Rill Scarf

Ah, the Rill Scarf...

Of course, it is a new favorite of mine.

This is my very first knitted lace project and, thankfully, I already have a set of bifocals, otherwise all those tiny stitches would have been impossible to see!

This is the lightest fabric evah!

Oh my!

The yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer Hand Dyed Lace Yarn {yummy} Eucalyptus
Project details: Ravelry link

One change from the pattern. Once I finished all of the repeats for the Third Short Row Section, my scarf was still going to come out too short. It was only about 5 feet long at that point. So I soaked it, and blocked it out {with the knitting needles still in it} so I could gauge how much longer I should make it.

It did relax a bit, maybe 6-8 inches, but not long enough. So I measured the end section {the first and second short row sections} and figured out how long I would need to knit to make the third section long enough {assuming the fourth and fifth sections would be the same length as the first and second sections} so that the entire scarf would be the intended length.

In the end, I needed to add 8 additional repeats to the Third Short Row Section get the necessary length.

You definitely have to know how to do short-rows for this project as it is the basis for the shape. I don't think I have done that many short-rows ever, but I definitely have improved my technique.

The short-row wrap is done on the knit side which makes the wrong side look a little ugly IMHO. You can definitely see each wrapped stitch, something that bothers me but there was nothing that could be done about it. I think this is where a darker yarn would have been better choice to hide the short-rows.

The pattern is in a collection devoted to chevrons and the lace chevron is beautiful. It is just a two row repeat which is easy to memorize, easy to spot and fix errors. The maximum number of rows you have to drop down stitches {or tink} is 4 rows {and I did both}.

Above is the cast-on edge. I know you were supposed to cast on with two needles, but for whatever reason, I decided to just cast on using the long-tail version but just put two needles together to give it extra space to expand where the lace needed it.

I do this often, think I know better than the pattern designer. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose...

You can see why the pattern didn't call for the long-tail cast on. It got stretched out nicely in some places, but bunched up in others and loopy in others. Overall, I'm not going to worry about two tiny loops that don't lay straight, but, next time I will cast on the way the pattern says, even if I don't like the way it looks in the beginning.

The cast-off edge is above. I had to be very careful to make the cast-off stitches very, very big over the chevron lace. I ended up doing it twice, but not because I ripped it out. The stitches came out when I tried on the scarf because I didn’t secure the end with a safety pin - I just left a really big loop that got pulled out {arg!}.

All's well that ends well. It looks better the way I did it the second time as I did the cast off stitches looser over the lace section. Although, even now, it is too tight and bunches in too much, but it's not worth dinking around to get the perfect cast-off edge.

For my first shawl, I think this was a good choice. The pattern was a dream. The yarn, lovely. It was a long knit, with all those teeny stitches, but the results - worth it.

By cool Siloam's shady rill
How sweet the lily grows!
How sweet the breath beneath the hill
Of Sharon's dewy rose!”
~ Richard Heber