Letters
3 Admirable Scarves to Knit
Dear Kay,
Sometimes I forget that I have a virtual library of patterns I’ve bought yet never knit. I just realized I have a lot of cool patterns already teed up.
You know that wide-open-horizon feeling? I’m sitting here with a batch of random yarns I brought with me up to the country. So fun to sit with a bunch of yarn of varying weights, colors, and fibers and figure out what works with which pattern.
Contender No. 1: Almost Ovals
Anne Hanson‘s Almost Ovals is a 400 yarder, using laceweight yarn, so even though the pattern is a little twisty, it ends soon enough. And what a graceful, modern lace pattern.
(photo by Anne Hanson)
Contender No. 2: Annisa Wrap
(photo by Ambah O’Brien)
I’ve got three fingering weight yarns in hand that would be great for this. Ambah O’Brien has all kinds of asymmetrical patterns available here. This one, Annisa, has all the action that you want in an asymmetrical scarf, but not too much. And bonus: a long, sweet swath of two-row garter stitch stripes. So juicy to knit those skinny stripes, especially because one of my yarns is a little . . . specklicious.
Contender No. 3: ZickZack Scarf
(photo by Christy Kamm)
Christy Kamm’s ZickZack Scarf really scratches that Missoni itch. She uses two Lang colorways to get all this color mixing. Not sure I have the right wack mix of yarns on hand to make this sing. Then again, I’ve used random yarns in the past with some luck. Hmmm. Take a look at the 2,168 ZickZacks made so far. So fantastic.
The only problem: which one should I make next? Stay tuned.
Love,
Ann
I’m in camp Annisa. Just… Wow.
I second Annisa!
They are all brilliant! I will cop to being a major Anne Hanson fan, though:)!
Annisa,so beautiful! Then the other two gorgeous scarves, because they are all fabulous !
The choice is indisputable. It’s got to be Annisa!
Anne Hanson’s patterns are always amazing and so easy to follow! But I’ve been knitting the Zick Zack scarf, and it’s a beautifully mindless project. Hard to decide!
So many shawls ‘n’ scarves, so little time! Anissa is a real beauty, but I’ve got a Zick Zack on my needles now – worked on it exclusively while at the beach this weekend – and it’s fantastic fun! Wanting to see how the colors work out keeps that ‘just one more row’ thing going. Check out my Missoni-ish Scarf on ravelry. ( I’m lightdove on rav.) One of the yarns I’m using is Hundertwasser- inspired. Very trippy!
Have a good time while away – I look forward to some more of your beautiful photographs! ( No pressure!)
Martina Paulsen has a Missoni Scarf. It is a bit lacier at the pointsthan the Zick Zack. It’s not a difficult knit but there are all those ends to weave in at the end,
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/missoni-scarf.
ZickZack all the way. Color. Color. Color.
I’ve made a ZickZack, and it was a lot of fun. I have been on a major zig-zag craze lately and after a scarf, a cowl, and a blanket, am trying to force myself to move on to something else. I love the look of Annisa, with two different parties going on in the same scarf (plus there is still a bit of a zigzag there!)
Hi,
Is there a ZickZack type of cowl pattern out there or just shorten scarf and seam? Thank you!
I became entranced by that ZickZack and found myself ordering the yarn from Webs. The perfect mindless knit with tons of color! Not that I need more yarn, but I couldn’t help myself.
Oops! I forgot to say that there is a pattern for a ZickZack cowl on Ravelry; the knitter writes out how she made the cowl in her comments. She uses an interesting technique to avoid purling. It makes a really cute cowl.
Darn, can’t find the Ravelry ZickZack cowl!
Thank you! Her notes make sense:)
If you do a search for “chevron cowl” on Ravelry, you will get hundreds of hits.
Thank you!
ZickZack just screams Modern Daily knitting to me. The colors, the garter stitch, the miterishness of the chevron; I am pretty sure you’re already casting it on and just haven’t realized yet.
LOL I think this has actually happened to me once or twice! The unconscious cast-on.
They all look interesting, so a tough pick! I did the ZickZack with two colorways of Noro fingering weight and it was easy and fun as the color combinations changed. No boredom!
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/cathyinidaho/zickzack-scarf
I’m loving Annisa also. I’ve favorited ZickZack for two different color ways of some Noro yarn.
I actually don’t fancy the Annisa design at all. I say Zigzag all the way home!
Annisa will be up soon in my personal knitting queue. I really love that wrap.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you choose ZickZack. I bought the yarn for that over a year ago and still haven’t touched it, so I would love the inspiration/motivation. Of course I am just about to sew my mitered squares together, and I started those in 2009. Let’s just say I don’t like to rush into things!
