Scarf Series 6: Cocoon Stitch Scarf in Invernal

This stitch pattern is called "repeated ovals" in the Harmony Guide to Cable and Aran Stitches but I much prefer the Cocoon name that I have heard since the stitch was used in Contemporary Irish Knits under that name. I have changed the decreasing slightly from the Harmony version, to make my needle wielding easier when knitting in the flat!



This scarf uses one and 1/3 skiens of Invernal (angora rabbit and merino wool w ith some polyamide) and 4mm needles. It is a very soft yarn, but I think it shows the stitch pattern quite well.

Scarf Series 4: Jasmine Tea in Paris

This rather fanciful pattern name is due to the felicitous combination of two yarn names and colours in this quick knit scarf. I have used Jo Sharp's Rare Comfort Kid Mohair in colour Jasmine Tea with her Silkroad Aran Tweed in colour Parisian. It is a shortish scarf, with a tassel fringe made from the mohair. I like the colour variations in both yarns, and think the two of them knit toghether are a terrific match.

Scarf Series 3: The Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Cabled Cowl

The name of this yarn, Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk, is so invocative of soft luxury, that it is only the incredible texture of the real yarn that can live up to it. This is undoubtedly a luxurious cowl, taking me exactly 5x 50 g balls in the Aran version of this yarn, but in my opinion, the texture of this cowl around the neck is completely worth the investment.
The colour is the delicous 62 Aubergine, and the pattern is easy to knit, and relatively quick. The cowl is knit lengthways, with only a few slightly more advanced techniques used including provisional cast on, an easy cable, and having the ends of the cowl joined in Kitchener stitch. If you have already knit a plain garter or rib scarf, and want something a tiny bit more challenging, this would be a rewarding project, one you could easily finish before Winter starts officially.

Scarf Series 2: Seaweed Scarf in Lumina

This scarf is one I was commissioned to make - twice, by one of the few people who can get away with whinging about something I knit for them, my Mum.

 (That is not my Mum modelling the scarf, did you guess?
 My Mum claimed that she was off to Fiji when I asked her to model the scarf, and posted it up so that someone else could wear it for the photos)
 The first scarf I knit for Mum from Lumina was in stocking stitch, as she found the rolled stocking stitch edges on the Lumina A line top I had made her from Jo Sharp Knit Issue 4 quite appealing.
 Unfortunately, once I had knit this scarf, her expression when she tried it on was at odds with her mendacious story that she "would get used to it" and that "It is very nice". I had dreadful visions of it lurking in the bottom drawer, wrenched it away from her, and started a new scarf, with a wavy edge, and little wriggly things along this long edge to emphsize the waviness and further limit rolling. (The Lumina did not seem to suffer at all from ravelling - I knit the new scarf straight from the old one without balling up the yarn in between, and did not lose a single sequin)

 I was very pleased with the organic looking edge, and although this is a glamorous evening scarf, with a lovely sheen and pretty sequins, it still looks like seaweed to me - pretty seaweed.



 I am particularly pleased with how the scarf can form a really flattering ruff -like collar, front or back as needed. I think this would look lovely with a strapless gown.

Crofter Scarf

I am very fond of the wearability of the Sirdar Crofter range. I have just finished making 3 rib scarves for my children from the Chunky weight, and no one has even mentioned the dreaded "itchy" that lurks menacingly behind any project knitted for direct application to the skin.



Here is the first version, in colour 59, Rambler Rose. I actually made this scarf to co-ordinate with the Hat for Camp that Rocks.

This started a chain of family requests.
The next one is much shorter, and in the manly shade of number 61, Misty Moor.



Naturally, I then needed to make a third scarf, this time in the lovely greens and purples of colour number 50, Bracken.



These were really quick scarves that I was able to knit as a handbag project-a portable size, and the sort of knitting you can pick up or put down at any stage.
Now I am almost ready for something more complicated.

Moss stitch Infinity Scarf

I am hooked on moebis scarves/cowls. This version, for my daughter, is knit in moss stitch, from two yarns held together, Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Kid Mohair (Char), and Silk Road DK Tweed (Peppercorn).

I love the texture of these two yarns together, they make a beautifully soft and snuggly fabric. The lighter Peppercorn yarn shows more in the purl stitches, giving the scarf textural interest, even though the colours are subdued.
You can wear the scarf long or doubled.

I will be knitting more of these.

Rib infinity scarf/cowl

The infinity scarf I made for my sister was very successful, so I thought I would try making up a different one, in rib.





For this scarf, I used exactly 2 balls of 50g (95m approx) 8ply wool. However, as I wanted to emphasise the infinity twist of the pattern, I used a complimentary shade of yarn for the last 5 rows of the pattern.



They yarns I used are Heirloom Heatherwood 8ply wool shade 586 and Jo Sharp Classic Double Knit Wool shade 008, Aubergine/ I really like the texture of both these yarns. I may need to knit a version in the opposite colour proportions.

Alpaca Kid Lustre Scarf

I wanted a simple project that I could knit whilst a passenger in the car, and vaguely remembered seeing a ripply scarf that looked like a wide vertical rib pattern.

I started with 30 stitches cable cast on, using 4mm needles for this 8ply yarn, then alternated strips of stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch (5 rows each) for a corrugated effect. Essentially you knit a row, purl a row, then for every 6th row, repeat the previous row.
This scarf took 3 and 1/2 x 50g balls of Alpaca Kid Lustre in Province, 853.