Garter Gaiter
We all know about late night holiday knitting and 42-inch scarves, stopped short to finish in time for giving! That’s why every year we come up with the perfect quick knit, one that takes less than an afternoon to make but that you can give with pride.
This Garter Gaiter is perhaps our best inspiration so far! Knit out of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, it is delectably cozy and totally gorgeous, but even more to the point, it is a generous chunky weight that knits up here at a speedy 2 1/2 stitches to the inch!
Our Garter Gaiter features a beautiful play of color and a striking woven texture, all of which is really just the simple trick of single round stripes of garter stitch. We love it in crisp and festive candy cane colors, but can happily imagine any of our Super Soft Merino brights paired up with Heirloom White. Or for a dark and mysterious version, we love the idea of an interplay between Timeless Navy and Soft Black!
Lots of people left on your list? Check out more of our very quick, but very special, knitted gifts: our Bandana Cowl, Eleventh Hour Scarf, Fun Kid’s Hat, Hats for Everyone, and Infant Mittens. A little something for everyone!
Materials
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool. Each skein is approximately 87 yards/ 100 grams.
- Color A: 1 skein; approximately 87 yards required. We used Heirloom White.
- Color B: 1 skein; approximately 87 yards required. We used Red Zinnia.
- US 15 (10 mm), 16-inch circular needles
GAUGE
10 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 24 inches in circumference x 12 inches tall
Pattern
With Color A, cast on 60 stitches.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: With Color A, knit.
Round 2: With Color B, purl.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until the piece measures 11¾ inches from the cast on edge.
Repeat Round 1.
With Color A, bind off knit-wise.
Weave in your ends, and ta da, you’ve finished the Garter Gaiter!
Hi Sylvie-
We would suggest that you use a measuring tape to figure out how big around you'd like the gaiter to be and then multiply that number by 2.5, which is how many stitches you will be getting per inch. As an example, let's say you want it to have a 20-inch circumference. 20 X 2.5 (stitches per inch)= 30 stitches to cast on.
Good luck with it and thanks for your question!
Molly
Just in case some people are just reading the comment without doing the math, I thought that I should mention that 2.5 × 20 = 50. I know it was just a typo 🙂
Can someone help me figure out why I lose my join on the first purl round? I cast on, join, knit one round, begin to purl, get all the way around and find my join was never made? What am I missing?
Hi Jana,
When you join, do you have the working yarn coming from the right needle and you’re making the joining stitch into the first stitch on the left needle? Can you see at that point that the end of your cast on is connected to the beginning of your cast on?
If that step is correct, you should be okay. Please let us know if you feel like you’re doing it right, but it’s still not working for you… We’ll try to get to the bottom of it!
Thanks for question!
Whitney
I am having a similar issue with the bind off seeming uneven. I am following the pattern, knitting last row with color A and binding off knitwise with color A. The row ends up looking uneven. It does not connect the final round seamlessly. How is this remedied?
Hi Jana,
The edge may look uneven at this point because when you work in the round you’re actually working in a spiral (as opposed to evenly stacked rounds), so it’s true that the end of the round is a little higher than the beginning of the round. This is easily fixed when you weave in the tail. If you sew the gap closed when you weave it in, that usually remedies the problem.
If I’ve misunderstood the situation, please let me know and thank you for your question!
Whitney
Hello again,
I’m pretty new to knitting and have made two of these which I adore. I want to make a couple more for Christmas presents, but, before I do, I was wondering if you could help me iron out a problem I’ve been having, i.e. my seam is a bit of a mess! I carry the seam on the inside and pull the yarn I’m not using back behind the yarn I’m about to use when switching between colours, but my seam is very hit and miss. For some reason I get a lovely neat line every now and again where you can’t even spot the seam, but other lines look really botched. Can you think why this might be happening?? I know it’s hard to say without seeing it (!), but just thought I’d ask in case anything came to mind.
Thanks!
Tara
Hi Tara-
I’m sorry to hear you’re having this problem! Would you mind sending me a picture of what’s going on so we can’t try to get to the bottom of it? Molly AT purlsoho DOT com.
Thanks!
Molly
can you get this same stripey effect by knitting straight rather than in the round?
Sharon,
This is definitely possible, but it is not quite as simple as doing it in the round.
Knitting straight, you’d still have to work on circular needles: Knit Row 1 with color A, slide to the other side; purl Row 2 with color B, turn; Knit row 3 with color A, slide to the other side; purl row 4 with color B.
Thanks for your question!
Thomas
I just finished the garter gaiter in timeless navy and sea salt Super Soft Merino and am wondering if it should be blocked. It measures shy of 12″ and I’d like to pick up a little more height, if possible, but I’m leery of wetting this lovely yarn. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Peggy
Hi Peggy!
I’m not sure that I would submerge this one. I don’t think it would help it stand up higher much at all. Instead, I would lightly hand-block (stretch) it vertically, or just spritz it with a little water.
Happy Blocking!
Thomas
Great! Thanks so much for the advice.
– Peggy
Hi am I able to do this cowl with the wrap and turn method of garter in the round
Hi Isaiah!
I must admit that I’m not familiar with that particular method. My guess is that the wraps wouldn’t work the same because of switching yarns every round.
Thanks for your question!
Thomas
Isaiah, I had the same question about the w&t to avoid purling, this site help me figure out how to do this.
http://knitfreedom.com/knitting-tricks/garter-stitch-in-the-round-without-purling
hi purlbee! i love this project but i would like to use manos maxima yarn and i know the gauge is a little bigger than the soft merino you’ve used. how should i adjust the number of stitches to match your scarf size, using a #15 needle?
also, can you please suggest other color combos for both men, women and kids? i love you navy and black idea. do you think hot pink and yellow would be too much or should i always keep a neutral color like black or white as one of my colors?
