Rippling Waters Scarf (2007)


RipplingWatersScarf
Pattern:  Fiddlesticks Knitting -- Rippling Waters Scarf
Yarn:  Fiesta La Luz silk (Malibu colourway) and Rowan Cashcotton (Cork)
Method:  Hand knit
Completed:  May 26, 2007.



The pattern is designed for laceweight merino yarn -- very fine.  I was looking for something interesting to do with a single skein of the La Luz silk.  I chose to use it for the ends, and then found a complementary yarn for the body of the scarf.  The challenge was to find something with a similar feel and weight.  It was also important to pick a colour that wasn't going to steal all the attention away from the multicoloured silk ends.  The cashcotton (which includes cashmere and angora!) was as soft as the silk, but robust enough for the body of the scarf.

Then, in knitting, it was clear that the multicoloured La Luz was arguing with itself when knit in garter stitch -- as the pattern is.   So I did the ends in stockinette, to show off the silk.  However, recognizing that made the scarf "sided", I didn't want to make the whole thing stockinette or else it would be challenging to wrap it (without exposing the "wrong" side).  So, the main segment of the scarf is knit in garter stitch.

To be fair -- at its finished size (some 68" long, 15" wide), it is more of a stole than a scarf...


Spread out
All stretched out, in its completed glory.
Unblocked
This is a pre-blocking picture, for contrast -- see how much the cashcotton opened up?  In the top picture, it is much lacier, and you can see the boards of the fence through it.  Much tighter here.
Edge detail
Close-up of one end of the scarf, stockinette.  This is knit orthogonally to the main body of the scarf.  I.e., the left side here is the cast-on row, each one of the "points" from left to right represents one repeat of the pattern rows.  Then the row edges are picked up to make the first row of the main body.  Finally, the last live row of the main body of the scarf is picked up as you knit the second scarf end -- one stitch picked up for each pair of rows in the 2nd edge.
Main segment
Detail of the main body of the scarf -- garter stitch.