Driven to Distraction

When you are overwhelmed with work, finding yourself taking one step forward to be kicked two steps back isn't it nice to feel like you've accomplished something? Like a scarf, a garter stitch scarf, on #13 needles? We just finished knitting a maddening number of sweaters on deadline only to be faced with doing it all over again, the Rowan order in all of it's 14 box glory arrived, the October Project of the Month is on the 3rd re-knit, the website is drowning me in code-of-doom, Clyde is cutting his first tooth AND he learned how to move his little body around the room (and occasionally into other rooms) by scootching. It's been quite a week.
On Wednesday last I worked at the store with Kate and a woman came in and described a scarf she had seen on a TV show. It had two leaves at the bottom, one end went into a slot on the other side. We noodled around for patterns, found a little choker type thing in Classic Elite's Make it Modern, and finally settled on Dorlynn's Koigu Neck Cozy, which is essentially what she wanted but it was in Koigu, not a quick knit and more of a...well, neck cozy than a scarf.
After work I found myself at Macy's, which is unusual for me but we had to get a watch resized. While wandering around listening to the closing notes of the Wanamaker Organ I saw the scarf! It had occured to me when the woman was in the store that this would be a pattern worth writing, and now it was kismet. When I got to work the next day I wound yarn and got out my notebook and cast on. Just a few days later I was weaving in the ends! Ah, the sweet smell of a finished project.
The pattern uses 2 skeins of Manos del Uruguay yarn held double in color #46 and a #13 needle for a gauge of about 2.5 sts per inch.
Cast on 2 sts.
k1, m1, k1
k--3 sts
k1, m1, k1, m1, k1
k--5 sts
k2, m1, k1, m1, k2
k--7 sts
k2, m1, k3, m1, k2
k--9 sts
Continue in pattern as set until:
k2, m1, k17, m1, k2
k23
Now work decreases back as follows:
k2, ssk, k15, k2tog, k2
k21
k2, ssk, k13, k2tog, k2
k19
Continue in pattern as set until:
k2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2
k7
Work keyhole:
k2, sl1 to a holder, k1, sl1 to a holder, k2
Work in garter on the 5 sts remaining on your needle for 8 rows.
Break yarn and place sts on a second holder.
Rejoin yarn to the 2 sts on holder and inc 1 in each st--4 sts.
K 8 rows in garter on these 4 sts.
Rejoin sts from holder:
*K1 from holder, k1 from needle; rep 4 times ending with k1 from holder--9 sts.
k1, *m1, k1; rep from * to end--17 sts.
Work in garter on these 17 sts for 120 rows.
Work second leaf backwards as follows:
k1, (k2tog) 8 times--9 sts.
Work keyhole:
*k1, sl1 to a holder; 4 times ending k1.
K 8 rows in garter on these 5 sts, break yarn and place on holder.
Rejoin yarn to the 4 sts on holder and k 8 rows in garter.
K2 tog twice--2 sts.
Rejoin:
k2 from holder, k1 from needle, k1 from holder, k1 from needle, k2 from holder--7 sts.
k2, m1, k3, m1, k2
k9 sts
k2, m1, k5, m1, k2
k11
Continue in pattern as set until:
k2, m1, k17, m1, k2
k23.
Now work decreases:
k2, ssk, k15, k2tog, k2
k21
k2, ssk, k13, k2tog, k2
k19
Continue in pattern as set until you have:
k2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2
k7
Now:
k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1
k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1
k3
k2tog, k1
Bind off 2.
Weave in ends and block. To give it a little extra length I wet it and squeezed it out then hung it over the shower rail in my bathroom. When it was almost dry I smoothed the leaves out to shape on my bed and let them dry completely. I think this scarf would also be great in Misti Alpaca Chunky, held single. It's sooo soft. If you do it in this I would skip the hanging to dry part. Alpaca is pretty heavy and it might get too long.
I hope that the woman who was looking for this pattern reads the blog!
Ravel it!