Hi Anna,
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed this project! The Manos Maxima yarn is actually a finer gauge than the Super Soft Merino. The Maxima is considered a worsted weight and I would recommend a US 8 or 9 size needle. The Maxima knits to about 4 stitches per inch in the garter stitch so I would cast on 96 stitches; 4 (stitches per inch) x 24 inches = 96 stitches. If you prefer the bulky quality of the original you could also hold the Manos Maxima double by pulling from the center and outside of your ball of yarn in which a US 15 needle and the original cast on number would be appropriate.
In choosing colors I often have an easier time combining a neutral with a bright color. That being said, when you play with combining two brights or two neutrals together the results can be exciting. I think the navy and black would be a great option especially for a man. Here are some color recommendations for a more colorful option.
Yellow Yellow/Ballet Pink
Yellow Zest/Super Pink
Hope this helps!
Jake
Is it possible to use 3 different colors of yarn with this pattern?
Hi Candice,
Thank you for your comment! It would be totally possible to use 3 different colors. That sounds like an exciting color-work project!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Do you think you could carry the yarn up vice cutting for each row?
Hi Cheri,
Thank you for the comment! When alternating between two yarns every row you can always carry the yarn up. I wouldn’t recommend cutting the yarn in between rows as the piece is knit circularly and cutting each row will cause the piece to be flat rather than joined in the round.
I hope this clarifies and let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
When I began to use my second color, I created an unattractive/noticeable start. The cast on and first row look jogged. Do you have a good link to an instructional on starting a new color? I have searched and all the videos are for changing colours and using colour B for multiple rows, not alternating A&B. Basically, what’s the best way to seamlessly introduce color B? Maybe my join in the round was not the preferred method and caused this noticeable jog?
I would like to make another one as a present with clear craftsmanship. I do not like to give gifts while describing its flaws but I will..lol
Thanks
Hi Stephanie-
The “jog” where the two colors meet is what I believe you are talking about and it won’t be all that noticeable when your piece if finished because of everything else going on. However if it really bothers you we do have a tutorial on how to join a second color in a more seamless manner: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/03/09/stripes-in-the-round/
Thanks for getting in touch and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Hello! I absolutely love this pattern! I’m having a little issue at the join and I’m wondering if you might be able to help. When I am done pearling a row, I move color B to the back, and then pick up color A to knit with. By doing this, it creates a section where there is more of color B in the join area (because there is not only the pearl stitch, but also the piece of yarn to the left of it that was moved to the back of the work). Is it supposed to look like this at the join? Or does yours look completely seamless. (I’m fairly new to knitting in the round)
Hi Melody,
Thanks for writing in! The “jog” where the two colors meet is what I believe you are talking about and it won’t be all that noticeable when your piece if finished because of everything else going on. However if it really bothers you we do have a tutorial on how to join a second color in a more seamless manner: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/03/09/stripes-in-the-round/
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi. The link above to the bandana cowl doesn’t work and I can’t find it. Was it removed?
Hi Beth,
Thanks for writing in! How embarrassing! We had several broken links on this page! All of the patterns linked are still available, including the Bandana Cowl, and I fixed them all to reflect the correct links!
Best,
Cassy
Hi, I’m so bummed the red zinnia merino wool is no longer available. I really loved that white and red color combination. Do you have another yarn shade that would pair as nicely as the white and red zinnia? I just really love the red and not sure the red cayenne is as bright as the zinnia. Please help!!
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for reaching out! The Red Cayenne is fairly bright, but has a darker, more orange undertone than Red Zinnia. Although they are a bit lighter weight than Super Soft Merino, I think either Cascade Superwash 128 in Ruby or Really Red or Cascade Baby Chunky Alpaca in Ruby would be suitable substitutions and turn out very similar to Red Zinnia!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I have 3 skeins of a deep, rich purple yarn. Can you please recommend a second color? I am shying away from purple and white/cream as the contrast is too high. Thank you.
Hi Corinne,
Thanks for reaching out! I am very much a fan of rich purples with silvery grays, such as Super Soft Merino in Oyster Gray, or you could pair it with a teal like Peacock Blue for a lower contrast but still interesting color combination.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
hi. I don’t get how we add in Color B? This is my first two-color project and first time knitting in the round. Thanks for the help!
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for reaching out! When you bring in the 2nd color, you will start off Round 2 leaving at least a 6″ tail and purling the 1st stitch as you would normally, but with the new color! You will then keep purling the whole row! We have an excellent Stripes In The Round tutorial that will be a great resource to use once you get going!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Can I make a scarf with this pattern by not joining rounds?
I have made a few of these cowls and have 3 skeins of the super-soft left.
I will order what is needed for a straight scarf.
Please advise.
Thank you.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out. While you can absolutely make this pattern in scarf form, it will be a little more complicated than simply not joining the rounds. You would need to work a two-color garter stitch pattern, like the one in our Value Study Scarf pattern. For reference, I’ll include the section I’m referring to below:
Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1 with Yarn A and B in front; with Yarn A, knit to last stitch, slip 1 with yarn in front. Slide Work.
Row 2 (wrong side): With Yarn B, purl to end of row. Turn work.
Row 3 (right side): Slip 1 with Yarn A and B in back; with Yarn A, purl to last stitch, slip 1 with yarn in back. Slide work.
Row 4 (right side): With Yarn B, knit to end of row. Turn work.
This way, you’ll get 1-row stripes of garter stitch, just like there are in the Garter Gaiter, but it will be worked flat! I hope this helps.
All the best,
Lili