Grecian Rib Scarf
Someone once told me, “If you aren’t ready to rip it out, then you aren’t ready to knit.” Years later, I fully understand. Ripping things out, or rather the ability to rip things out, is one of the many reasons I love to knit. Another reason, which goes hand-in-hand, is that I never stop learning from knitting. And now, a quick tale of both…
Recently I was working on a project that was sure to be my favorite of the season. It was a vintage-inspired, fitted cardigan vest. I had worked out the shaping and paired it with a (new-to-me) handsome stitch I had just fallen in love with, the Grecian Rib Stitch. I was sure the combination of the stitch with the cut couldn’t be beat! Oh, how wrong I was.
The Grecian Rib Stitch slants… a lot… even after blocking. I finished the back of the vest, and suspicious, I rigorously blocked it, only to see my askew darts still pointing off toward the top left shoulder. What should have been somewhat of a rectangle turned out to be quite the rhombus. Needless to say, I started ripping. The good news: one, I learned the nuances of this lovely stitch, and two, the Grecian Rib Scarf was born.
The Grecian Rib Stitch lends itself beautifully to bias knitting, with softly textured ribs that move gracefully from one corner to the other. And for total elegance (and comfort!), I used Jade Sapphire’s sumptuous Zaego 6-ply cashmere. It’s so soft and beautiful, I felt lucky to use it, not just once, but twice!
While it’s no vest, this Grecian Rib Scarf makes me smile and is, in fact, a favorite of mine. Here‘s to ripping things out, may it be rare, but fruitful!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoGrecianRibScarf. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 4 skeins of Jade Sapphire’s Zageo 6-ply Mongolian Cashmere 100% cashmere. Each skein is 150 yards/ 55 grams; approximately 600 yards required. This color is Ivory.
- A US 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needle, straight or circular needle.
Gauge
8 stitches = 1 inch in stitch pattern
Size
With Tassels: 6 inches wide by 88 inches long
Without Tassels: 6 inches wide by 78 inches long
Notes
Click here for a photo-tutorial explaining Grecian Rib Stitch.
Pattern
Begin
Cast on 5 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Increase
Row 1: *Knit the 2nd stitch, lift this stitch over the first stitch and off the needle as if to bind off, knit the 1st stitch normally, repeat from * to last stitch, knit into front and back (kfb). (6 stitches)
Row 2: (K1, p1) to end.
Row 3: *Knit the 2nd stitch, lift this stitch over the first stitch and off the needle as if to bind off, knit the 1st stitch normally, repeat from * to last 2, k1, kfb. (7 stitches)
Row 4: P1, (k1, p1) to end.
Repeat the last 4 rows, 20 more times. (47 stitches)
Repeat Rows 1 and 2, one more time. (48 stitches)
Work Even
Next Row: *Knit the 2nd stitch, lift this stitch over the first stitch and off the needle as if to bind off, knit the 1st stitch normally, repeat from * to end.
Next Row: (K1, p1) to end.
Repeat last 2 rows, until piece measures approximately 62 inches from cast on edge.
Decrease
Row 1: K2tog, *knit the 2nd stitch, lift this stitch over the first stitch and off the needle as if to bind off, knit the 1st stitch normally, repeat from * to end. (47 stitches)
Row 2: K1, (p1, k1).
Row 3: K2tog, k1, *knit the 2nd stitch, lift this stitch over the first stitch and off the needle as if to bind off, knit the 1st stitch normally, repeat from * to end. (46 stitches)
Row 4: (K1, p1) to end.
Repeat Rows 1- 4, 20 more times. (6 stitches)
Repeat Decrease Rows 1 and 2, one more time. (5 stitches)
Bind of 5 in knit.
Weave in the ends.
Make Tassels
Make 2 tassels, each measuring approximately 5 to 5 1/2 inches long.
Wrap yarn around a 6 inch tall piece of cardboard. (I wrapped my yarn around about 40 times.) Cut your yarn.
Cut a 10 inch strand of yarn and thread it into a tapestry needle. At the top of the cardboard, bring the needle under the wraps of yarn. Remove the tapestry needle off and make a tight knot around the wrapped yarn. (Later, you will use the tails of this strand to attach the tassel to the scarf.)
At the opposite end of the tassel, carefully slide the blade of a scissor between the wrapped yarn and the cardboard. Cut the wrapped yarn, freeing it from the cardboard.
Lay the tassel on a flat surface and with a second 10 inch stand of yarn, tie a tight knot approximately 3/4 inches from the top. Gently shake out your tassel and trim the ends so they are even.
Attach the Tassels
Attach a tassel to each end of the scarf by weaving in the tails of the tassel’s knot. Make sure to weave the strands away from the cast on (or bind off) edge and then back towards it to fully secure your tassel. Our How to Weave in your Ends tutorial has some great tips!
And you’ve done it! You’ve made the Grecian Rib Stitch Scarf.
Hi, I just started to knit this lovely scarf. It took a while, but I think I finally got the hang of the Grecian rib pattern. What I am confused about is the other side. Should I be knitting the knits and purling the purls or knitting the purls and purling the knits?
After a row of the grecian rib I end up with a p,k,p,k (repeat). Is that right?
Thanks!!
Hello Stephanie.
Glad you like the scarf. As for the Wrong Side…
While you are increasing…
if you are increasing, if you have an even number of stitches, you should (k1, p1) on the WS.
if you have an odd number of stitches you should p1 (k1, p1) on the WS.
While you are working evenly (with an even number of stitches) you should (k1,p1) on the WS.
