Overview of Spring Lace Leaves Scarf

Frame It Like a Piece of Art

This month’s KAL project is an example of the approach I often use for end-to-end, one-piece scarves with a central lace pattern surrounded by a knit-as-you-go lace border.

Here is an overview of the “recipe” I use for this type of end-to-end scarf (or rectangular stole) with knit-as-you-go lace edging. Spring Lace Leaves Scarf is shown here as the example we are knitting for our March KAL. Let’s explore this annotated picture from bottom to top (i.e. the direction you will be knitting the scarf).

Overview of an end-to-end scarf with knit-as-you-go lace edging

The Roadmap

Think of this as art as though it is a frame around your knitting!

The Outer Border (pointed to with blue arrows in above photo) is a simple, small-multiple lace stitch pattern. The Inner Border (pointed to with red arrows) is usually garter stitch or other simple non-lace stitch to distinguish the outer lace edging stitch pattern from the focal lace stitch pattern in the Main Area (pointed to with yellow arrows).

1. Cast on and knit with Outer Border stitch pattern to make the lower edge plus a chain stitch selvedge at each end of the row.
2. For transition from Outer Border to Inner Border of garter stitch, adjust number of stitches (if necessary) to accommodate the Main Area stitch pattern. (for the Spring Lace Leaves Scarf, and increase of one stitch is needed)
3. Continuing to work a repeat of the Outer Border pattern along each edge (or sometimes 2 repeats for a wider project than this narrow scarf shown), start Inner Border on center stitches in between those Outer Borders.
4. After a narrow Inner Border of stitches has been completed, continue the Outer Border and narrow Inner Border stitches up along each side while working the Main Pattern Stitch. (for the Spring Lace Leaves Scarf, the Main Stitch pattern is 17 sts)
5. After the scarf is knitted nearly to length (or amount of yarn you have!), then you reverse the steps for knitting the narrow Inner Border, the decrease row (if necessary) and the Outer Border for symmetry.

Specific instructions are given in the Spring Lace Leaves Scarf pattern for this month’s KAL. I hope you will be able to knit and learn-a-long to see how this works. Sometimes seeing and reading is not enough. Learning comes through doing, If you have questions, I am here to help as we go forward.