The Clement Lace Scarf

Along with an intense 2 weeks of an Arts & Humanities Teacher's Professional Development Seminar this month, I have been knitting up a storm for the Ravelry Summer "Swap on a Budget"...
I have been doing a bit of designing & pattern writing during my "staycation" from teaching!

So, I have three patterns written to post!

Right now, My "spoilee" package is in transit, so I cannot reveal two of these patterns... Lest I blow the surprise...
Which is killin' me, 'cause these projects have really inspired me to make a serious effort to write down & share what I design.

Before now, with the exception of a bootie pattern available as a pdf on ravelry (Thanks, Holly!) or the Knit Nook, I'd just sort of winged projects on an as-inspired basis & not written much of anything down...
Why would anyone want to follow MY crazy lemming path of knitting? Apparently, there are a few! Who Knew? Perhaps, someday, I'll be a "Real-Live" Knitwear Designer.
For now, it's all FREE... But, you get what you pay for...

Here's the 1st of the Free Summer Baker X Patterns:

The Clement Lace Scarf

I am sooo in Love! Hempathy is brilliant! I broke my “Yarn Diet” to indulge a little in the 10-75% off sale at the LYS. This treasure of a yarn was 50% off… 2 skeins in my favorite color was too much to resist (“Just a wafer-thin mint….”) I just had to figure out what to do with it!

Well. I do love a challenge. I put my little bit of lace knowledge to work & worked up a pattern inspired by the Clementine Shawlette by Michele Rose Orne & have been astounded how far just a skein of yarn can go when you work a narrow band of it! (About 3 feet!)

Just as in the Shawlette, I am working the scarf in halves & grafting it together. Why halves? The lace decreases create a lovely scalloped edge on each end of the scarf.
Super Simple & Yummy!

Yarn: Hempathy by Elsebeth Lavold DK/8 ply 40% Cotton, 40% Hemp, 20% Modal
50 grams, 153 yds (140 m), 2 skeins (ANY DK or sport weight will do, though...)

Needles: Size 4 circular or straight
(You’ll also need some spare Size 4 dpns or a stitch holder & a yarn needle.)

Size: A 6 foot “skinny” scarf (5" wide)

Gauge: Not important, but 24 sts & 32 rows in lace pattern= 4” after blocking

Instructions:
~Longtail CO 29 sts. Work in Garter Stitch for 4 rows
Begin Lace Pattern: (Repeat, repeat, repeat...)
Rows 1 & 3: K3, YO, K2, P2SSO, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P2SSO, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P2SSO, K2, YO, K3
Row 2: K3, P7, K1, P7, K1, P7, K3
Row 4: K3, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K5, P1, K3

P2SSO= Pass 2 stitches (slipped knitwise!) over next knit stitch

~Continue until skein s almost gone. Be sure to end on row 4! Do 2 more garter rows.
(Be sure to end on a row with Purls showing on RS.)
~Set aside this half (Place on a size 4 dpn if you have one, use a stitch holder if you don’t...)

~Make a second identical half & use last bits of remaining yarn to graft the 2 halves WS together using Kitchner Stitch*.

Block & Enjoy!



Kitchner Stitch Grafting:

Place Wrong Sides Together (um, which really means Both Right Sides Showing) on two needles.

Using tail yarn from one side, graft together thus:

Step 1: Bring threaded needle through 1st front stitch as if to purl & leave stitch on needle.

Step 2: Bring threaded needle through 1st back stitch as if to knit & leave on needle.

Step 3: Bring threaded needle through 1st front stitch as if to knit & slip this stitch off needle. Bring threaded needle through next front stitch as if to purl & leave stitch on needle.

Step 4: Bring threaded needle through 1st back stitch as if to purl& slip this stitch off needle. Bring needle through next back stitch as if to knit & leave stitch on needle.

Repeat Steps 3 & 4 until no stitches remain. Tie off yarn & weave in ends.

Look here if you need to know more on this style of grafting:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html