Many folks who follow the double-knitting group on Ravelry — or who attend knitting groups with me — will have seen me working on this scarf. I generally put a couple of rows in while commuting to work (not in traffic — I take the train!) and as such the scarf is taking its time. I’m sure it won’t be done this winter but it’s still fun to watch the Kauni change colors as I go. This is largely an exercise — the pattern is not my own, it’s modified from a pattern by a fellow named Kieran Foley — in decorative increasing and decreasing in double-knitting. Believe it or not, counting both knit and purl-side decreases, there are 12 different types of increase and decrease to keep track of — and in some rows, 10 of those are used in the space of 57 stitches.
But as I said, it’s just an exercise, to become proficient in all of these decorative elements so that my next design (a hat, I’m sure — surprise, surprise) will be able to incorporate some of these techniques.
I call it the Victorian Raffia Scarf because the flower element makes me think of Victorian patterns, whereas my knots and crosses modification of Kieran Foley’s pattern makes me think of African raffia cloth patterns. I’m probably off, culturally speaking, on both counts, but I like the name and I’m sticking with it. Check out another view.
And before you ask, yes, I plan on blocking it when it’s done. It definitely needs it.
