Fern Scarf in SweetGeorgia Cashsilk Lace - Downloadable PDF

Fern Scarf in SweetGeorgia Cashsilk Lace – Knitting Pattern by Felicia Lo

The Fern Scarf is a delicate, elegant knitted scarf designed by Felicia Lo for SweetGeorgia Yarns. This free, downloadable PDF pattern produces a lightweight, ethereal accessory that showcases a meandering diagonal fern lace stitch pattern — a timeless motif originally sourced from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns (page 211), adapted here without garter stitch bands for a cleaner, more refined finish. The finished scarf measures approximately 7 inches wide by 54 inches long, making it a generously sized wrap that drapes beautifully around the neck or shoulders.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single knitted scarf worked flat from end to end. The design is seamless and straightforward in construction, relying entirely on the visual impact of the fern lace pattern to create its elegance. The resulting fabric is light, airy, and well-suited to the luxurious fiber blend used, making it an ideal project for a sophisticated handmade gift or a personal wardrobe staple across multiple seasons.

Techniques Used

• Lace knitting – The entire scarf is worked in a diagonal fern lace stitch pattern, which creates an organic, leafy texture through a series of yarn overs and decreases. Despite its intricate appearance, the repeat is described as easy to memorize, making it approachable for knitters with some lace experience.
• Worked flat – The scarf is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, keeping the construction simple and accessible.
• Seamless construction – There are no seams to sew at the end, so the finished object comes off the needles ready to block and wear.
• Blocking – Blocking is essential to this pattern. The gauge is measured in blocked lace pattern, meaning the finished dimensions and the full beauty of the lace motif are only fully realized after the scarf has been wet-blocked and pinned to shape.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) and purl (p) – The foundational stitches that form the fabric base.
• Yarn over (yo) – Creates the decorative eyelets that give lace its characteristic open, airy appearance.
• K3tog (knit three together) – A right-leaning double decrease that shapes the lace motif by reducing three stitches to one.
• SSKP (slip knitwise, slip knitwise, knit, pass slipped stitches over) – A left-leaning double decrease that mirrors the k3tog, giving the fern lace its balanced, diagonal movement.
• Slip (sl) – Used as part of the decrease techniques to maintain stitch orientation and lean direction.
• Bind off / Cast off (BO) and Cast on (CO) – Standard techniques to begin and finish the scarf.

Materials – Yarn

The pattern calls for SweetGeorgia Yarns CashSilk Lace, a sumptuous lace-weight yarn composed of 55% silk and 45% cashmere, available in 60 g skeins with approximately 400 yards per skein. Only one skein is required to complete the scarf. The colorway featured in the pattern is Lakeshore Drive. The silk content lends the yarn a luminous sheen and fluid drape, while the cashmere provides exceptional softness and warmth — together creating a fabric that feels as luxurious as it looks. CashSilk Lace is a specialty yarn from the SweetGeorgia brand, known for its hand-dyed, small-batch yarns produced in Vancouver, Canada.

Materials – Needles

The pattern recommends US Size 3 / 3.25 mm needles, with a note to adjust needle size as needed to achieve the correct gauge. The target gauge is 32 stitches and 32 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in the blocked lace pattern. Because lace-weight yarns and open stitch