While you are decreasing…
if you are increasing, if you have an even number of stitches, you should (k1, p1) on the WS.
if you have an odd number of stitches you should k1 (p1, k1) on the WS.
Thanks for writing in.
Laura
Hello,
I am also trying to be ambitious and knit this beautiful scarf! I've read through all the comments and watched the video that was posted earlier, it seems like I'm doing it right but it just doesn't look right! Can you send through the pictures you've mentioned for other's who have asked? Thanks!
Can I use the jade sapphire 4 ply or would it be too thin?
Hi Jane.
I haven't worked with Jade Sapphire's 4-ply before. It is definitely going to be thinner. The nice thing about scarves is that they don't have to button around your waist or reach to your wrists (they don't have to 'fit' like sweater). If you change yarns (and even if you don't) be sure to make a gauge swatch first so you can find the perfect needles and so you know you'll be producing a fabric you like. You will most likely be on a smaller needle and the scarf will most likely be narrower than mine here, but I'm sure it will be just lovely all the same.
Laura
Hello,
The link for the photo tutorial isn’t working, is there another way I can access this? Thank you!!
Lauren
Hi Lauren!
Thanks so much for writing in.
I’ve fixed the link, but you can also just click here:
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2012/02/12/grecian-rib/
Thanks again.
Laura
Hi Laura,
would you please send me the additional explanations ? After several attempts, it still does not look good. I must be doing something wrong… Thank you.
Hi Donatella.
After so many requests for additional images and explanations, I turned my supplementary email into a tutorial. You can find all the additional info right here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2012/02/12/grecian-rib/
Please write us back if you have any questions!
Thanks.
Laura
I very much want to make this lovely scarf and have already ordered my cashmere. Last night I spent quite a few frustrating minutes trying to figure out the basics of this stitch, but even though your pictures are very clear, my brain doesn’t know how to put all the information together! I cast on my 5 stitches, then hit a wall.
Is there a video that shows the stitch clearly? That’s how I have learned most of my knitting techniques.
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to make this scarf.
Hello Sarah!
Which parts are you having most trouble with? Let us know so that we can help troubleshoot more carefully. Unfortunately we don’t have a video in the works for this stitch pattern at the moment. If you’re ever in NYC, feel free to come into our shop and we can help you in person! Best of luck! -Alyson
hi, can you please add a video? because i couldn’t understand these pictures and i couldn’t totally translate the explanations and i really wanna do this scarf 🙂
Hello, Merve!
Thank you so much for writing in! Sorry about the delayed response. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have plans for making a video for this project. But I’ll be sure to recommend it! If you have further questions, please let us know!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
What a beautiful scarf <3
Finally after many practices i got the pattern!
Thanks for your explanation but i think it's better to add video tutorial because the first time that i read the pattern it was confusing to me.
Sorry for my bad english 🙂
Hi Marzi,
Thanks for writing in and for the lovely comment! We don’t have the resources to add a video at this time, but we will keep your suggestion in mind for the future! Thanks!
-Adam
Hello and thank you for this beautiful, uncommon stitch! I have some
gorgeous worsted weight merino silk yarn I am using, and it is fantastic with this stitch! I came here to thank you for this pattern, and I see all these struggles. I had no idea. I feel like I am an ambitious beginner-ish knitter, but I didn’t have any problems. I can say, though, that the first knit stitch, which is actually the one into the second stitch, I had to kinda “mentally” do, or say to myself, differently, in that I would say something like “scoop it under, then pass it over, then knit the first one”. I do have to kind of lift that stitch up a bit with my right needle first, sometimes, but all in all it is a very rhythmic stitch pattern, and it sure is looking beautiful! Hopefully that may help someone.
Please send me extra pics/info regarding this stitch. I can’t seem to get the hang of it. Thank you so much!
Hi Emily,
Thanks for writing in! We do have a tutorial for the Grecian Rib and it can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/grecian-rib/
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
I can’t remember if my next row is a grecian rib or k1 p1 etc? Which side of the scarf should I be looking at when going into the Grecian rib stitch?
Hello Erin,
Thank you for reaching out! You will be doing the Grecian Rib stitch on the right side of the fabric so the side that is pictured. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Warmly,
Marilla
Can you PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE make a video ?for this stitch. I have searched all over the internet for a video and there’s nothing. I really want to make this scarf. ?
Hi Christie,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this; however, you may find our photo tutorial on Grecian Rib helpful! We will keep your request in mind for the future! Thanks!
Best,
Julianna
I’d like to make a Grecian Rib wrap/shawl rather than a scarf. Could you suggest how many stitches to cast on instead of the 5 in this project? Thank you for another lovely pattern!
Yvette
Hello Yvette,
Thank you for reaching out! I would still cast on 5 stitches and then just continue to increase until you are happy with the width.
This will keep the shape of the original design – just bigger.
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi,
I am contacting you from Scotland, U.K. re pattern for Grecian Rib Scarf. I wish to know what British size if knitting needle wiuld I need instead of US size 5 quoted in your pattern. Also, to try this pattern out I would like first to purchase wool in UK,so would ordinary Double Knitting be equivalent to Jade Sapphire Zageo 6 ply cashmere. If not, could you advise me what ply of wool I would need. Thank you.
Hello Christina,
Thank you for reaching out from Scotland! This scarf is knit with a 3.75mm, and yes you can certainly use a DK weight yarn.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Such a beautiful stitch once I got it figured out. A loose cast on was the key for me. Alas I have decided to choose a different pattern for my scarf as I’m just too slow with this one.