Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf
This Lovely Leaf Lace scarf is made with 100% 8-ply cashmere. The stitches that create this beautiful and dimensional pattern are a simple combination of strategic yarn-overs and decreases. The lace pattern has a wonderful dimensionality while the stockinette pattern curls around your neck like a big soft hug.
If you’re interested in the Easy Mistake Stitch Scarf (the green one on the left), you can find the full, free pattern right here!
Update: New Yarn
JANUARY 11, 2016
We revisited this classic pattern with Purl Soho’s Lanecardate Feltro. At a bigger 2 1/2 stitches to the inch, our Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf in Lanecardate Feltro offers a whole new bold look!
Update: Campo
March 23, 2021
The perfect yarn for not-quite-springtime, Campo is a blend of 50% wool for the chill that’s still in air and 50% organically grown cotton for the sun that’s doing its best. Campo is a wonderfully soft and cozy choice for right now. To view our update to the Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf, click here!
Designed by Purl Soho founder and co-owner, Joelle Hoverson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoLovelyLeafLaceScarf. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 6 skeins of 8-ply cashmere. This scarf was made with Lobster Pot’s Worsted Weight Cashmere, which we no longer carry. A perfect substitute is Jade Sapphire’s equally beautiful 8-Ply Cashmere, 100% Mongolian Cashmere. This scarf would also be beautiful in just about any of our other worsted weight yarns (you’ll need 600 yards to complete the project).
- US 9 (5.5 mm) straight or circular knitting needles (or size required to get the correct gauge)
- A spare knitting needle, size 9 or smaller
Gauge
16 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished dimensions: Approximately 12 inches wide x 52 inches long
Notes
- This pattern has a lace pattern at each end and stockinette stitch in the middle. You should know ahead of time that this scarf curls up along the edges, however, it is wide enough that, even curled up, it fits generously around the neck.
- The stitch pattern is a multiple of 10 + 1. The stitch count remains the same at the end of every row.
Abbreviations
Yo (yarn over): Review this technique with our Yarn Over Tutorial. When people have trouble with the lace pattern’s stitch counts, the way they’re making yarn overs is often the culprit!
Ssk (slip, slip, knit): Learn how to ssk with our Slip Slip Knit Tutorial.
Sl1, k2tog, psso: Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit 2 stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over the k2tog and off the needle [2 stitches decreased]
Here’s are step-by-step instructions for sl1, k2tog, psso…
Step 1: Sl 1
Whenever you encounter “sl 1,” it means to slip one stitch as if to purl. Just insert the needle into the next stitch as if to purl and slip it to the right needle without knitting it.
Step 2: K2tog
Knit the next two stitches together.
Step 3: Psso
“Psso” stands for “pass slipped stitch over.” For this step, insert the left needle into the stitch that you slipped and pass it over the k2tog and off the right hand needle, as you would when binding off.
Pattern
Cast on 61 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1 and all odd number rows (wrong side): Purl.
Row 2: K3, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k5, repeat from * to end of row, ending the last repeat with k3 (instead of k5).
Row 4: K2, *k2tog, [k1, yo] 2 times, k1, ssk, k3, repeat from * to end of row, ending the last repeat with k2 (instead of k3).
Row 6: K1, *k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 8: K2tog, *k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso (see Notes, above), repeat from * to last 9 stitches, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk.
Row 10: K1, *yo, ssk, k5, k2tog, yo, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 12: K1, *yo, k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1, yo, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 14: K1, *yo, k2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 16: K1, *yo, k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k3, yo, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1-16 five times more. The piece should measure approximately 16 inches at this point.
Next Row (wrong side): Purl.
Next Row (right side): Knit.
Repeat last two rows until you have used three whole skeins of 8-Ply Cashmere, or for approximately 12 inches.
Place these 61 stitches on the spare needle set aside.
Repeat the pattern from the beginning, working the second half of the scarf the same as the first, leaving the stitches on the needle at the end. (The reason you make the scarf in two pieces is so that the lace ends will look the same. If you made the scarf in one long piece, the second lace section would be “upside down.”)
Use Kitchener Stitch to invisibly graft the live stitches together at the center of your scarf.
Weave in the ends, and hand wash your scarf gently with a mild soap. When you allow your scarf to air dry, instead of stretching the lace flat, try to encourage it to retain its depth and dimension.
Hi! I’d like to use the leaf lace pattern to make a scarf for my daughter. I’m going to use a lighter weight yarn and I plan to make the whole scarf in the lace pattern, one-directional. My question is if you all know what multiple the pattern is in? I tried looking through the comments, apologies if I missed it. I want to make the scarf narrower if possible. I’m hoping for a number to cast on. I looked at it but I am notoriously bad at figuring this out and often miss something. Can you help? I hope this makes sense! Thanks!
Hi Jane,
Thanks for reaching out. It’s definitely an easy thing to miss, but the multiple for this stitch pattern is 10 + 1! To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest multiple of 10 + 1. I hope this helps (and helps anyone else looking through comments in the future)!
All the best,
Lili