The Ultimate Scarf Pattern!

Please note – the pattern PDFs have now been deleted and the full pattern will soon be released for sale.

Meaning the final bit of it! Though I guess some of you would agree that the alternative meanings are appropriate too. ;0)

This final pattern part has been a major push for me as this week my friends I have been managing a lot of pain due to a dental abcess. I write this from my sickbed where I have been thoroughly spoiled by my wonderfully caring husband and mother today. Following an emergency visit to the dentist this morning I am now taking anti-biotics and have a follow-up appointment for ‘root canal work’ once the infection is under control. Compared to the pain I am suffering right now I imagine that will be like the proverbial walk in a park!

In the midst of this crisis my technical editor has been marvellously supportive and patient with me whilst waiting for this final part of the pattern for correction. Many of you will be familiar with Karen as she posts very helpful advice in my Ravelry group for folk knitting my designs. You will know her there as Kazrbutler. She is an excellent knitter and has previously worked as a document checker, thus making her an ideal choice to edit my patterns. I am very grateful to her for the warmth with which we work together, and for her hawklike eye for errors! Thank you Karen for making this work such a pleasure. :0)

And so to the detail about this week’s pattern, the ultimate, final part of Lanthir Lamath! Karen has anticipated that you might need a little explanation about the unusual decrease instructions, and I thought this would best be covered here.

The decreases are in the very middle of the rows, and combine raised twisted stitches and the purl stitches next to them. As I wanted to maintain the twist of the raised stitches in the decreases I have carefully instructed  knitwise and purlwise slips at the commencement of the first two decreases. These create the required stitch mount for the stitch to work as I wish. In any pattern where you are asked to slip a stitch knitwise then return it to the passive (lefthand) needle this is in order to reverse the ‘mount’ of the stitch before working it, meaning the way the stitch sits on the needle. In standard western style knitting stitches sit on the passive needle with the ‘front leg leading’, i.e. the part of the stitch that is in front of the needle is closer to the needle point than the part of the stitch that is behind the needle. To turn the stitch to have the ‘back leg leading’ it is simply slipped knitwise then returned to the passive needle. This is the principle behind skp and ssk decrease techniques - the stitch mount is manipulated so that the the stitch loops are untwisted in the final result. For our decreases in this week’s pattern the loops are manipulated in such a way as to maintain the twist of the stitches as it has been working in the stitch columns previously – twisted loops in the raised stitches and untwisted loops in the reverse stocking stitch. So when working the decreases in this week’s pattern please carefully follow the instructions regarding how to slip the stitches (i.e. knitwise or purlwise), and when asked to return a slipped stitch to the passive needle before working it then please take care to maintain the stitch mount created by the first slip when moving it back.

And without further ado, and so that I can return to dealing with my current medical crisis (!!), here is the final part of Lanthir Lamath. Thank you for joining me in this journey of celtic-themed delight. It is such a privilege and a pleasure to share in it with you. :0)