After a lace project went horribly wrong, (no, I can’t tell you about it, it’s too traumatic) I wanted to do an easy bit of lace. And, it being summer at the time, I wanted small and light, too. I had recently impulse-bought one skein of a cotton/tencel blend, so I swatched a few different stitches until I found one that would work for a scarf with that small amount of yarn. It knits up quickly, so it’d be a good choice for a fast gift.
The leaf lace stitch has a somewhat wavy edge, by blocking it out into points it has an effect as if you had put a border around the edge, a nice touch that makes it seem more complex than it actually is. This would be a good first lace project for beginner lace knitters.
Finished Size: 5 x 41 inches
Yarn: DK/light worsted, approx. 109 yds.—sample knit with one skein of Classic Elite Premiere, Camelia
Gauge: 17 st per 4 inches in lace leaf pattern (Note: the wavy-edged nature of the pattern stitch makes an absolute gauge measure difficult; gauge was measured at narrow point of pattern stitch.)
Needle Size: 8 US / 5mm
Notes
This scarf has a tendency to curl. I’m not wild about the Premiere yarn, it sheds. A 100% natural fiber, especially wool, would probably hold a block better. Someone told me that she crocheted around the edge in crab stitch to stop the curling. So if the curling really bothers you, give that a try (of course, you’ll need more yardage).
To make the pattern wider, cast on 8 more st for each extra repeat and work the section between the heavy vertical lines on the chart for each extra repeat.
Abbreviations
st = stitch
K = knit
P = purl
yo = yarn over (increase)
k2tog = knit 2 st together (decrease)
ssk = slip, slip, knit—slip st knitwise, slip 2nd st knitwise, put left needle back through st and knit them both together (decrease)
dbl dec = double decrease—slip 2 st together knitwise, k1, pass slipped sts over (decreases 2 st)
Pattern
Cast on 21 st.
Knit 2 rows.
Leaf pattern
Row 1: K2, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, dbl dec, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k2
Row 2 (and all wrong side rows): K2, p to last 2 st, k2
Row 3: K2, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, dbl dec, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, k2
Row 5: K2, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, dbl dec, yo, k5, yo, ssk, k2
Row 7: K3, *yo, k2, dbl dec, k2, yo, k1; repeat from *, k2
Row 9: K3, *k1, yo, k1, dbl dec, k1, yo, k2; repeat from *, k2
Row 11: K3, *k2, yo, dbl dec, yo, k3; repeat from *, k2
Row 12: K2, p to last 2 st, k2
Repeat leaf pattern 16 times, then one more time ending with row 11.
Knit 2 rows.
Bind off.
Wash and block, pulling out scalloped edge into points and pinning into place until completely dry.
Hi Jen, I realize this pattern was posted 5 years ago…but if you see this comment, pls get back to me. The pattern is lovely, was wondering its possible to make a shawl?
Since the thing curls, it’d probably work a lot better as a shawl. You could estimate how much yarn you need by looking up the yarn you want to use on Ravelry, then look at lace shawl patterns worked in that yarn and check the yardage they used.
Hey! I am so excited to try this. I started crocheting a year ago, and I also tried knitting but got frustrated. Another crocheter recommended I try continental, so this is my first real project outside practice!
I started with crochet, too. This isn’t the simplest of beginner projects, so let me know if you have any trouble.
Hello, On the first row of the actual pattern (k2 k2tog….) I’m fine until I get to the last yo k2 because I have no stitches left ssk, k2. Am I making an error somewhere? (I cast on 21 stitches, and then knit two rows of the 21 stitches…)
I appreciate your help.
I can only guess that you’ve miscounted something else in there and done one of the other directions twice as much as you should have.
I’m having the same problem too but cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong 🙁
The count comes out to 21 stitches on each row, so if you aren’t getting that, you must be missing increases or decreases somewhere. Try this: before starting a row, count the number of stitches in the instructions—if it doesn’t come out to 21, then go back and reread the instructions. Double-check that you’re doing the double-decrease right, too, you should be turning three stitches into one there.
You can use the chart, too. The symbols are a little less abstract than the written instructions, so it should be easier to read and make sure you aren’t missing anything.
I figured it out; I was counting the yarn over as a stitch on its own, then k1 as a new stitch. Thank you for the help though!
Oh cool, Emily, I’m glad you got it!
It’s always good to use markers,and if you do that for each repeat, you are a) far less likely to make a mistake, and b) spot pattern errors.