The Gift of Friendship Scarf
Designed by Christine McKnight http://talullahsworld.wordpress.com talullahsworld@ sbcglobal.net
The fiber used to spin the lace yarn for this scarf was a gift from a dear friend. She had originally purchased 4 ounces of a Merino Silk fiber blend as a gift for me, but mistakenly only put half in the first package that she sent. Wanting to spin the maximum yardage possible, I began to learn to spin the finest I had ever managed. Those first 2 ounces became 400 yards of spinner's Nirvana with the singles spun at 45 wpi (wraps per inch), then plied to 36 wpi.
The simple lace mesh pattern reminds me of how friendships are. The yarn overs create the empty space, reflecting the times when friends think of each other, but busy lives keep them from getting together. The knitted clusters are often how good friends act when they manage to get together, strong, inseparable, and completely entwined in each other. Friendships are often simple in nature, much like the lace pattern in this scarf. However, with each moment/stitch of that friendship, a beautiful relationshiplfabric is created. This scarf was designed not with just one particular friend in mind, but with all the friends throughout life who have touched my life.
Yarn
Approximately 400 yards lace weight yarn of your choice. The yarn used for the scarf in the pattern is handspun lace weight $80\%$ Merino and $20\%$ Silk blend available from The Manning's fiber shop. Suggested mill yarns to substitute Knit Pick's Shadow, Alpaca Cloud or Bare Merino Lace weight Handpainted Yarn's Pure Wool Lace Yarn
Materials
USSize $5(3.75\;\mathrm{mm})$ knitting needles (or your preferred needles size depending on how dense or lacy you would like your scarf.) 2 stitch markers Tapestry needle to weave in ends Blocking wires and pins
Gauge
Not crucial. This is more a personal preference. For a denser knit, use a smaller size needle. For a lacier look, use a larger needle size.
Finished Measurements
Blocked: 9.5 inches wide by 58 inches long
Lace Mesh Pattern
From: The Knitter's Bible by Claire Crompton Row 1: K2 \*yo, S1, K2, pso the 2 knit stitches\* repeat across the remaining stitches, ending on last stitch, K1 Row 2: Purl Row 3: $\mathrm{K}1{\ast}\mathrm{S}1$ , K2, psso the 2 knit stitches, $\mathrm{yo^{*}}$ repeat across the remaining stitches, ending on last stitch, K2 Row 4: Purl
Lace Chart
Legend
Slip stitch purlwise Knit on both sides Knit on right side, purl on wrong side Slip one, K2, psso the 2 knit stitches Yarn over No stitch Sections in red indicate to repeat pattern section
Directions
BorderEdge Loosely cast on 50 stitches. Slip the first stitch purl wise and work garter stitch (knit every row) across the remaining stitches for four rows.
Row 1
Slip the first stitch purlwise, knit three stitches, place stitch marker, work first row of lace pattern to last four stitches, place marker, knit remaining stitches.
Row 2
Slip the first stitch purlwise, knit three stitches, purl across to next marker, knit remaining four stitches KoW Slip the first stitch purlwise, knit three stitches, work third row of lace pattern, knit remaining four stitches.
Row 4
Slip the first stitch purlwise, knit three stitches, purl across to last stitch marker, knit remaining four stitches. Continue knitting in the main body of the pattern until your scarf has reached the desired length. Then begin the border edge rows as follows.
Border Edge
On row 4 of the lace pattern, slip the first stitch purlwise and knit across instead of purl. This will count as the first row of the border. Repeat for three more rows. Very loosely cast off, either by using a needle 2 or more sizes larger, or by the following method;
Casting off
Knit one stitch. Move stitch back to the left needle and knit it again, slipping it to the right needle. Knit the next stitch, moving it to the right needle. Then slip the first stitch over the second. \*Slip the remaining stitch on the right needle back onto the left needle. Knit this stitch onto the right needle, knit one more stitch onto the right needle. Slip the first stitch over the second stitch\* repeat all the way across and bind off. Weave in ends. Hand wash and block until completely dry. $\copyright$ Christine E. McKnight 2007 You may use this pattern for charitable and fundraising events. To use this pattern for a class, please contact me for special permission.
