ProseKnitic – of Words und Wolle

In spring of 2011, right after I retired (or at least I think it was about then) I saw a knitted scarf in a yarn shop.

Ok, there are a lot of scarves in yarn shops knitted as samples in an effort to sell wool, patterns and encourage knitting. Now this particular scarf was knitted in Zauberball and was only available if you bought the yarn. The idea of buying a German made yarn in the US at twice what I think of as normal price just didn’t make sense to me. The idea of the scarf, however as a good use for long repeat self-striping yarn sort of hung out in my head for a while.

I knit a sample in Aug of 2011 – my Ravelry project page even notes some basic directions and used Zauberball. The idea of actually writing up the directions formally has occurred to me a couple of times. But hey, that would tramp along the edge of work – not something terribly high on my agenda at the moment.

Sitting in Istanbul with a husband suffering (not silently – he is a real guy on this one) from a bad tooth, I really needed something pretty mindless to knit. With two skeins of Roedels 4-ply Color in greys, revisiting this pattern seemed like just the thing.

Downtown Scarf

Supplies – 100 gm of a long repeat variegated sock weight yarn.
3.00 mm circular needle minimum of 80 cm long. (range 2.75-3.25 mm. Not particularly critical). Gauge is whatever you get.
5 stitch markers (useful but not required).

Finished scarf is ~ 2 meters long. To be worn in what ever style you wish.

Pattern -

Cable cast on 300 stitches. (Note, you do not want a tight edge here, but flexibility).

Knit 10 rows. Designate one end as the wide end and the other as your narrow end.

Knit the wide end pattern x1
knit to narrow end picking up wraps and turns while removing markers as you go
Knit narrow end pattern x 1
Knit to wide end picking up wraps and turns while removing markers as you go
knit 9 rows

Repeat this sequence 4 times or till yarn runs out. Bind off loosely, Weave in ends.

Wear how ever you want!

It is long enough to double up

or fashion into a traditional looking tie

Wide end pattern –
Knit 20, pm (place marker) wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 40 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 60 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 80 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn,
knit to end
Knit 100 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
Knit to end
Knit 80, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 60, wrap and turn,
Knit to end
Knit 40, wrap and turn
Knit to end
Knit 20, wrap and turn
Knit to end

being wider at the bottom than in the middle

Narrow End Pattern

Knit 25, pm (place marker) wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 50 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 75 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 100 (picking up wrap & Turn as you go), pm, wrap and turn
Knit to end
Knit 75, wrap and turn
knit to end
Knit 50, wrap and turn,
Knit to end
Knit 25, wrap and turn
Knit to end

The Ravelry Link is here