Patternum Novum: Peponi

I'm not going to lie...after the publication of Citron last winter, I started feeling a little guilty. See, my family has been farming since my great-grandfather immigrated to and it’s melons, not citrus, that have been the main crop for four generations. In fact, that great-grandfather of mine was so involved in growing melons that he was known to most folks in town (and continues to be referred to) as “Cantaloupe Smith”.

In homage to my family’s livelihood, I designed Peponi (Greek for cantaloupe), a piece that mimics the shape of a slice of melon. This shape allows it to be worn as a nice, frothy scarf – the dent at the top (ribbed, like the ridges of a melon where the seeds are scooped out) wraps perfectly around the neck and the tapered ends are easily tied at the front. Peponi is worked mostly in Cellular Stitch, a simple 3-stitch, 4-row lace pattern then opens up into an even simpler lace edging and a crochet-like bind off, which creates pretty "wings" that hang down in the front. Just one skein of special sock yarn is needed for this project. And, in fact, because it's worked from the top down, you can really use as much of any weight of yarn as you'd like.

Peponi - $5.00 via Ravelry(no account is required)



Finished Measurements (after blocking): Length of top edge - 54”/ 137.2 cm; height at center - 11.5”/ 29.2 cm

Yarn Requirements: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, 1 skein of Gilded (100% Merino; 395 yards/361 meters per 114 g/ 4.02 oz skein)

Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) 24”/ 60 cm circular needle (or size needed to obtain gauge)

Gauge: 18 sts x 32 rows = 4”/ 10cm in Cellular Stitch; 24 sts x 36 rows = 4”/ 10cm in Stockinette stitch



You can wear it as a shawl, too!



For reasons unknown, I designed this, knit it, wrote up the pattern, and took photos way back in the springtime, and it's taken me this long to actually publish it! I will say that it has been a versatile scarf throughout the months -- appropriate for both warmer weather (due to lacey texture) and colder (it is made from merino wool, after all).



I hope you enjoy!