The Oakland Lace Rib scarf is sure to please anyone you make it for. And just to be sure, I have included an alternate version that lies completely flat. There is plenty of opportunity to add your own flair with this pattern!
Oakland Lace Rib Scarf
An easy lace knit scarf with two variations - infinitely adaptable!
By “Marie-Antoinknit"
This scarf was designed for a friend who wanted "just a simple lacy scarf." Given the abundance of "simple lace scarf" patterns, I tried and rejected half a dozen, threw up my hands in despair of choosing the "right" one, and finally designed this pattern from a vintage stitch dictionary. It was inspired by the wild play of temperatures on any given day in the San Francisco Bay area. When you go from Oakland to The City, you want something that can withstand these extremes and look great, too. This scarf can do that, and with a change of yarns can be adjusted for any season or climate.
Suggested Yarns:
Version 1: Berroco VintageTm DK, 1 skein - 100 grams, 288 yds (263 meters) (50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon) - Color 2175, Fennell Version 2: Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk DK, 1 skein - 100 grams, 327 yds (299 meters) (83% cotton, 17% silk) You can substitute any soft DK of your liking. The yardage above should give you a suitably long scarf if you get the approximate the gauge stated. Remember that there will be some gathering of the fabric from the rib design, so use a yarn with a little give. Just be sure to use an appropriately sized needle to get your lacy look.
Needles & Notions:
US 8 (5 mm) knitting needles (or size to suit your alternate yarn) 2 stitch markers Tapestry needle
Finished dimensions & gauge:
:s in pattern to 4 inches (10 cm), or about 5.25 stitches and 7 rows to the incl After blocking, the original (olive green) scarf was 4% inches wide x 86 inches long (12 cm x 218 cm) - an amazing 7 feet. It was just about 6 feet before blocking, so there is a lot of play in the Berroco yarn. Adjust length to suit your personal style & taste. As always, we must at this juncture remind you that this is a commercial, copyrighted pattern. Please do not reproduce for others or share in any format. Direct interested parties to Ravelry or Craftsy. If they are not members of either of these sites, they can email me at MarieAntoinknit@Yahoo.com to purchase a copy. If you wish make this scarf to sell on a limited basis you have my blessing, but I request that you do not claim the design as your own original work. If you are selling on-line, please be courteous and give me designer's credit on your page. A reference to my Etsy shop (9ElizabethStreet.etsy.com) or Facebook page would be appreciated, and the yarn deities will smile on your skeins. Inspiration for this scarf came from “Mon Tricot Knitting Dictionary - 800 Stitches Patterns”’ translated by Margaret Hamilton-Hunt, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1963 Pattern Notes: Be sure to slip the first stitch of every row purlwise (with yarn in front) to create smooth side borders. Pattern has 4- stich selvedge on either side. You could add or subtract 1 or 2 stitches without drastically changing the look. The central pattern is a repeat of 7 stitches if you want to make it wider. NB: If you do not like the rib effect or prefer a scarf that lays flat, you can make a version of the scarf without the 2 stockinette rib "stripes" by changing the K2 in rows 2 & 4 to purls. Just purl the whole section between the stitch markers.
TERMS:
KKnit PPurl K2tog Knit 2 stitches together SSlip stitch SSK Slip next two stitches knitwise, one at a time, to right-hand needle. Insert tip of left-hand needle into fronts of these stitches, from left to right. Knit them together. SK2P slip one, knit 2 together, pass slip stitch over k2tog YO Yarn over (standard variety, or Yarn around needle) RS: Right side / WS: Wrong side
OAKLAND LACE RIB SCARF, ORIGINAL PATTERN:
s. (Use any style, though the long-tail or crochet cast ons work best in this pattern.) Knit 4 rows (remembering to slip the first stitch on every row). On the 4th knit row, place markers after the first 4 stitches and before the last 4, leaving a center pattern section of 19 stitches. Begin pattern section below and repeat those 4 rows until scarf is desired length, stopping pattern after a Row 1.
PATTERN REPEAT:
Row 1 (RS): S1, K3,(YO, SSK, K1, SSK, YO, P2) two times, YO, SSK, K1, SSK, YO,K4 Row 2: S1, K3,P5, K2, P5, K2, P5,K4 Row 3: S1, K3,(K1, YO, SK2P, YO, K1, P2) two times; K1, YO, SK2P, YO, K1,K4 Row 4: S1, K3,P5, K2, P5, K2, P5,K4 After your final row 1, knit 4 more rows and bind off loosely. Weave in ends and block to suit your taste. If you find you can't bind off loosely enough, use a larger needle. I generally go up 2 needle sizes. Your final row should have as much stretch & give as your cast on row.
Chart for Pattern Repeat:
OPTIONAL PATTERN MODIFICATIONS- "The B Side"
Version B shown in Red Heart Shimmer, 1 skein 100 grams, 280 yds (256 m.) - worsted weight, 97% acrylic, 3% metallic You can balance the slight bias or zig-zag effect in the original version of the Oakland Rib Scarf by using paired decreases. That means instead of using only the SSK (left-leaning decrease) on Row 1, you pair it with a knit 2 together (rightleaning decrease). We can also remove the ribs by purling straight across the back side between the selvedges. Eliminating the bias as well as the ridges will give you a scarf that lies totally flat, which is something to consider if using cotton or acrylic yarns that don't really block well. That version would go like this -
PATTERN B:
Be sure to slip the first stitch of every row purlwise (with yarn in front) to create smooth side borders. Cast on 27 stitches Knit 4 rows (remembering to slip the first stitch on every row). On the 4th knit row, place markers after the first 4 stitches and before the last 4, leaving a center pattern section of 19 stitches. Begin pattern section below and repeat those 4 rows until scarf is desired length, stopping pattern after a Row 1.
PATTERN REPEAT:
1 (RS): S1, K3,(YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO, P2) two times, YO, SSK, K1, K2tog, YO,b Row 2: S1, K3,P19,K4 Row 3: S1, K3,(K1, YO, SK2P, YO, K1, P2) two times; K1, YO, SK2P, YO, K1,K4 Row 4: S1, K3,P19,K4 1, knit 4 more rows and bind off loosely. Weave in ends and block if desired.
Chart for Pattern Repeat, "The B Side":
Key sskip2tog-b k2tog/p2tog s1wyif/s1wyib s2,k1,p2ss0/s2,p1,p2sso yo p1/k1 k1/p1 s1wyib/s1wyif
