby alpaca, 30% merino and 20% bamboo. This color is Sasparilla. (I used two and a half skeins. If you want to cast on 10 fewer stitches or make your scarf 12 inches shorter than this one, 2 skeins would be enough.)

• US #7 needles, straight or circular. I used a 24 inch Skacel Addi Lace needle and highly recommend it. The sharp point of Addi's lace needles makes lace knitting a whole lot easier!

The Pattern

Gauge

5 1/4 stitches = 1 inch in the checkerboard lace pattern, unblocked

Finished Size

10 inches wide x 70 inches long, after blocking

Note

This pattern can be worked over any number of stitches that is a multiple of 10 plus 8, ie 18, 28, 38, etc.

Begin

Cast on 58 stitches.

Knit 4 rows.

Row 1 and every odd numbered row: K2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2.

Row 2: K6, *yo, ssk, k1, (k2tog, yo) 2 times, k3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2.

Row 4: K2, *k3, (yo, ssk) 2 times, k1, k2tog, yo, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, k6.

Row 6: K4, *(yo, ssk) 3 times, k4, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, yo, ssk, k2.

Row 8: K3, *(yo, ssk) 4 times, k2, repeat from * to last 5 stitches, yo, ssk, k3.

Row 10: Repeat Row 6.

Row 12: Repeat Row 4.

Row 14: Repeat Row 2.

Row 16: K2, k2tog, yo, *k4, (k2tog, yo) 3 times, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4.

Row 18: K3, k2tog, yo, *k2, (k2tog, yo) 4 times, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k3.

Row 20: Repeat Row 16.

Repeat Rows 1-20 until piece measures 60 inches from the cast on edge (it will become 70 inches when you block it), ending with Row 5.

Knit 4 rows.

Bind off loosely.

Gently block your scarf and you're done!