Curiosity Lace Scarf Knitting Pattern

Curious what makes this lace scarf knitting pattern so irresistible? Knit in a luxuriously soft, self-striping yarn, Curiosity pairs a classic feather-and-fan lace pattern with raised, dimensional cables for a design that feels both timeless and fresh. The 4-row pattern repeat is easy to memorize, with just enough complexity to keep you enchanted from cast-on to bind-off.

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King Cole Curiosity DK Yarn

King Cole sent me some of their Curiosity DK yarn quite a long time ago, and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since, just waiting for the perfect project.

The long color sections and subtle tonality to some of the colors really worked well with this lace pattern. This acrylic yarn has good stitch definition, despite being soft and fuzzy. After blocking, it shows off the lace and cables beautifully.

Knitting 3-D Cables

This knit scarf inserts a small cable at the center of a traditional feather-and-fan lace pattern. To give the cable a bit of extra bulk, increases add purl sts before the cable starts, and decreases remove them again after the cable ends. So, instead of just crossing 1 knit stitch over another knit stitch, you will be crossing a (purl, knit, purl) combination over another (purl, knit, purl) combination. Adding the purl stitches on each side of each knit stitch helps the cable to stand out more against the lace background.

For more information on knitting all kinds of cables, and interpreting cable abbreviations, see this Decoding Cables tutorial.

Curiosity Scarf

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Materials

Yarn: 1 skein King Cole Curiosity DK – 100% premium acrylic yarn (524 yds / 5.3 oz / 150 g per skein) 2901 Onyx
Needles: US size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles or size needed to match gauge
Notions:
- Cable Needle
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle

Project Level

Intermediate: Feather-and-fan lace pattern with cable, multiple types of increases and decreases.

Size

Length: Approx 63″ / 157.5 cm (see note below)

Width: 11″ / 27.5 cm

Note: This pattern is designed to use every last bit of the skein of yarn to make the most of the self-striping colors. Because the actual yardage of each skein may vary, your actual length may also vary.

Gauge

In repeating pattern, 23 sts x 26 rows = 4″ / 10 cm after blocking.

Blocking is important to open up the lace. Be sure to measure gauge after blocking. Exact gauge is not critical but will affect finished size.

Abbreviations used

3/3 PKP LC	3 over 3 purl-knit-purl left cross (see Special Stitches)
BO	bind off / bind-off
CO	cast on / cast-on
cn	cable needle
k	knit
k2tog	knit 2 together
kfb	knit front and back
M1p	make 1 purl (see Special Stitches)
NWN	non-working needle (left-hand needle if knitting right handed, right-hand needle if knitting left handed)
p	purl
p2tog	purl 2 together
rep	repeat
RS	right side(s)
sl	slip purlwise
ssk	slip, slip, knit
ssp	slip, slip, purl
st(s)	stitch(es)
WS	wrong side(s)
yo	yarn over

Recommended Resources

Special Stitches

3 over 3, purl-knit-purl, left-crossing cable (3/3 PKP LC): Sl next 3 sts onto cn and hold at front of work, p1, k1, p1, (p1, k1, p1) from cn.

Make 1 purl (M1p): Insert NWN from back to front into horizontal bar between sts, lifting it onto needle, p this loop through the front leg.

This instruction is for a right-leaning M1p increase, also called a “Make 1 right purl”. For this pattern, it does not matter which direction the purl increase leans, so it is fine to substitute the left-leaning version if you prefer.

Instructions

Scroll down for chart.

CO 55 sts using long-tail CO or preferred method.

Starting Edge

Row 1 (RS): K across.

Row 2: K across.

Row 3: K17, [kfb twice, M1p, kfb, k14] twice, k4. (63 sts)

Repeating Pattern Section

Row 4: K2, p16, [k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p15] twice, p1, k2.

Row 5: K2, k2tog 3 times, (yo, k1) 5 times, yo, [ssk twice, p2tog, k1, p2, k1, ssp, k2tog twice, (yo, k1) 5 times, yo] twice, ssk 3 times, k2.

Row 6: Rep Row 4.

Row 7: K18, (3/3 PKP LC, k15) twice, k3.

Rep Rows 4-7 until approx 6-12 yds of yarn remain in skein, or to desired length, ending after a rep of Row 6.

You will need enough remaining yarn to work 3 more rows plus the bind-off. On the sample, I had a little less than 7 yds left, and ended with a little more than 2 yds after binding off. Err on the side of having too much, to avoid having to rip back. If you think it might be close, this is a great place to add a lifeline just in case.

Ending Edge

Next Row 1: K17, (ssk twice, k2tog twice, k13) twice, k4. (55 sts)

Next Rows 2 & 3: K across.

BO all sts using basic BO or preferred method.

Weave in ends. Wash and block to open up lace.

Chart

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