Fisherman’s Rib Scarf and Cowl
How can any knitter resist a stitch pattern called “Fisherman’s Rib”? The name evokes all our most romantic knitting associations: rugged men in densely cabled sweaters materializing out of the fog, abeam a windswept Scottish cliff. Luckily, Fisherman’s Rib is as beautiful (and practical) as its name implies, lofty, springy, and super cozy.
But, let’s face it, most of us aren’t as rugged as your average fisherman. You will rarely hear a fisherman say anything like, “It’s lovely, but maybe a little bit scratchy, don’t you think?”. So for the rest of us, I used the Fisherman’s Rib, but not his yarn.
Instead, I took this opportunity to return to one of my very favorite yarns, The Fibre Company’s Road to China Worsted. I used it three years ago for the Sullivan Street Bolero and have never forgotten its amazing softness and drape. It’s such a gorgeous blend of baby alpaca, cashmere, camel, and silk that even the most unweathered on your gift list will be happy with a Fisherman’s Rib Scarf or Cowl. Just don’t give one to the fisherman in your life. He would never look at his guernseys the same again.
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoFishermansRibHatAndCowl. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
The Fibre Company’s Road to China Worsted, 65% Baby Alpaca, 15% Silk, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Camel. Each skein is 60 yards/ 50 grams. This color is “Lapis”.
Scarf
- 6 skeins of Road to China Worsted; approximately 360 yards of a worsted weight yarn required.
- US 9 (5.5 mm) straight or 16-inch circular needles
Cowl
- 3 skeins of Road to China Worsted; approximately 180 yards of a worsted weight yarn required.
- US 9, 16-inch circular needle
GAUGE
16 stitches = 4 inches in stitch pattern (unstretched)
SIZES
SCARF
7½ inches wide (unstretched) and 62 inches long (unstretched), stretching to about 80 inches long.
COWL
17½ inches circumference (unstretched), stretching to about 28 inches in circumference, and 10½ inches tall
Notes
How to “Knit Into the Stitch Below”
Insert your right needle into the space right below the next stitch, shown here by the white arrow.
Knit as you normally would, allowing the stitch to fall off the left needle as usual (feels a little scary at first, but don’t worry!).
If you turn your work over, you will see that 2 stitches are wrapped around the stitch you just made.
How To “Purl Into the Stitch Below”
Insert your right needle from back to front (just like normal purling) into the space below the next stitch, right under the purl bump. The white arrow shows the spot.
Purl as you normally would, allowing the stitch to fall off the left needle as usual.
If you look below the stitch you just made, you will see that it is wrapped by 2 stitches.
Scarf Pattern
Cast on 30 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Preparation Row: Purl.
Row 1: *P1, knit into the stitch below, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p2. (See instructions below for how to “knit into the stitch below”.)
Repeat Row 1 until you have used all 6 skeins, except for about 2 yards.
Bind off loosely in p1, k1 pattern (you don’t have to knit into the stitch below for your bind off.).
Weave in the ends.
Cowl Pattern
Cast 70 stitches onto a 16-inch circular needle. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Preparation Round: Knit.
Round 1: *Knit into the stitch below, p1, repeat from * to end of round. (See instructions above for how to “knit into the stitch below”.)
Round 2: *K1, purl into the stitch below, repeat from * to end of round. (See instructions below for how to “purl into the stitch below’)
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 10 1/2 inches from the cast on edge.
Bind off very loosely (use a needle one or two sizes bigger if you have to) in k1, p1 pattern (you don’t need to work into the stitch below for the bind off.).
Weave in the ends.
I am knitting a fisherman’s rib scarf. I am 2/3 of the way into the scarf. I just started the third skein and realized that there is a slight color difference. This is not dyed yarn, so there is no dye lot. I was wondering if I could knit half of the skein on one end of the scarf and then go back and add on to the other end. The problem is that I think the stitch would be upside down, with the rib points facing the wrong direction. Any. Idea how I could do this?
Hi Robin,
Thanks for reaching out! Since Big Good Wool is undyed and is completely natural, this yarn depends on the sheeps’ coloring, colors may vary from skein to skein. I recommend transitioning skeins by working alternating rows of the old skein and new skein for a 5 or 6 rows to gently transition from one to the other, this works especially well when there are color differences so that there is not a sharp line between one skein ending and a new one beginning!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Good idea. Thank you.
I’m a little confused by the scarf pattern, is there supposed to be a row2?
Hi Liz,
Thanks for reaching out! For the scarf, there is no row 2, you will work row 1: *P1, knit into the stitch below, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p2. (See instructions below for how to “knit into the stitch below”.) and then you will simply repeat Row 1 until you have used all 6 skeins, except for about 2 yards.
I hope this clears things up!
Gianna
Thank you!
I am also confused about following pattern as written. You talk about P below and show it in the instructions but it does not appear in the pattern – which is why I, too, was confused about what to do with Row 2. Clarify, please:) Are we meant to just ignore the P B instructions?
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks for reaching out. If you’re making the Cowl, then you’ll need to work a purl into the stitch below in Round 2! If you’re making the Scarf, then you can ignore these instructions, because the entire pattern is simply a repeat of Row 1. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
I am at the end of a skein, how would you recommend I add a new ball of yarn? Just as I would with a regular stitch?
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, you can add a new ball just as you would with a regular stitch, I would suggest checking out our lovely tutorial Adding a Ball of Yarn!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
How many stitches for a Super Bulky (6) size yarn? I’ve been attempting to make a fisherman’s rib in lionbrand thick & quick for quite some time.
Hi Josh,
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if this is daunting, we have a wonderful tutorial called All About Gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest even number of stitches. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! Wondering if I could use a different cast on for the cowl? If so, what would you recommend?
Thanks! Carrie
Hi Carrie,
We prefer the long tail cast-on for this project, but you could absolutely use a different cast-on method! Did you have any others in mind yet? If so, I’d be happy to let you know if I’d recommend using them with fisherman’s rib or not. But the long tail cast-on is what I’d recommend over all!
All the best,
Lili