Lace Ribbon Scarf

Lace! Huzzah! This scarf was my first major attempt at lace and I loved working on it. It was definitely a learning experience – I had to frog and start over several times, and there are still a few mistakes in it. But once I got the hang of it, the pattern was really easy to memorize and I was able to knit most of it when I was commuting, waiting, and doing various other mindless tasks. Now that I’m initiated into the ranks of lace knitting, I’d like to knit something beautiful with an actual lace weight yarn so it is really light and airy.

Here’s a pic – featuring me with a super shiny face:

It only took a month for me to post this….

yarn details
Knit Picks Gloss Sock Yarn in Cosmos
dye lot 36893
70% Merino Wool – 30% Silk
fingering weight
hand wash/dry flat
50 grams/220 yds @ $3.99
purchased 5/08

pattern details
pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery, Spring 2008 Knitty
needles: size 5 circular
gauge: ?
size: 10” by 60” (but see notes)
yarn used: just under 2 skeins
started: June 2008
finished: November 2008
total cost: about $8

notes…

• The yarn is really soft and it withstood frogging well, but it’s not holding its blocking well on the vertical part. The finished scarf is supposed to be 60” and it looked to me like the lace pattern needed to be stretched a bit to look right, so I stopped knitting at about 55” and stretched it out to 60” while blocking. After a few wears, it shrinks back up again – but if I hit it with my fabric steamer it lengthens out. I’m thinking about picking out the CO edge and adding a few more inches. We’ll see.
• I knit this on circular needles and I think that was a mistake – it was really hard to keep an even tension. Next time I do lace I’m definitely going to try straights. Although, the circular needles made it very portable.
• I joined the yarn with a Russian join and it worked out really well. Totally invisible!