Classic and Refined

One of my weaknesses as a designer is that I tend to be too complicated. I get wrapped up in new techniques or projects that highlight extreme craftsmanship and forget that a lot of people just want to sit and knit and relax.

Back in April, I had just taught my "Easy Reversible Cables" class at Unwind. I was still traveling when I read the e-mail announcing a second call for proposals for the autumn issue of Cast On magazine. I was surprised that more people weren't already familiar with the reversible cables technique, especially since Lily Chin has been teaching it for more than a decade. So I proposed a rather simple scarf.

The autumn issue of Cast On went live last week. You can read it on and download it from the TKGA website, if you are a member and log in.

"Legerdemain" is a good basic scarf. As with so many of my designs, I have thought about the details.

• Italian cast-on and a tubular bind-off gives the scarf a clean couture beginning and end.
• Ribbles make it reversible (as scarves should be), as well as making the fabric thicker.
• Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, which is a sport weight 50/50 alpaca-wool blend, gives the scarf warmth, drape, and just a hint of halo.
• The moonshadow grey colorway is unisex.
• The pattern is easy to work and easy to remember
• The overall design is un-fussy and classic.

If you have been waiting for an excuse to learn to do ribbles, or you want to teach someone else, this pattern provides an entrée. And the completed scarf should be a wardrobe mainstay for years to come. This would make an excellent gift for a loved one taking a job in a new, colder locale. You can work it in a neutral, as I have, for years of wear. Or you can work it in a favorite color (perhaps from a sports team?). Or what about the hot designer color of the season for the daring fashionista? Or for a subtler look that has impact without being obvious, work it in the eye color, the complementary eye-color, the complementary skin color, or the complementary hair-color of the intended wearer.

And a final note: this pattern would be very easy to adapt. You can scale it and the cables themselves up and down. I think it would make a fantastic blanket either for a new baby (worked in a parent-friendly yarn choice) or for a special couple, or for that suddenly grown-up child flying away from the nest.