When I blocked this scarf it reminded me so strongly of a crocodile in both shape and colour, not to mention the reticulated pattern, that I instantly renamed the project to Never Smile.
Pattern: Icing by Samantha Roshak
Yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer in Fennel
- £6.95 for 50g
- 440 yards
- 70% alpaca 30% silk
Notes: I modified the scarf by including one extra width increase repeat and extended the centre sections by a total of 20 rows. The scarf used 34 grams, which comes out to pretty much exactly 300 yards
Fundamentally the perfectly understated accessory – I cannot imagine that any wardrobe would not benefit from one or more Icing scarves.
The simplicity of the pattern gives an ideal vehicle for showing off a really glam yarn. A little sparkle would work nicely, either in the yarn or with added beads – and any kind of texture can be highlighted. I imagine a scrunchy crisp linen or cotton would be wonderful, but so would a soft and fluffy fibre -Â Kidsilk Haze springs to mind… I know that I have a marvellous grey alpaca that would benefit from a little Icing. The good news is that it works well with variegated yarns and will knit up just as well in a heavier yarn as it does in laceweight, going up a couple of needle sizes.
There will be more Icings in my future – it’s a perfect stash-busting project as well as a great pattern for using up small amounts of leftover yarn. Icing would make a great gift so any skein of yarn that uses less than half to make the pattern would give one for the knitter and one for a friend. I am pretty sure I could have made two standard size scarves from my skein, had I wanted to – that’s £3.50 each. In alpaca and silk! Think of the Christmas giving possibilities!
Icing is easy to knit and quickly memorised. Great TV or travel knitting, and perfect for resting between sessions on something more taxing. I knitted mine over a 6 day period but there were 3 days in there when I did not touch it. Icing could certainly be made in 2 days of concentrated work.
I have already started a second Icing – it seems to be the ideal project to have at hand for those knitting moments when nothing else fits the space available. I’m using the yarn left over from this year’s Show scarf – and already eyeing up other leftovers and queuing them.
- Ravelry Pattern Page: Icing
- Ravelry Gallery of Examples: 30 Projects
- Ravelry Yarn Ideas
- Ravelry Yarn Page: KnitPicks Shimmer Hand-dyed Lace Yarn
- Ravelry Project Page: plumbum’s Never Smile
That might look quite good in Crunchie!
🙂
I’m sceptical – I still think Crunchie wants to be something ultra-simple