Today’s finished project is a Linen Stitch scarf, knit lengthwise. What an easy knit, and I really like the resulting fabric. It’s thick and warm and almost looks woven. Slip stitch patterns are great for mixing up colors. I checked out several linen stitch projects on Ravelry (including downloading a few) and have come to the conclusion that …. you don’t really need an official “pattern” when making this as a scarf. Just jump in and go!
I Googled to find Linen Stitch directions and here they are (except I end with the slip-stitch on each side – not a K1 or P1). I used 2 skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted (in the Sublime colorway), but you can use any weight yarn. You can also use leftover yarn in many different colors, since the linen stitch is a good one for mixing things up and making them all look good. Just add a new color at different points as you go along. For my scarf, I knit it all in the same colorway.
Since it is knit long-ways, you’ll cast on a lot of stitches and will be knitting long rows. If you want to be all official in figuring our your cast on number, you can knit a gauge swatch, figure out how many stitches per inch you’re doing, and then multiply that by how many inches long you want your scarf to be. (5 stitches per inch x 72 inches long = 360 stitches to cast on.) Did I take the time to do a gauge swatch? Nope. I figured a general ballpark figure was good enough. I generally knit 4-5 st. per inch on worsted, so I cast on 310 stitches and it worked out fine. If you typically knit 8 stitches per inch in fingering weight and want to use that for this scarf, you’ll be looking at something like 8 st. x 72″ long = 576 stitches to cast on. My scarf ended up being 5 ft. long and about 5″ wide. Next time I’d probably cast on 376 stitches or so (and I had plenty of yarn left over to make it that long). Just make sure that your cast-on number is an even number, since the pattern is a 2-stitch pattern. You’ll also want to go up a needle size or two from what you’d typically use for that weight. I knit this on size 9’s (5.5 mm).
Suggested yarns for colorful versions of this:
Worsted: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, Malabrigo Seleccion Privada Worsted, Araucania Panguipulli, Fiesta Boomerang, Huckleberry Trillium
Sport/DK: Hand Maiden Bess or Camelspin, and Lorna’s Laces Honor or Pearl or Sport,
Fingering: Dragonfly Djinni, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, Sereknity, Studio June’s Sock Luck, Sweet Georgia’s Superwash Sock or Tough Love Sock, and Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock.
(Or use bits and bobs from your leftover yarn. Just make sure you’re using all the same weight within the same scarf.)
I’ve also been working on a slip-stitch sock for a few weeks, which I’ll share with you soon. You know, because I have to have fifty seven projects going on at once so that I can bop around and knit on different things on any given day. Or start something new. I’m good at that, too.
Sheri alsoworkingonexcitingstealthprojects.Can’twaittosharethemwithyoueventually!
The scarf is beautiful! Are there any spring projects on the needles inspired by the beautiful weather in St. Louis this week?
Becca – no, but I think that’s a darned good reason to start up another project. Great idea! 🙂
Beautiful! My husband can’t understand why I have multiple projects. He asks “why not just finish this one before you do the other one?” I tried to explain about different weights/needle sizes being good for the hands, and different projects holding one’s interest, etc., but he just doesn’t understand. Thankfully, he does tolerate!
I LOVE linen stitch! It always looks beautiful!
I always have multiple projects going-this is why I love all my project bags from TLE!!!
Love it!! Added another project to my list.
I really, really don’t need another WIP on my needles; but visions of colors are calling me to make one (or more) of these!
One of my current projects is a slip stitch “sock” for my laptop using a variegated yarn.
Enabling alert!
It is better for your hands to have several projects with different needle and yarn sizes going all at once.
My grandma crippled her hands working with thread constantly. I vary myself from knit to crochet to sewing and from bulky yarn to almost thread weight. I rotate my projects, one hour knitting a sock, one hour crocheting a shrug, one hour knitting a scarf.
It really helps the hands.
Ooh, a slip stitch sock – you’re reading my mind. I’ve already wound up a skein of Jitterbug Mardi Gras that is screaming for a slip stitch pattern. I’ll stay tuned for this one!
I wonder if you are knitting the same slip stitch sock that I am. I’m knitting aquaphobia from one of last year’s sock club offerings. It is terrific!
It is beautiful! I can’t believe how FAST 2 skeins of LL in Springer just jumped into my TLE shopping cart! I will try really hard not to stalk the mail lady over the next few days…
You can never have too many projects going on at once. At least that’s what I keep telling myself! 🙂
Seanna Lea – I’m using this one:
http://www.theloopyewe.com/browse/patterns/sock-club-kit-patterns-of-ages-past/march-mosaic-socks/
But that Aquaphobia is a great looking one, too!
I love it!! 27 projects at once. I think I have at least that many but my husband doesn’t care. He says I’m always knitting and getting projects finished and if it makes me happy then he’s happy. He has even bought me yarn for my stash. (I picked it out though). Can’t wait to hear about your drop stitch sock.
I love your linen stitch scarf, both the pattern and the colors are lovely! I might think about doing the scarf vertically instead of horizontally, for me, because I can’t hold that much weight on the needles with my hands these days, sigh. 🙂
I’ve been working quite a bit with crochet granite stitch, which gives a similar effect but is much less fiddly. Here it is in a Noro yarn and here is a solid version (you can see the sts better in this one).
Waiting on the slip stitch sock………a picture and the pattern would be great!!!!!!! If I have missed it, please tell me where to go to find it, OK?????
I have just received some angora and I want to make a long but narrow scarf for my daughter. Any ideas what pattern would show up and look attractive.
Hi Linda! I tried emailing this to you but it keeps coming back as not deliverable. How about the One Row Lace Scarf for your angora? It’s an open enough pattern that I think it would help the angora from being too hot, and it also looks cute in a narrow version. http://turvid.blogspot.com/2009/03/free-pattern-one-row-lace-scarf.html