Esker

Esker

Esker :: a winding ridge of sediment deposited by the meltwater of a retreating glacier. There are many eskers in Labrador, and a little place aptly named, Esker.

The scarf is worked in two pieces: each piece from tip to centre, then the two pieces are grafted in the centre. The texture pattern and built in lace edging is worked flat. The Fair Isle and single-colour stockinette in the centre is worked entirely in the round and then laid flat to form a double layer of reversible colourwork (as also done in my Rioux shawl and Wabana cardigan patterns if you are familiar with those!)

The lace, texture, and colour is charted.

(October, 2024)

Esker on Ravelry: Esker

Size

1 size: 160cm / 63” tip to tip length and 26.5cm / 10.5” centre width.

Yarn

The Birlinn Yarn Company (100% Hebridean Wool; 150 metres / 164 yards per 50 grams) in 4 colours listed below. If using the sample yarn, the number of 50 gram balls of The Birlinn Yarn Company is given in brackets. Note that if you make the very centre CC1 stockinette longer, you will need a second ball of CC1.

Yarn kits of each of the 6 colour combinations shown are at the link here: Esker yarn kits

The modeled sample uses:

MC (Storm Grey; 3 balls): 400 metres / 440 yards

CC1 (Haar; 1 ball): 150 metres / 165 yards

CC2 (Ice; 1 ball): 150 metres / 165 yards

CC3 (Sea Pink; 1 ball): 70 metres / 75 yards

Other colour combos of Birlinn swatches in order shown use Storm Grey as MC and Haar as CC1, and have different CC2 & CC3 as follows:

Blue tonal

CC2: Reef

CC3: North

Purple tonal

CC2: Sea Pink

CC3: Heather

Teal tonal

CC2: Spindrift

CC3: Ocean

Light pink & mustard

CC2: Lady’s Smock

CC3: Moor

Light yellow & coral

CC2: Lady’s Bedstraw

CC3: Cowrie

Gauges

To find your needle sizes you need to swatch.

Textured: 26 sts / 28 rows to 10cm / 4” using size A needles (textured gauge taken in between the stitch markers on Textured Chart).

Fair Isle: 28 sts / 28 rnds to 10cm / 4” using size B needles.

Needles and Notions

The gauges were achieved with the following needles. To work the pattern as written, you must swatch and use a needle size that will result in the correct gauge after blocking.

Size A: 3.5mm (US 4) you will need two size A needles of any length and one 60cm / 24” long size A needle.

Size B: 4mm (US 6) you will need two size B needles of any length and one 60cm / 24” long size B needle.

You will also need: spare needles or interchangeable cables for holding sts, removable markers or scrap yarn to hold edge stitches, stitch markers.

Tech edited by Sue Hislop (Ravelry: Sue-Cat)