Lately, I’ve been knitting in the early morning as dusk turns to dawn. The click of my needles along with the singing of the mocking birds gives me an opportunity to reflect on my life, as I gaze out the window admiring my cottage garden. A combination of foxgloves, bleeding hearts, dianthus, salvia, delphinium, pansies and hollyhocks are a safe haven for ladybugs, provides pollen for bees and creates a lovely landscape of color and texture.
Looking at the beauty of my garden inspired me to translate nature’s bounty using yarn. I decided to use Crazy, a light worsted all natural yarn originating from U.S. mill ends. Each skein was different but had atleast one color in common. A combination of knit and purl stitches were used to capture the sculptural variety of blooms and the structure and shape of leaves.
Cottage Garden Scarf – designed by knitorious @ sticks-a-gogo.com
The Cottage Garden Scarf is knit lengthwise maximizing the visual qualities of yarn dyed with long color repeats.
Finished Size: Approx. 7 inches high and 54 inches wide
Materials Needed: 450 yards of light worsted yarn
Size 6 (4mm) 32’ circular needles
Gauge: 24 sts = 4”
Basketweave/Checkerboard Pattern worked over a multiple of 10 sts:
Rows 1-6: *K5, P5; rep from * to end.
Rows 7-12: *P5, K5; rep from * to end.
Knit 5 repeats of pattern and end with an additional Rows 1-6. BO all stitches using a Size 7 (4.5mm) needle.