For a while now, I've been thinking about making a crescent-shaped scarf or shawl. I made one for my niece, for her wedding, a number of years ago now--the Annis shawl, by Susanna IC, a real beauty:

This pattern uses short rows to shape the crescent. I wanted to see if there were other techniques, and a browse through Ravelry a week or so ago yielded Terribly Simple, a garter stitch pattern--free no less!--by Caitlin Ffrench. This pattern appealed to me because it's a marvelous template for experimentation. Ffrench's simple--yes, terribly simple!--pattern can be applied to any weight of yarn and any size of scarf or shawl, and also makes a great foundation for experimenting with different stitches (more on that shortly).

So, I downloaded and printed the pattern and headed off to my yarn stash to find something suitable. I chose a skein of Dragonfly Fibers Dragon Sock, colorway "Save the Ta Tas," that I bought as a souvenir at Looped Yarn Works in Washington, DC, while visiting my son several years ago.

While Ffrench's pattern is all garter stitch, I decided to throw in a row of *YO, k2tog* every 20 rows, just to break it up a bit. About a week later, I had a scarf, just off the needles and ready to block.

After a little soak, then a few hours stretched out on the porch (the scarf, not me!) in the fresh air and sunshine, I had this:

The scarf is just what I'd hoped for, a nice gentle curve that curls nicely around the neck:

I can also wear it draped low on my shoulders and gently stretched across my back:

Or I can knot it loosely and let the tails curl as they wish:

But as pleased as I am to have a nice new kicky little scarf, I'm happy because now I get to play with the basic recipe and see what else I can do with it. I've just cast on some beautiful Seven Sisters Arts Meridian, colorway Damselfly, to see if I can translate my triangular Linen & Lace Shawl pattern into a graceful crescent: