I’ve written several books with the words “Last-Minute” in the title, so you can imagine that I occasionally relish the exact opposite! Especially in the depths of winter, I love to sink my teeth into a project whose gratification may not be immediate but whose pleasure is deeply satisfying. My Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf is just that!
Not only does this scarf represent a month or two of on-again-off-again knitting, but its pinstripes actually serve as a record of my production. I wanted the stripes to be syncopated and unexpected, but have you ever tried to be intentionally random? It’s hard! So instead, I devised a rule that would ensure arbitrary line-placement: If I put the project down for more than eight hours I would start the next knitting session with a stripe. I figured my available knitting time was the most random thing I could chronicle!
For a three-season decandently soft scarf, I used our very own Line Weight. It creates such luminosity with its fine halo of downy merino, and in Heirloom White with fine lines of Dark Loam, the effect is like a graphite drawing on cotton rag paper, loose and mysterious.
For long-term knitting, I almost always choose garter stitch. I love its rhythmic certainty, its simplicity and lofty warmth. And knit on the bias, garter stitch has a fresh, graphic impact that satisfies my inner aesthete! I hope you enjoy the mesmerizing cadence of my Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf as much as I did! -Joelle
Materials
- Main Color (MC): 3 skeins of Purl Soho’s Line Weight, 100% merino wool, in the color Heirloom White.
- Stripe Color: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Line Weight, 100% merino wool, in the color Dark Loam.
- A US size #3, 24-inch circular needles, or size required to achieve gauge (NOTE: I used a circular needle in order to have enough length to accommodate all 120 stitches; this project is not knit in the round).
Gauge
7 1/2 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 11-inches wide x 74-inches long
Note
Do all slip stitches knitwise with the yarn in back.
Pattern
Increase Section
NOTE: There are no stripes in the increase or decrease sections of the scarf.
With Main Color, cast on 3 stitches.
Set-up Row: Slip 1, knit into front and back (kfb), k1. (4 stitches)
Increase Row: Slip 1, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1. (1 stitch increased)
Repeat Increase Row until there are 120 stitches.
Main Stitch Pattern
Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, k2tog, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.
NOTE: If you want, place a removable stitch marker (or safety pin or scrap of yarn) on the right side of the work to help you keep track of where you are in the pattern.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.
Stripe Pattern
At the end of a wrong side row, cut Main Color yarn.
Stripe Row 1 (right side): Switching to Stripe Color, slip 1, k2tog, pick up tail end of Stripe Color and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.
Cut the Stripe Color yarn.
NOTE: When working each of the next 2 rows be sure to knit the nine double stranded stitches as only one stitch each.
Stripe Row 2 (wrong side): Switching to Main Color, slip 1, k1, pick up tail end of Main Color and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to end of row.
Stripe Row 3: Slip 1, k2tog, pick up tail end of Main Color from 2 rows below and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.
Stripe Row 4: Slip 1, knit to end.
Trim tail ends that have been knit in. Carefully weave in tail of Stripe Color from the end of Stripe Row 1 through the stripe stitches. For the most invisible results use Duplicate Stitch for garter stitch. Trim tail end.
Continue with Rows 1 and 2 of the Main Stitch Pattern, working the Main Stitch Pattern and Stripe Row as desired, until work measures approximately 74 inches from the cast on to the top left corner (with right side facing you).
Decrease Section
Decrease Row: Slip 1, k2tog, knit to end of row. (1 stitch decreased)
Repeat Decrease Row until 2 stitches remain.
Finish
Cut yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches.
Weave in beginning and end tails and block as desired.
PRINT
Hi Judy-
The first slip stitch at the beginning of the stripe section is done exactly the same way as the slipped stitches in the rest of the pattern. You simply slip the first stitch on your left needle (which will be in the main color yarn) to the right needle, knitwise. Then you start using the Stripe yarn to do the k2tog and onward. Make sure you are slipping the stitches gently and not pulling them out of shape.
Any unevenness on the edge is caused by loose stitches when you join a new color but in the end they pretty much even out.
If the slipping is really messing you up you can also simply knit the first stitch with the stripe color if it looks better to you, the pattern will still work.
I hope this helps!
Molly
If I wanted to make this in PS Worsted Twist, how many skeins would I need for the MC and the stripe? What size needle would you recommend?
Thanks!
Josephine
Hi Josephine-
This is just an estimate but we think you'll need 3 skeins of the Heirloom White (or whatever main color you choose) and 1 skein of the Loam. We'd recommend trying a size 8 needle.
Thank you, and please let us know how it comes out!