Knit annisa.
As a current knitter of the ZickZack I can tell you that it is good vacation knitting. You can just set it down and pick it up no problem. It is pretty much auto-pilot knitting if that’s what you’re looking for. At ~800 yards of fingering weight it does take a while though. That Almost Ovals is just stunning. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I’ve always wanted to make a zick-zack. Scarves are where I love crazy color, and this one fits that bill.
Make the ZickZack! I started a fad for it among my friends recently, and it is, to borrow, “such fun.”
Do Annisa if you’ve got enough yarn for it. Otherwise, do Almost Ovals, as that looks as it could be knit with nearly any yarn and the length wouldn’t be critical. Since you said you’re “in the country” (which?), I’m going to assume that a good LYS isn’t conveniently close. Therefore, leave Zick Zack until last. It looks like a fun knit but you won’t be sure you like the colors and striping until you swatch/start it.
No question. Annisa all the way. Love that scarf!
I am currently working on a ZickZack, and have plans for another. The pattern is simple but the results are stunning. The only trick was finding a yarn with a longer colourway, to get the effect I wanted. I love the other two patterns. I will have to add them to my list. I would like to finish ZickZack before winter returns….
LOVE the Zickzack! It’s just enough entertainment for me. I used two Noro Silk Garden Sock yarns. Love the constant color play and the easy but fun stitch pattern.
I am also camp Annisa. It could be because I was just on the hunt for the perfect asymmetrical shawl pattern, though. I settled on Ode to Veera, partly because it seemed easy, but also because so many of the knitters on Ravelry achieved such beautiful results with it! Like you, have 2 more mentally knocking at the door. Gail Tanquary’s Fan Shawl patterns continue to intrigue me, and I love the randomness of Jane Thornley’s “The Breeze” wrap.
Was I ever surprised this weekend when my step daughter pulled the ZickZack scarf out of her knitting bag. First time she and I knit the same project at the same time! She is making hers a little wider with 6 skeins of Mille Colori Baby and I cast on one less repeat to make mine a bit narrower and longer. I think we need a ZickZackAlong. The other two scarves you pictured look like fun, too. I am finding a scarf the ideal summer knitting project. Not heavy in my lap and easy to do during car rides.
Thumbs up to the ZickZackAlong!
I think Annisa would look just gorgeous in speckled yarn!
Now I need to knit Annisa! Thanks!!
Here’s a vote for Annisa. Love it
I’m a sucker for the ol’ YO,K2T alternating w garter rows, as in the lacy section of Annisa. My first cashmere project was a simple scarf I “made up” beginning with that and…then just going on and on with it. Cashmere lace. What a revelation. It’s the only time in my life I actually forced non-fibery and totally uninterested people to smoosh my knitting. I am surprised they didn’t all rush right out and buy cashmere goats, because, you know, logical.
Annisa!
A friend is making Zickzack and it is lovely but I would make Annisa. I can imagine it in so many colors!
All are tempting. My order of preference would be 1. Annisa, because I’m currently obsessed with Ambah O’Brien’s patterns though I haven’t actually knit any. 2. Zickzack, because all that color. 3. Almost Ovals, looks beautiful, but I wonder if it would take almost forever to knit. : )
Just went right to Ravelry and got Almost Ovals – I have some extremely fine Lotus Moon Night in blue that held 2 strands together might work nicely!
Love the Annisa wrap. Not that I don’t also love the other two, but the Annisa really speaks to me. And, I’m pretty sure I know just the yarn I will use for it. Guess I’ll have to go back to Haus of Yarn since I don’t remember the name of it, but I do remember where it is in the store.
Annisa! Very different and sophisticated!
I made the zickzack alternating one with colorways and the second a solid color; came out very nice. Picked up the trick from Kay on a blog post years ago, the Eric scarf.
I love all three, but I choose Annisa.
Almost ovals. Beautiful.
ZickZack!!! Just be able to count to twelve.
Good advice, Heather! I kept messing up the 12 count and decided to use markers. Usually I can read my knitting and can ditch the markers, but finding this scarf goes easier with the help of those little rings.
Having just finished the ZickZack Scarf, I vote for it! It is a zen knit, and even though it’s knit in fingering weight yarn on US 2’s, and therefore took a long time to make, I was sad to see it come off the needles (though excited to wear it!). So relaxing. Go ZickZack!
You can’t go wrong-but I’m queuing Annisa. I live for these posts that do my Ravelry surfing for me . #lazyknitter
I’m on team Annisa!
I really love making scarves. All of these are beautiful and I would love to make them all.