New Bosc Scarf Knitting Pattern & Recipe

I've long been intrigued with the idea of trying to capture the delicate beauty and intricacy of Japanese-style knitting stitches in a simple, approachable way. A way that would be fun for experienced and newer knitters alike, especially those who love the look of these types of stitches but are perhaps a little unsure of trying something that may appear rather scary.

With this technical concept in mind, the idea for the design of my newest knitting pattern was begun, aesthetically inspired by the beauty of ripe pears, the most elegant of which, in my opinion, are the Bosc variety.

I love their gold, green and russet hues, graceful curving shapes, and sweet but subtle flavor. 

When I found Quince and Co. Lark worsted weight yarn and saw the rich "honey" colorway I knew I had a match for my project.

 

The 100% wool yarn is soft enough for a scarf, with excellent drape for a yarn of this sort, but the twist still has a nice amount of body to give structure to the stitch pattern and to the scarf itself as it drapes around the neck - all details that were important to me as I selected yarn for this design, the Bosc Scarf, available here on my blog or on my designer page at Ravelry.com.

The scarf's texture is created with very basic stitches. Simple increases and decreases as well as easy cables shape the lines into a semblance of a pear shape and leaves (although you might very well see tulips and that is OK too!), separated by vertical lines of rippling eyelets.

I knit all of the cables without a cable needle; many excellent videos and tutorials for this technique can be found on Youtube or in this video from Knittinghelp.com or on the Grumperina.com or  Knitting Daily websites.

Lace ends grow organically into and out of Bosc's main stitch pattern, so the project is knit straight through from cast on to bind off with no grafting or provisional cast on necessary. The ends can be blocked either straight across or into a scalloped shape as I have done in the example here. 

A sleek corded edge is built into the knitting by slipping stitches as you go. This small detail keeps an elaborate stitch combination modern and un-cluttered (I love lace and cables but wanted to avoid a fussy look).  

Large charts as well as written instructions are included, and tips for adapting the length are given, offering multiple options for knitters.

The entire project began late last summer just as the pears were coming into season and I began experimenting with recipes for this fruit. Bosc pears are excellent for cooking as they retain much of their shape and flavor when baked or poached, although many other varieties cook nicely as well. 

One of my favorite pear dishes poaches the fruit in champagne with vanilla, and I hope you will give them a try and see just how lovely they can be.

Champagne Poached Vanilla Pears

Ingredients 

1 bottle champagne (any sparkling wine will suffice, or non-alcoholic version if you prefer) 
1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/4 tsp. lemon zest 

1  4" vanilla bean - split lengthwise

2 firm Bosc pears - peeled but with stems intact (slightly underripe is ideal)
Optional garnishes - dark chocolate, star anise, bay leaves

Directions

In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears and liquid, combine first four ingredients. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce to a simmer. Gently lower pears into the simmering liquid until fully submerged.

Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes, baste with liquid occasionally, avoid stirring. Finished pears should be tender and easily pierced with a fork; very firm pears may need up to an additional 5-15 minutes of cooking time. Allow to cool in liquid for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Pears may be served immediately, or wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. To serve, place a single pear upright on a small plate, spoon a small amount of liquid over pear. I love to garnish these pears with small squares of extra dark chocolate, or for a festive look try adding a star anise and a single bay leaf, if desired.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe, it is a light, but delicious, dish to keep in mind with Christmas and New Year's celebrations approaching. If you decide to make either the scarf or the pears, I'd love to know! Bon appétit and happy knitting!

Swatching!

  
Swatching.  A word that inspires many knitters to run and hide.

Many of us find knitting a gauge swatch tedious, boring, or unworthy of our precious knitting time.  But it so often pains me to see people's projects end in frustration and frogging, or at best, in ill-fitting garments that might have been saved by a 30 minute swatch session.

Not only does knitting and properly blocking a swatch give you a stitch count per inch, it allows you to see and feel the knitted fabric, which is very often different from how the yarn feels and looks in the skein, and even from how it feels upon first knitting it.

This is not to say I love to swatch, but I've learned to enjoy/ endure it as part of the creative process as a whole, along with choosing yarn and stitches, doing the actual knitting,  finishing and blocking.  


For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to squeak in a few minutes every day to work several rows of various stitch patterns for a new cardigan.  I have more stitch patterns and ideas than I can possibly execute at the moment, so I want to try out some of my ideas in a swatch before knitting and ripping out over and over if I don't like it.

Sometimes when I'm deciding between many stitches, I like to work them (if not in project yarn, then in yarn of the same weight and similar fiber content as my project) one after the other, in a continuous length so that in the end I have a finished sampler scarf, like this one which took two skeins of Patons Classic Wool.

I cast on for several pattern repeats in width, adding between 3 and 7 edge stitches on each side, and then several repeats in length until I decide whether I like it or not.

If I like it, I put the scarf on hold until I need to try another stitch or have a bit of time to finish it.  If I don't love the current stitch, I usually just begin knitting a new one on the next right side row, or sometimes work several rows of garter stitch as a separation.  Edge stitch numbers are adjusted up or down a few stitches as necessary.  Usually I try also to align stitches so that purls, ribs, etc. match at least a little if possible.

The long lengths allow me to see a nice size swatch of the stitch, how different border or small patterns work with it, and get a better feel for the hand and drape of the knitted fabric.  If I need to adjust needle size, I do this then knit some more.  Some scarves I keep, others are donated to a local food and clothing pantry we support. 

It admittedly takes much longer to knit a scarf than a small square, so I usually reserve the large scarf/swatches only for very special projects or a pattern design.

If I'm planning a project in cotton, linen or other plant fiber, I'll often work out my stitch patterns first in plain cotton to make fast, new dishcloths.

I try to encourage myself to swatch by reminding myself that even small swatches, saved over time, can be turned into something useful.

There are, of course, Elizabeth Zimmerman's swatch hats. I've also seen folks on Ravelry stitch several small swatches together into patchwork scarves or cowls.  Swatches could perhaps be stitched into a small quilt or throw.  I've felted wool swatch squares then cut them into smaller pieces to pad the bottom of chair legs, or the back of picture frames to prevent scratches on floors and walls. Maybe some of you out there can suggest other creative ways to use swatches.

Once I have a couple of stitch favorites, I swatch them again as smaller, proper squares in the actual project yarn, to make sure I have the correct needle size.

That is what I am doing with this one in Elann's Peruvian Sierra Aran wool/ alpaca blend for my new cardigan.

Pretty examples that don't end up being used for current projects, but I don't want to part with just yet, I tag with stitch names, the book I found them in, or the actual graphed stitch.

Yes, this is partly why I am not a prolific knitter.  And, OK, so maybe I'm a teensy bit overly careful (or picky), but I only occasionally need to frog an entire project.  Perhaps some of this is due to my long swatching selection process.  That, or maybe I am just picky and extremely lucky.