Best-
Molly
Thank you, Molly! I will give this a go 🙂
Hello Molly,
The way you randomly placed the dark lines as a time record of your knitting activity is lovely. I am totally obsessed with this scarf since I saw it yesterday!
A dear friend pointed out that the idea reminds her of the Sunday stone calendar found in a mine in the North of England.
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/favouritethings/index.php?selector=Kennedy
I am posting this link because I thought you may find that of interest!
Many thanks for sharing all your lovely ideas on the Purl Bee website!
That’s really cool – thanks for sharing! I just started this project with a dark green, and now I’m thinking of adding a white pinstripe on Sunday’s instead of just lighter green every “long break” as I’d planned. Might keep track of how many weeks this actually takes me to complete.:)
I'm about 7 rows into the Main Stitch Pattern and have developed what can only be described as a corner on one side of my work. Is this intended? None of your pictures seem to show that section.
Hi Susan-
Yes, you should have the first corner, which was created when you did the increase section, and then the second corner, which should be opposite of the first one. The length between these two corners is the bottom edge of the scarf.
It sounds like you're doing it correctly so if this isn't making sense just keep going and I think you'll soon see what I mean.
Thank you for writing in!
Molly
I am wondering about how much of the CC you had left over?
Hi Sacha-
Joelle estimates that she had approximately 370 yards left over of the stripe color.
Thanks!
Molly
I'm obviously doing something wrong because when, in the set-up row, I slip the stitch knitwise with the yarn in back and then kfb, I keep dropping the slipped stitch. Help, please!
Hi Remi-
I'm so sorry to hear you're having this problem! The slipped stitch shouldn't be involved in the kfb. In other words, you are doing the kfb into the second stitch, not the slipped stitch. You might want to review our kfb video here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/the-purl-bee/2014/1/5/joelles-diagonal-pinstripe-scarf.html
You might also be knitting too tightly which could pull the slip stitched off. If that's the case you should to try using a needle in a larger size and knitting a bit looser.
I hope this helps! Thanks for writing in!
Molly
I'm almost finished with this scarf in ballet pink with a gray stripe and have really enjoyed this project. I think I need block it to even out the stitching, but I'm afraid of stretching out the garter stitch. How do you recommend blocking this scarf? Thanks!
Hi Sarah-
We recommend lightly blocking it as described in this tutorial:
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/knitting-tutorials-finishing/2006/11/13/blocking.html
Your colors sound lovely! Thanks for your question!
Molly
First thank you for sharing this beautiful pattern. Can you clarify the decrease section for me.
Do I start the decrease section on the wrong side i.e. the longest will be the start of rhe row, and I can't picture decreasing each row. To me I would not get a square edge as the begining,
Hi Barbara-
It doesn't matter if you are on the right or wrong side when you begin the decrease section. Since you are decreasing at the beginning of every row both wrong-side and right-side rows will decrease at an equal rate and form a 90-degree angle to mirror the increase section. It may be hard to visualize but once you get going I think you'll see the shape taking form and it should all make sense.
Thanks so much for your question!
Molly
Is this especially feminine when it's complete? Do you think that it would work for a man if I picked darker colors like blues and greens?
Hi Magiie-
It's hard to say since every man (and woman!) has different taste. But the fact that it is garter stitch, on the bias, and fairly wide do put it more into traditional women's wear territory. You might want to check out our men's project gallery for more inspiration! https://www.purlsoho.com/create/mens-knitting-projects/
Thank you!
Molly
Is there a printer friendly version of this pattern? I know your last website setup had that as an option. I’m just not finding it on this one. When you have a chance, please direct me on where to look. Thank you!
Kim
I’m a huge Agnes Martin fan. This reminds me of some of her line paintings. I LOVE it!
Hi Sylvia-
We are big Agnes Martin fans too! Have you seen my Agnes Martin inspired Watercolor Quilt? https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2014/02/06/mollys-sketchbook-watercolor-quilt/
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
I was hesitating to start this project because of the time demand, but once I heard the name “Agnes Martin” I couldn’t wait to start. I’ve long wondered if she appealed to me so much because of my love of knitting–all those perfectly regimented horizontal stripes. I find Bridget Riley inspiring for the same reason, perhaps–although she tends towards verticals! Thanks for the inspiration.
Is there a printable version of this pattern? I love it! Thanks!
Hi Marge-
Thanks for getting in touch about this. We have just added a printable PDF of this pattern! It’s under the “Pattern” headline.
Good luck with the project and please let us know if you have any more questions.
