Even though I would consider myself a fairly advanced knitter, I love nothing more than a simple garter stitch project with endlessly stunning results. That’s where Objects in Space comes in. Use one or two skeins of a luxury blend in almost any weight and you can produce a delicious scarf (or shawl) that drapes across your shoulders and neck in a lovely way. From lace to aran weight, I have given suggested needle sizes and cast on numbers for your desired finished size.

If you are the type of person who gets close to the prescribed gauge for your yarn’s suggested needle size, I would not worry too much about your gauge. If you want, you can swatch and block, but it’s really not necessary for a project like this. The beauty of this type of construction is that you can take an 80″ scarf with you everywhere you go, and it lives on a small circular needle, only taking up a small amount of space.

This project relies on two things to achieve it’s gorgeous drape and gauge:

1. A much larger needle than you would normally use for that yarn weight
2. Intense blocking

This scarf is knit lengthwise. Meaning: the number of stitches you cast on will result in your end length, while the number of rows you knit will result in project’s width. Fairly simple, but potentially confusing.

The fringe is formed by dropping stitches on your final row. To get a nice, clean edge, you should border your fringe with a twisted stitch. This is included in the instructions. While this construction is not unique in any means, the formulas provided may assist you in using up some of that gorgeous stash yarn I know you have tucked away.

The yardage amounts provided in the pattern will give you a small shawl – which is why I have classified this as a scarf. You can make it any size, these numbers serve as a guideline.

I’ve named the formula/pattern after the series finale of Firefly, one of the greatest television shows of all time. The original color I used for my Objects in Space scarf was an unknown Malabrigo colorway, which I thought added to the mysterious nature of the final episode of Firefly. That, and it looked rather space-y to me.

So go rummage through your stash and find some luxury yarn or a gorgeous colorway that you’ve always wanted to knit with and have at it.

You will need:

• Yarn (consult the pattern for yardage based on weight)
• Needles – I would recommend about a 24″ circular (consult pattern for size)
  • I recommend that you cast on/bind off with a larger needle (approximately two sizes larger) so that your cast on/bind off edges are not too tight.
• Two stitch markers (A and B)
• A love for stocking stitch
• The free PDF (download here, or on Ravelry)