Southern Cross Fibre

One thing I’ve been pondering for some time is how to incorporate lace elements into men’s garments. This is my first experiment in man-lace. I’ve tried to keep the lines strong and simple – two rows of faggotting on a biased garter stitch background. I’m very happy with the result and eager to explore man-lace some more…

The yarn used for this project was handspun from Spunky Eclectic Galaxy BFL roving in the Mars colourway. 4 oz of fibre produced 200 metres of aran weight yarn. The depth of colour in this yarn is amazing. If you haven’t tried Amy’s Galaxy range yet, you’re definitely missing out!

The following pattern can be downloaded in PDF form (including charts) from Ravelry.

Finished Measurements: 160 cm long, 13 cm wide (64″ x 5″)

Yarn: 200 metres (220 yards) of aran weight yarn. I had about 15cm (6″) left over.

Needles: 6.0mm (US 10)

Pattern Notes:

wyif sl1 – used at the beginning of the row – slip one stitch purlwise with yarn in front, then take yarn back between needles, ready to knit the next stitch

kfb – standard “bar” increase - knit into the front and back of the next stitch, thus making a stitch

pm – place marker – placing a marker at the point specified in the pattern will make your life easier. Every time you reach the marker on right side rows, you’ll be at the point where you [yo, k2tog] twice. The marker will move along automatically and will eliminate the need to count the knit stitches.

Directions

Loosely cast on 28 stitches.

Next row and all wrong side rows – wyif sl1, K to end

Row 1: wyif sl1, k1, yo, k22, ssk, k2
Row 3: wyif sl1, kfb, yo, k2tog, k20, ssk, k2
Row 5: wyif sl1, [k1, yo] twice, k2tog, k19, ssk, k2
Row 7: wyif sl1, kfb, pm, [yo, k2tog] twice, k18, ssk, k2
Row 9: wyif sl1, kfb, k1, [yo, k2tog] twice, k17, ssk, k2
Row 11: wyif sl1, kfb, k2, [yo, k2tog] twice, k16, ssk, k2
Row 13: wyif sl1, kfb, k3, [yo, k2tog] twice, k15, ssk, k2
Row 15: wyif sl1, kfb, k4, [yo, k2tog] twice, k14, ssk, k2
Row 17: wyif sl1, kfb, k5, [yo, k2tog] twice, k13, ssk, k2
Row 19: wyif sl1, kfb, k6, [yo, k2tog] twice, k12, ssk, k2
Row 21: wyif sl1, kfb, k7, [yo, k2tog] twice, k11, ssk, k2
Row 23: wyif sl1, kfb, k8, [yo, k2tog] twice, k10, ssk, k2
Row 25: wyif sl1, kfb, k9, [yo, k2tog] twice, k9, ssk, k2
Row 27: wyif sl1, kfb, k10, [yo, k2tog] twice, k8, ssk, k2
Row 29: wyif sl1, kfb, k11, [yo, k2tog] twice, k7, ssk, k2
Row 31: wyif sl1, kfb, k12, [yo, k2tog] twice, k6, ssk, k2
Row 33: wyif sl1, kfb, k13, [yo, k2tog] twice, k5, ssk, k2
Row 35: wyif sl1, kfb, k14, [yo, k2tog] twice, k4, ssk, k2
Row 37: wyif sl1, kfb, k15, [yo, k2tog] twice, k3, ssk, k2
Row 39: wyif sl1, kfb, k16, [yo, k2tog] twice, k2, ssk, k2
Row 41: wyif sl1, kfb, k17, [yo, k2tog] twice, k1, ssk, k2
Row 43: wyif sl1, kfb, k18, [yo, k2tog] twice, ssk, k2
Row 45: wyif sl1, kfb, k19, [yo, k2tog] twice, ssk, k1
Row 47: wyif sl1, kfb, k20, yo, k2tog, ssk, k2 (this row has been corrected - sorry!)
Row 49: wyif sl1, kfb, k21, yo, k2tog, ssk, k1
(marker can be removed here and placed appropriately again on row 7)

Repeat 50 rows of pattern seven times or until yarn runs out, ending with a wrong side row.

Cast off loosely. I recommend Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn cast off.

Weave in ends and block. Blocking will open up the yarn overs and add drape to the finished scarf. Well worth the effort!

Enjoy!