Knitty: Winter 2007

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by Jeni Chase

We must admit, we seem to find ourselves facing the same dilemmas as each holiday season approaches. We don’t know what to give the friend or family member who has everything. We’d like to add a special something to our party outfit. We have limited time to finish our knitted gifts.

This year there is a solution.

Halcyon will bring calm and elegance to your busy winter season and spice up your wardrobe. This delicate-yet-warm scarf is a quick knit, using just one skein of lace-weight cashmere. Add a hand-dyed Hannah Silk ribbon in the color of your choice to complete the piece. The pattern features a simple lace chart with a short repeat that even the newest lace knitter will enjoy.

Best of all, Halcyon is the one part of your ensemble you are going to want to leave on after the party is over!

model: Leigh Odum, Rebecca Holcomb photos: Jeni Chase

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Length: 55 inches
Width: 11.75 inches
Note: Measurements given for scarf after blocking.

MATERIALS

Artyarns Cashmere 1 [100% cashmere; 510yd/466m per 50g skein]; color: #246 Black; 1 skein

Recommended needle size:
1 set US #2/3mm straight needles
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]

2 stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Blunt needle with very large eye, for threading ribbon through eyelets
2yd/1.8m silk ribbon, 0.5 or 0.75 inch wide

GAUGE

28 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty’s list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here]

At 55 inches long, I found that the scarf used about three quarters of the 50g skein. You may choose to lengthen or shorten the scarf by changing the number of repeats of the Halcyon Chart.

RYO (Reverse Yarn Over): Wrap yarn over right needle from back to front.

SK2P: Sl 1, k2tog, pass slipped st over.

Information about blocking can be found here and here.

PATTERN

Loosely CO 55 sts.

Lower Border:
Rows 1-14: K all sts.

Row 15 [WS]: P all sts.

Row 16 [RS]: P2, [RYO, p2tog] to last st, p1.

Row 17 [WS]: P2, [p1 tbl, p1] to last st, p1.

Rows 18-23: K all sts.

Row 24 [RS]: K11, place marker, k33, place marker, k11.

Scarf Body:
Work Rows 1-12 of Halcyon Chart 36 times, working Pattern Repeat 3 times in each row.

Note that chart begins with a WS row. Stitch markers indicate divisions between side borders, and repeated central motif.

Upper Border:
Rows 1-6: K all sts.

Row 7 [WS]: P all sts.

Row 8 [RS]: P2, [RYO, p2tog] to last st, p1.

Row 9 [WS]: P2, [p1 tbl, p1] to last st, p1.

Rows 10-22: K all sts.

BO all sts very loosely.

FINISHING

Weave in ends. Block to dimensions given above.

Cut ribbon into two equal pieces. Beginning with the ribbon at the WS of the scarf, draw ribbon up through the first eyelet at the left edge.

Weave ribbon in and out of the eyelets across the scarf, until one eyelet remains; ribbon is at WS of scarf.

Adjust so that lengths of ribbon at each side of the scarf are the same length. Bring ribbon at left around to front of scarf and weave again through eyelets until center of scarf is reached. Weave other end back towards the center in the same way. Tie ends into a bow. Trim ends.

Weave remaining piece of ribbon through other end of scarf in the same way.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Jeni Chase woke up one morning about 4 years ago, decided she wanted to learn to knit, and never looked back. She lives in the SF Bay Area with her partner, teenage daughter, and a house full of pets.

Her blog, The Knitist, chronicles her knitting ups and downs.