Mindfully Mindless

I'm planning some vacation knitting.  It's not enough that I have a half dozen projects on the go, any one of which would do as take-along knitting.  Never mind that I have most of the house packed up, ready to face any road emergency including volcanic eruptions and potential starvation on the #1 Highway, and that one more fibre project might tip the load limit on the truck.  I must have a new string thing, one that is active enough to prevent me nodding off and dropping stitches, but not so lively that I can't watch for mountains falling down upon my head.

My default mindfully mindless project is this scarf:

The photograph above shows the scarf knitted in handspun cashgora.  I've started this one in EL's Hempathy.

 

I have a bag of this yarn in spring colours:

The hemp/cotton/modal combination is just right for a transitional accessory.

The pattern is simple, a one row scarf, consisting of this:

Crochet Cast On any odd number of stitches.  (25, in this case.)  You can add stitches for a garter stitch border, as I did with the cashgora scarf, but it's not necessary and I'm not adding one to the Hempathy scarf.

Knit a few rows of garter stitch.  (6 rows or 3 ridges here.)

Then, K1, *yo, K2tog* across the row.  (If you lose track of your pattern, the yo will always be in front of the knit stitch on the K2tog.)

Repeat this row until you are sick of knitting or until you are nearly out of yarn.  Knit a corresponding number of garter stitch rows to match the beginning and do a classic bind off.  (Knit 2 stitches, pull the first knit stitch on the right hand needle over the front knit stitch on the right hand needle.  *Knit one more stitch and pull that over the remaining stitch on the right hand needle.*  Repeat between the *'s until you have one stitch remaining.  Cut your yarn and pull it through the last stitch to fasten off.)  All done!

The scarf suits any fibre and makes a great gift.  When people pay tribute to your amazing lace skills, smile and say "thank you."  Only you need know how easy this scarf is to make.  I should be able to knit a few during our travel times as presents for our hosts.

I use a Crochet Cast On because it matches the classic bind off.  With your working yarn, place a slip knot on a crochet hook.  Take your working needle and position it so that the ball end of your yarn is underneath the knitting needle with your crochet hook on top of the knitting needle in a V:

Tension your yarn.  Pull up a loop from your yarn through the slip knot on the crochet hook.  Behold--one stitch on the knitting needle:

Flip the working yarn back under the knitting needle and repeat the process until you're one stitch short of your desired cast on number.  The slip knot is that last stitch.  Place it on your knitting needle, tighten things up and you're ready to knit.  (Make your cast on a bit tighter than I show it here.)

I think I have my fibre bag co-ordinated for my adventures.  Now, if this prairie girl can just use my psychic powers to keep those mountains where they belong!