Diagonal Lace Scarf

I work with a lady who likes to wear what I call 'indoor scarves'. They're not substantial enough to wear outside in winter, but are a nice accessory for indoors. She has a nice collection and looks great all the time, so I thought I'd steal her idea...here's what I came up with:

Stitch Pattern: "Diagonal Lace"
Source: Harmony Lace and Eyelet Stitch Guide, page 248
Needles: 4mm bamboo straights
Yarn details:

• Novita Luxus Cloud
• 65% wool, 35% bamboo
• 50 grams = 97 metres
• colour #571
• 170 grams used

I searched around quite a bit to find a pattern that I liked and was also in my library. The Raha Scarf (Ravelry Link) from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia looked like the winner for a while, but in the end I wanted a fabric that was more or less reversible. I tried a few different stitch patterns from the Harmony guide, with mixed results, until this one worked out well and I didn't keep stuffing it up all the time.

This yarn has only just come into the shops up here recently and I wanted to try it out. It's lovely and soft and gives a good drape and comes in a small selection of nice colours. What I should have realised, however, based on the yarn and the stitch pattern, is that the length of the scarf would extend dramatically after washing. My 130cm-long scarf ballooned out to 180-odd-cms...starting to be a little too long for indoor wear. Nonetheless, I like the scarf and even if I don't wear it indoors here, it will be a good spring-summer scarf.


As a side note, the yarn bled like a severed artery when I washed it. It took a good ten minutes for the water to run clear.