Branched Out

Pattern: Branching Out from Knitty

Yarn: Lace or Cobweb weight lambswool angora blend - reclaimed from a sweatervest that had been sitting and languishing in my closet for ages...

Needle Size: US4

Finished size: Approximately 6 1/2 x 60 inches

Comments: This was my first lace knit with an actual lace weight yarn - and I have to say I was quite pleased with the results. Sadly I did have the yarn break once or twice in the process - but I was able to fix that problem (along with joining new balls) by simply felting a small bit of the ends together (about an inch and a half or so). Because the yarn I used was so much lighter in weight than the yarn that was called for in the pattern, I decided to double the pattern repeat to get a wider scarf. I have a feeling I'm going to have to invest in blocking wires soon if I carry on with my lace knitting obsession, as keeping the edges of the scarf straight while blocking proved to be quite a pain - not to mention all that crawling around on the floor repinning!

As for the pattern, I found it clear and easy to follow - I knit straight from the chart and it took me approximately 40 pattern repeats to complete (that would be a total of 410 rows - 10 for each pattern repeat and 10 for the 5 garter rows on either end!). It did take a while for me to memorize the pattern, but a quick glance at the chart usually took care of any memory lapses.