Molly
ps- apologies for any confusion if you saw my earlier response saying we didn’t have this available as a PDF.
Improvising this in a boucle! Really soft and scrunchy!
Hi! Love this pattern. I’d like to make two scarves – in opposite colors. I am wondering if 3 skeins of Heirloom White and 3 skeins of Dark Loam would make two scarves?? In other words – how much of the Heirloom White did you have left after knitting the scarf? Was it enough for the stripes in a second scarf?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Shari!
There was a lot of the 3rd skein remaining for the sample! While I can’t guarantee that you can finish all of the stripes with the leftover, I think it is a real possibility. I would suggest making each of the two scarves just a little shorter to err on the safe side!
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
Super!! Thank you, Thomas!
Happy knitting!!
Shari
I really love your site. I am new to knitting and I find that it is not easy to find modern and elegant patterns. So, even if it was only my seocnd project I had to start the diagonal pinstripe scarf. I’ve put it aside about a third of the way to knit the gorgeous moonstone wrap for my mom who was hospitalized over the holiday (which she loves and wears all the time!)
As I get back to my diagonal scarf I realized that I somehow ended up with 116 stitches, probably forgetting to kfb a few rows a third of the way back at the look of it. And, please dont judge, I cant bear to undo all of that work. Now, I wonder if the decrease will work at the end or if I should try to increase back to 120 stitches, and if so, how to do so ?
Thank you so much for helping a mistake making newbie 🙂
Hi Anne-Emilie-
We are so happy to hear that you find the site inspirational! The 116 stitches issue shouldn’t be a problem. Your scarf will just be a tad narrower than the original and the decrease section should work in the same way.
Please let us know if you have any more questions and thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Soooo nice to have this pattern in PDF format. I love your patterns, your attitude, your intelligence , your total Web site of ideas and suggestions — and, I wish all of your patterns were in this PDF format! Will you be “reformatting” any of the older patterns? (I know, such a job I’m asking)!
Hi Alice-
We actually only offered these pre-formatted PDFs for a short time while we worked out our print function and we don’t have plans to do any more. The good news is that the print function is now totally operational! Just click on the text that says “print” in the right hand column of any story (it’s directly below the “tags”) and a screen will pop up where you can print or save any pattern as a PDF. You even have the option to take out any photos or text you don’t need.
I hope this is helpful to you. Please let us know if you have any more questions and thanks so much for getting in touch!
Molly
I have #2 and #4 needles. Which way should I go? Thanks!
Hi Sarah-
If you’re a tight knitter I would go with the size 4, if you are a loose knitter I would go with the size 2s. The best way to tell for sure is to do a little gauge swatch and see which needles get you closest to the gauge listed in the pattern. Since this is a scarf it doesn’t need to fit in the same way a garment does so you don’t have to get the exact gauge, just something similar!
Thank you for getting in touch and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
I love your pinstripe scarf and I want to make it as a poncho…about 25″ wide and 64″ long….am I correct to assume I can cast on twice as many stitches to begin and use twice the amount of yarn the pattern calls for….are there any other considerations in this project that I haven’t considered?
Julie
Hello Julie,
How are you planning to construct the poncho? This simple design would be beautiful in a garment! Are you planning on creating a rectangle and then seaming it up to be a diamond shape? The original pattern created a scarf that was roughly 11-inches wide x 74-inches long. If you are looking to make it 25″ wide, casting on more stitches to begin with will not affect the size. You will need to repeat the increase row at the start of the pattern until you yield a little more than two times 120 stitches. Once you reach around 25″ in width, you can go ahead and move onto the Main Stitch Pattern section and continue as follows.
Thank you for your question!
Alyson
Hi there,
This is my first knitting project (ever!) and I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m doing it in reverse colours – black (or, rather, super dark grey) with white stripes, as I can’t really wear that lovely creamy-white with my skin tone. It’s looking lovely so far.
I have just finished the first stripe and I seem to have 123 stitches, instead of 120. As another poster said – please don’t judge – but I really don’t want to undo it all. Is it possible to just add 3 x k2tog in the following rows to decrease back to the correct width? If so, which side would I do those on? i.e. if I do them all on one side, will the scarf get a little lopsided? Should I do them next to the required k2tog at the beginning of the right side row in the main rows? Should I stagger them (e.g. every 10 rows or something) to minimise the appearance of different lengths?
Any advice would be most appreciated! (I can’t visit my grandma till next weekend and don’t want to wait that long to get back into it!)
