by Anna Sudo

Description of pattern: Apis Dorsata Laboriosa (a.k.a. the Himalayan honey bee) dwells in the mountains of Bhutan, Nepal, China, and India. These giant bees build large yellow and golden honeycombs that hang down from the cliffs. This scarf is inspired by the workmanship of the bees.

This pattern includes two sizes, a scarf and a shawl, both made from Madelinetosh Tosh Merino 100% superwash merino wool. The scarf is made from Tosh Merino Light and is knit on US size 1 needles. The fingering-weight yarn and small needle create a light fine gauge fabric with a more delicate honeycomb.

The shawl knits up quickly into a luscious drapey fabric with Tosh Merino and US size 7 needles. The worsted weight yarn makes a softer more supple honeycomb. Both will keep the chill off during the first days of fall and when winter sets in either one will keep you comfortably warm.

The honeycomb pattern is created by using a combination of slipped stitches, stockinette stitch, and garter stitch. The variation in this hand-dyed yarn adds depth to the pattern by creating rich natural highlights. The triangular shaped scarf begins with a tubular cast on and is worked from end to end, increasing every other row and finishes with a tubular cast off.

SIZE
Scarf[Shawl]
shown in Nutmeg above [Glazed Pecan below]

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Width: 45[67] inches
Length at center: 14.25[22.5] inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Scarf
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light [100% superwash merino wool; 420yd/384m per 100g skein]; color: Nutmeg; 2 skeins

Shawl
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino [100% superwash merino wool; 210yd/192m per 100g skein]; color: Glazed Pecan; 3 skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
Scarf: 1 set US #1.5/2.5mm straight needles
Shawl: 1 set US #7/4.5 mm straight needles

Notions
Stitch markers
Yarn needle
Crochet hook and waste yarn (used for tubular cast on)

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

When using hand-dyed yarn, alternate between skeins every two rows for best color results. To keep the edges of the piece looking neat, I chose to alternate skeins after the first stitch marker on RS rows.

This project uses a tubular cast on and bind off. Use your preferred tubular cast on and bind off techniques, or directions may be found here:
Cast on • Bind off

LLI (Left Lifted Increase): Use the left needle to pick up the stitch 2 rows below the last stitch on the right needle. Knit into this stitch. 1 stitch has been increased.

LSST (Left Slipped-Slitch Twist): Slip next 2 sts knitwise to right needle. Insert tip of left needle into the fronts of these 2 sts from right to left, and slip them back to left needle in this position; order of sts has been reversed. K first st, sl second st purlwise.

RSST (Right Slipped-Slitch Twist): Slip next 2 sts together, knitwise, as if to work a k2tog. Slip the st closest to the tip of the right needle back to the left needle, then k this st.
On the following row, the stitch which was slipped and not worked will be twisted. P this st through its back loop.

DIRECTIONS
FIRST CORNER
Using tubular cast on method, CO 9 sts.

Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1, [p1, k1] to end.

Row 2 [WS]: Sl 1, [k1, p1] to end.

Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1, p1, k1, p1, place marker, k1, LLI, place marker, [p1, k1] to end. 10 sts.

Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1, k1, p1, k1, p2, [k1, p1] twice.

From this point on, work first and last 4 sts of each row in 1x1 Rib as set, slipping first st of each row.

Row 5 [RS]: Work in pattern to marker, slip marker, k1, LLI, k to next marker, slip marker, work in pattern to end. 1 st increased.

Row 6 [WS]: Work in pattern to marker, slip marker, p to next marker, slip marker, work in pattern to end.

Repeat Rows 5-6 twenty times more. 31 sts.

CHARTED SECTION

IMPORTANT: Because the charts for this pattern are very large, only RS rows are shown. Row numbers given include 1 WS row worked after each RS row.

Work all WS rows as follows: Work in pattern to marker, slip marker, p to next marker, slip marker, work in pattern to end.

Maintaining 4 sts at each edge in pattern as set, work sts between markers following charts as follows.

For Shawl:
Work Rows 1-108 of Shawl Chart A. 85 sts.

Work Rows 1-102 of Shawl Chart B, working outlined pattern repeat section four times in each row. 110 sts at end of Row 82; 84 sts at end of Row 102.

Work Rows 1-108 of Shawl Chart C. 30 sts. Proceed to Last Corner.

LAST CORNER
Next Row [RS]: Work in pattern to marker, slip marker, k2tog, k to next marker, work in pattern to end.

Work 1 WS row in pattern.

Repeat these 2 rows 16 times more for scarf, or 20 times more for shawl. 9 sts remain.

Remove markers.

Work 2 rows in pattern.

BO all sts using tubular bind off technique.

FINISHING
Weave in ends and block as desired.

Anna lives just outside of Tokyo with her photo-geek husband. She spends most of her time knitting whatever takes her fancy and if she has any time to spare she enjoys sewing, reading, snapping photos and exploring.

For updates on what she is working on or her other patterns check out her blog or find her on Ravelry as Etta.