Blogathon Lace Triangle Scarf

When I was in Europe last year, lacy crocheted scarves were all the rage. They were typically worn bundled up under a coat, making the exact stitch pattern impossible to discern; but that hardly mattered, I could tell it was some kind of lace and they looked great. I imitated the style previously with the Amsterdam Lace scarf, but I’ve been meaning to try something even more open and lacy.

Volunteering at Blogathon ATX, I brought some luscious red yarn I’d found on sale, figuring I’d write a blog post about finding yarn on sale. The blog post ended up brief to the point of useless, instead I became obsessed with the memory of those European scarves, knitting and raveling the yarn over and over experimenting with simple lace stitches. In the end I settled on the little leaves lace stitch, which is easy to memorize and worked into the triangle shape surprisingly easily.

One of the things I love best about this scarf is the beaded tassels on the ends. Not only do they add a bit of flash, they also add weight to the ends and help them stay in place.

A Swedish translation of this pattern is now available (thanks, Lina!).

Finished Size

approx. 47 x 16 inches

Yarn

worsted weight, at least 160 yds.—sample knit with two balls of Patons Angora Bamboo Yarn-Flamenco

Needle Size

8 US / 5mm

Notes

Since the pattern is worked from the bottom point up, it could easily be made larger by using more yarn, or worked in a different weight yarn.

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 5 st.

Row 1: K1, yo, k3, yo, k1

Row 2 (and all wrong side rows): K2, p to last 2 st, k2

Row 3: K1, yo, k1, yo, dbl dec, yo, k1, yo k1

Row 5: K1, yo, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, yo, k1

Row 7: K1, yo, *k3, yo, dbl dec, yo; repeat to last 4 st, k3, yo, k1

Row 9: K1, yo, k1, *yo, dbl dec, yo, k3; repeat to last 5 st, yo, dbl dec, yo, k1, yo, k1 (Note: the first time you knit this row (and row 11), you will only work the repeat part once.)

Row 11: K1, yo, k2tog, *yo, k3, yo, dbl dec; repeat to last 6 st, yo, k3, yo, ssk, yo, k1

Row 12: repeat row 2

Repeat rows 7–12 until nearly out of yarn, or until desired size is reached.

Bind off very loosely, I recommend using Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off.

Weave in yarn ends, wash and block.

Tassels

In addition to the yarn bits you’ll need: beads, a beading needle, and heavy upholstery thread or beading thread (I like using the heavy thread in a matching color).

Cut the yarn long enough to be more than double the final length of the tassel (I used four strands of about 7 inches in each tassel).

String a length of beads about 3.5 inches long, skip the last bead on the strand and bring the beading needle back up through the rest of the beads. Leave two long thread tails at the top. (I made five bead strands for each tassel.)

Arrange bead strands so the two lengths of thread from each are split into two groups, and tie the lengths around middle of the yarn strands.

Use small bits of yarn to tie around tassels about a half inch from the top. Alternatively, you could thread a very large bead on the thread ends, then secure it by tying a small bead above that.

Trim yarn strands even at the bottom of the tassels (being careful not to cut the beaded strands).

Tie tassels on to scarf using thread ends, or tie them to a small clip for easy removal for washing.