Hitchhiker Scarf – What is the point?

Pictured: Elena Piscopia

I fell in love with the Hitchhiker Scarf earlier this year at Stitches West. The women wearing it at the show had it wrapped around her kneck maybe three times and I loved the way it draped with the simple points on the edge.  When I returned home I went on Ravelry found the pattern and rummaged through my stash yarn. Another hidden treasure a beautiful hand painted Schaefer Yarn from my local yarn store (that is sadly no longer in business). The color, Elena Piscopia, is one of a series created by Schaefer to commemorate “Memorable Women”. It is a sock weight yarn, 55% merino wool, 30% silk, 15% nylon.

Who is Elena Piscopia?

Born into a Roman family whose ancestors included cardinals and popes. She was recognized as a prodigy by the age of seven and spoke seven languages, played several instruments and composed music by the time she was seventeen! Her father refused to allow her to enter the Benedictine Order, for which she had secretly prepared, and instead she became the first woman to study theology at the University of Padua and the first woman to earn a doctoral degree. She taught mathematics at the university for the rest of her (short 1646-1684) life.
It was over 300 years before another woman earned a doctorate at the university.

Enough about Elena what about the scarf? Every night I think “What is the point?” and I knit another point. These are some images of my WIP, the first image has three points, second 6 points the completed scarf has 41 points. It is not necessary to complete all 41 points, less will work too.

The pattern adds 9 stitches every 8 rows and casting off 5 to make the points. Four stitches are added every eight rows, what does that come out to? The most difficult part is remembering to purl on the point rows and kfb (knit front back) on the non-pointy rows. I love watching as the yarn colors unfold.