The replacement for the double knitting argyle scarf

Knitting for me should be very relaxing. Solely for this reason, I can say that I don’t really enjoy double knitting. Meanwhile, I can’t stand the slow progress of making the albeit beautiful argyle scarf! So I ask myself: don’t I need to make life easier at this time of the year, when pressure isn’t lessened AND there are some other Christmas knits to be done?

So I decided I need to make another scarf for the intended recipient! I flipped through my Stitchionary for inspiration. Before long, a new decision is made: I’d make a scarf with herringbone pattern! The pattern is mindless yet the completed piece will have a sophisticated look, just the perfect thing for my recipient!

See how it grows:

I literally follow the pattern 176 from Stitchinary 1. That’s how I make it if you’d like to know.

1. The yarns:

A: Lana Grossa Pashmina, gray. 2 to 3 balls.

B: Contrasting colour in 4ply (use two strings together) or DK. I am using Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply in off-white.

2. The pattern (not a very conventional style of noting):

HB: Right side, wyif slip 2, knit 2; Wrong side, wyib slip 2, purl 2.
A (RS) K1, *HB*, K1
B (WS) K1, Pl, *HB* until the last two sts, P1, K1
C (RS) K3, *HB*, do the last st as K1
D (WS) K1, sl 1 in pattern, P2, *HB* until the last two sts, sl 1, K1

3. how it goes:
Cast on 38 st. (you need to cast on a multiple of 4 plus 2, and probably using needles two size bigger than you’re going to knit), purl one row if preferred (using the normal size).
Do (A, B, C, D) x 3, (C, B, A, D) x 3 (so thetotal repeat is 24 rows.)

Edge stitches on both side: After three 24-row repeats, on right side, slip the edge stitches, on wrong side, knit them.

After a desired length, break off yarns. Use two strings of yarn B, work 5 rows of St st. break off yarns, reattach yarn A and continue the herringbone pattern (work both sides of edge stitch as garter st). After 2.5 24-row repeats, knit one row then bind off very loosely.

Lightly block or ironed if needed.

The result will be a herringbone pattern on a stock st base, with garter st edge. If you’d like to have a broader edge for either garter st or moss st, just add more sts on both sides. There ere are several other way to do herringbone, other than slip stitch. For example, this one and this one. Slip stitch version is my favourite (I love slip stitch patterns) but it will grow slower than the abovementioned patterns.

As for the argyle scarf, my boyfriend quickly said that he doesn’t mind waiting if he could have that!

Ps. I did a google search after drafting this entry and found that Henry from Knitty (Fall 07) was using exactly the same pattern, though in different style of pattern writing. The knitty scarf was knitted lengthwise. Judging from my experiences of slip stitch knitting, you would really need to pay attention to both cast-on and cast-off.

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My first encounter with Pashmina

It seems I will have to keep away from flickr for few weeks—I’ll keep posting photos but I may not allow myself to visit all your streams, like good old days.

It seems I, too, have many knitting notes to jot down but too little time (I was tempted to write “too” for three times in this short sentence. Too many XX but too little time…). But I have, gradually at least, learned when to knit and when not to.

It seems I must be tired of dealing with words during the day so I prefer to write simple sentences here.

Anyway, here’s what for today:

The pattern book underneath my knit-in-progress is Linea Rossa 3, the latest pattern from Linea Rossa that I was so eagered to get hold of last week. I was pleasantly surprised when Parcel Force buzzed last Friday and handed us a box, with 2 books I ordered from the website dacadi. It was a speedy service: The order was placed on late night 25th, they shipped my patterns on 26th, then arrived on 28th just before I went out. And they are located in Germany! If you were considering getting knitty products from Germany, I would for sure recommend the site. You don’t even need to create an account with them, just to fill-in the order and the web will direct you to paypal.

I’ll certainly talk about this pattern book more in the near future. At this moment, I must say the presentation in Linea Rossa 2 is better than 3. The model in 2 is probably the most beautiful knitwear model in my humble opinion.

Here we swift to Linea Rossa 2, and the little swatch just above the pattern book: it is a sleeve I am making! I know I will have to negotiate with the pattern a bit, to make it 2 size smaller than given to suit me, but I can’t stop myself knitting it, once the puzzle (given by errata) has solved, partially. I finally take one ball of pashmina with me on Saturday and started the cast-on.

The yarn is exquisite just by look, and soft by touch. What I didn’t know, before the cast-on, was it is beautiful to work with: for the first time in my life, I prefer to slow down my knitting, just to make sure I have sensed every move of each stitch. For this reason, the top will take long to make. I think I care not for once. ☺ I do regret not to buy two lots when I had the chance.

(ps. by the time I typed this entry, the sleeve has grown to 10cm. not quick, you see.)

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