winter

Last year, right around this very time (January….AKA Winter….AKA Knitting Season…), I was sharing my Delancey Hat design with you all. Well, January/Winter/Knitting Season have returned and I’ve got another new design to share! This is the Rivington Scarf.

The Rivington Scarf and the Delancey Hat share more than just a midwinter release date; I designed the scarf to be a companion piece to the hat: a mini collection of accessories, if you will (hence both patterns being named for streets found in downtown Manhattan.) My inspiration for the scarf began, once again, with the yarn.

Both Rivington and Delancey are knit in the unparalleled, aran-weight Bespoke Cashmere yarn from Clinton Hill Cashmere Company. This manufacturer offers a solid-colored palette of 100% cashmere yarns spun in Italy and the “gold” colorway featured in this scarf is a new addition to the line. I was knocked out when I saw it: the color just glows. (And I happily stand by my exact words from a year ago about this company, too: “It also thrills me to have the chance to collaborate with a small, woman-owned business like CHCC. . . [it] is bringing such an impeccable product to the knitting world. Their aesthetic and vision is an inspiration to me both as a designer of modern, wearable pieces and an everyday knitter.”)

As a designer, I am always striving to create patterns that represent what matters most to me in my knitting life: a classic design that (a) you want to reach for and wear time and again; and (b) features textural or fabric elements that highlight and complement the unique properties of the chosen yarn.

When I designed the Delancey Hat using the Bespoke Cashmere yarn, it felt like the perfect opportunity to design something simple but timeless, to allow the exquisite yarn to be the center of attention. You might remember how the Delancey Hat featured a cozy fisherman rib brim and a garter stitch body (and, yes, an enormously delightful faux fur pom-pom):

The Rivington Scarf employs the same lush rib and garter stitch textures to create a plush, ruffled, and completely reversible accessory that is generously sized. (A good scarf really needs to be reversible and wrap-around-able, doesn’t it?!)

To achieve all of this cozy volume, the scarf is worked lengthwise in two separate pieces and then those pieces are grafted together down the middle. Yes, this means that the graft in the middle is very long but there is a rhythm to it: load up a good audiobook/podcast/classical music website, get out your yarn needle, and get to work! I promise that it is very straightforward and the pattern includes lots of helpful details.

Although these pictures highlight the glory that is the Bespoke Cashmere yarn, please know that any smooth aran-weight yarn suitable for wearing next to your skin should work nicely for this scarf. (And if you’re in NYC this coming weekend, you can experience the yarn for yourself. CHCC has a booth at the upcoming Vogue Knitting Live show in Times Square. If you see me all wrapped up in golden ruffles, please do say hello!)