Triinu Scarf

 

 

This is the Triinu Scarf, from Nancy Bush’s Knitted Lace of Estonia. This is the second project I’ve made from that book, and it certainly won’t be the last – I think that I could happily make every project in the book, and then start playing with the included stitch dictionary. I knit this scarf with two skeins of Misti Alpaca laceweight, and size 4 needles. The Misti Alpaca was likewise a joy to work with. It’s great to combine good yarn with such an enjoyable pattern!

I normally tend to tweak patterns to fit my particular tastes, but I largely left  this one alone, with the exception of not slipping the first stitch in each row. I used to always slip the first stitch of every row, which makes a nice, neat edge, but I’ve had a few lace projects develop tight edges during blocking.  At this point I’ve knit enough lace that my edged stay neat regardless, and I value the more flexible edge because I typically stretch my lace to the limits while blocking.

I also took some liberty while blocking, and blocked a scalloped edge on the scarf. I thought that it made for a more unified look between the narrow, lace ends, and the garter-stitch long edges. It also meant that I got to use about 200 fewer pins! I finished this while traveling, and blocked it out at my mother’s house in Ohio. My blocking wires, alas, were at home in Texas, so I made do with straight pins from her quilting supplies. I don’t think that I would have even considered a scalloped edge if I had blocked it at home, so it worked out OK; I really like the scarf with the scallops.