Web-Letter, Issue 72 – Dreaming of Spring Scarf You might think that by now we’d all be tired of scarves and that every scarf that could possibly have been thought up, would have been thought up. Not so. Scarves still fascinate us. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the concept—a rectangle (for the most part) that goes around the neck—that lends itself to invention, and to enjoyable knitting. Want to try out a new yarn?—make a scarf. Want to try out a new stitch?—make a scarf. And, of course, scarves are so easy to wear. Whatever your outfit, a scarf adds a certain cavalier finesse. This week, Cecily Glowik MacDonald anticipates warmer weather with her Dreaming of Spring Scarf, a pretty little number worked up in Twinkle's Cruise, a smooth blend of creamy silk and cotton.
The Story: With all the snow we’ve had in Lowell, Massachusetts, it feels like winter will never end. I decided that I needed to work up a quick spring project to remind me that the cold and snow won’t last forever. For yarn, I chose Twinkle's Cruise, a smooth blend of cotton and silk with a slight sheen and tight twist. I’ve knitted a couple of projects in Cruise from Twinkle designer Wenlan Chia’s Town and Country (Potter Craft, 2008). Wenlan likes to use multiple strands of Cruise for her projects, but I wanted to try using the yarn as a single strand. A scarf seemed like a good way to try out an interesting stitch pattern that I’d been looking at, one that’s easy to work but needs a yarn that really shows off the individual stitches. Cruise swatched up perfectly! I kept the scarf short, worked ribbed sections a few inches in from each end for a little shaping, and then added a scalloped edging.  The scarf is soft and cool, with details that make it a bit frilly—just what I need to foster my daydreams of warmer weather. Visit Cecily's new blog. The Yarns: Cruise — 70% silk, 30% cotton With its high silk content, Cruise is a luxury yarn without the luxury price.  It has a cool, smooth hand and knits up at six stitches to the inch on a size 4 needle. With four strands held together, the way Wenlan Chia likes to use it, Cruise works up to two and a half stitches per inch on a size 15 needle. As a single strand, Cruise makes a lightweight fabric with clear stitch definition.  When multiple strands are knitted together, the finished product works up quickly with lots of texture. Wenlan’s books Big City Knits (Potter Craft, 2007) and Town and Country (Potter Craft, 2008) offer a selection of Twinkle patterns designed and knitted in Cruise. The 22-color palette reflects the playful, yet sophisticated, style of Twinkle designs. The Stitches: The Dreaming of Spring Scarf uses a m1 knitted through the front loop for its open stitch. In a lace or eyelet stitch pattern, you can make the open stitches (formed by increases) in one of two ways: You can work a m1 (make 1) or a yo (yarn over). To achieve the scarf’s delicate look—be sure to use the increase as called for in the pattern, or experiment to find your favorite method. Learn more about m1 and yo.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Cruise Dreaming of Spring pattern. If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try this: page 1
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