Colorful Crafting with Jen: Summer Shimmer Scarf
A few months ago we received Pearl from Lorna's Laces, a worsted weight blend of silk and bamboo that drapes and shimmers like water over river stones. As soon as it came in I picked out a skein in my favorite color, Envy, and added it to my "someday soon" project basket. I thought about what I wanted to make and decided that I wanted to make a summer scarf that took only one skein, something simple and lacy. While I've done a ton of yarn-overs in my knitting career I have never actually made anything that would truly be considered to be lace so I was pleased to find that not only was this Zig Zag Lace Trellis pattern pretty, it was also very easy! For those of you, who like me, have been wanting to stick your toe into lace knitting, this is the perfect introduction. The yarn is wonderful to work with, the pattern is simple, and you'll be done with your scarf in no time! --Jen
Materials
- 1 skein of Lorna's Laces, Pearl (I used Envy, top left, other colors are some of my other favorites, top right Vera, bottom left Tickled Pink, bottom right Black Purl).
- US size 9 needles (or size required to get gauge)
- Tapestry Needle for finishing
Finished Measurements
5 inches wide by 74 inches long, blocked.
Gauge
16 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches in Zig Zag Lace stitch pattern
Note
This stitch pattern is worked on an even number of stitches
The Pattern
Cast on 20 stitches
Right leaning bias:
Row 1: K1 * yo, K2tog; rep from * to last stitch, end k1.
Row 2: Purl
Repeat these two rows 4 more times, for a total of 5 repeats.
Left leaning bias:
Row 1: K1, * ssk, yo; rep from * to last stitch, end k1.
Row 2: Purl
Repeat these two rows 4 more times, for a total of 5 repeats
Repeat from Right leaning bias 16 times more for a total of 17 repeats.
Bind of loosely in knit. Weave in ends and block.
purl bee
Reader Comments (17)
If you look at the scarf you'll notice that it goes in a vertical zig zag. Right leaning is the part where the scarf leans to the right and left leaning is the part where the scarf leans to the left. Just follow the pattern and disregard the "leaning" if it doesn't make sense, once you get through it once you'll see how it works. Good luck!
but that is more than I wanted to pay for yarn. What do you have that would be a little less expensive.
Betty
You should try Bonnie's Bamboo from Farmhouse yarns which is 100% Bamboo. The skein is a little shorter but the drape and hand are very similar.
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/yarndetail/3871
Hope this helps!
"SSK" means "Slip, Slip, Knit" which is a left slanting decrease. Here is a link to our SSK tutorial
http://www.purlbee.com/decrease-tutorial/
Hope this explains it for you.
If you need further help, we highly recommend that you check out KnittingHelp.com, they've got excellent tutorials with videos for all kinds of techniques. Here is a link to their decreases page:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/decreases
The first I made as the pattern is written and the second, I made the long way. I casted on 170 sts on a long circular needle and followed the pattern for two repeats. It made a nice scarf and I had long bouts of purling that I could just speed through.
DO block it. It's critical. Get it wet, run it through a spin cycle or a lettuce spinner. Then, lay it out on your ironing board or blocking board and PIN the points. Let dry. Just wonderful.
You can soak it and lay it out flat and pin it, or you can pin it out and spray it, either way will work. Don't know about the yarn from Patons, just check the gauge, if its the same you can use it by just following the pattern, if not, you can adjust the amount of stitches appropriately.
This pattern would be beautiful in lace weight cashmere! You will probably want to cast on more stitches than recommended since the cashmere is so much thinner than this yarn. If you are using the Jade Sapphire 2 ply cashmere or the Lobster Pot 2 ply cashmere, we would recommend no larger than a US size 5 or 6 needle. Cast on an even amount of stitches and follow the pattern as written.
Good luck!