Sam
Hi Sam-
No judgement! I would just keep going with 123 stitches. The decreases would be more noticeable than the slight increase in width. But please make sure that you are not increasing at every row and that all of your subsequent rows maintain 123 stitches.
Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Thanks Molly! Speedy reply is much appreciated.
Sam
Hi Molly,
Thank you so much for this pattern – I spent nearly a year knitting it for my mother (in Australia), and she absolutely loves it! Though I am really keen to move on to other beautiful patterns on the Purl Bee site, I have promised by sister, husband and best friend to knit them one each – they all love it. Think I shall be stuck with this pattern for some time!
Unfortunately, I could not order the beautiful line weight yarn to Germany (German customs would charge be a fortune in import tax) but one day I hope to visit your store and buy it by the bucket load.
Thank you so much for this lovely pattern!
Thea
In the main stitch, do you repeat row 1 and 2 or just keep doing garter stitch through out until decrease portion?
Thanks!
Hi Lindsey-
You repeat rows 1 and 2 for the main section.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
I’ve been working on this scarf for a few days now and while I’m still on the increase section, it just occurred to me that later in the pattern there are instructions for right and wrong sides. I forgot to mark the right side of my work – is there an easy way to tell which it is?
Hello, Cat!
Thank you for your question. Since you are still working on the increase section you need not worry about right or wrong sides. This will come into play when you start the Main Stitch Pattern. Once you’ve increased until there are 120 stitches the next row will be Row 1 of the Main Stitch Pattern. This row is the “right” side and here you can place a marker to help you keep track of where you are.
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Happy knitting!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Ladies of Purl Bee
my 4 sisters and i were in your shop in aug, and all of us are doing this scarf,
the yarn is thin and we are having alot of cut ends on the sides from changing the yarn. are they just woven in, it doesn’t say to knit them end every time like it does the first edge of the color stripe, or did i miss something
please advise
thanks ,
linda
Hello, Linda!
Thank you for writing in! Sorry for the terribly delayed response! For the striping instructions it says to “pick up tail end of Stripe Color and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1” so, you should have knit them in. Then once you finished you could just trim the tail ends.
If you didn’t knit them in, that’s okay! You can just weave them in using a duplicate stitch.
If you have further questions please let us know!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
I am considering using the colors Black Green (1462) and Gray Green (3008) for this scarf. Because it is difficult to see actual color on the computer, I would love your opinion of these two colors together, made for a young man. Thank you so much!!
Hi Janet,
What a great idea! These colors look wonderful together and I think that either as the base will work. I think you should give it a go.
Best,
Adam
I used a hand dyed yarn with purples, greens and blues and added a bright pink as the accent. In addition a picot border is easy and looks adorable. Thank you for the pattern!
love your patterns and experimenting with stash yarn I have. It is worsted weight which will yield 5sts per inch. What would you suggest regarding number of sts to increase too? I think 120 might be too wide? Thank you
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for your kind words! Increasing to 120 will yield a very wide scarf. Luckily, you can tell how wide your scarf will be by measuring the bottom edge of it as you knit. Usually an ample width for a scarf is 10″. Good luck and happy knitting!
Best,
Adam
I need directions please as to when to add the stripes in the main section. I do not have any sense of design and I need some direction…please
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for writing in! The whole intention behind this scarf is to have no design at all! The rule is that you knit a contrast color stripe every time you put the project down for more than eight hours. This is such a fun project because your scarf will be uniquely yours and, in a way, a knit diary. Good luck and happy knitting!
Best,
Adam
Please advise when to add the stripes, I have no sense of design. thank you
Hi I making this scarf for the first time I finished one stripe and went a little farther in the main stitch pattern and it seems like the end sides are no longer diagonal but more so making a straight edge. Is this how it’s supposed to be? Thanks for your help.
Hi Chonte,
Thanks for the question! You should end up with straight edges for the length of the scarf. This happens upon increasing on once side and decreasing on the other. If this is what you are doing, then you are getting the correct result!
-Adam
Hi there!
I’m doing this pattern without stripes, one color only. In the main pattern section when the second angle is supposed to show up, mine is noticeably wider than 90°.
I follow all the instructions. Is there a way I could fix this? or is this somehow going to even out when I start the decrease section?
Hi Diane,
Thank you for your question! When doing the middle portion of this scarf you’ll have one side that is longer than the other. This will work itself out after you start decreasing on both sides to finish up the final angle. If you are concerned about the angle of the scarf from your cast on, you can block this out after the scarf is finished. Best of luck!
-Adam
Hi, I don’t think you understood my question. After initial fail I’m trying to make this scarf again and I have the same problem. How can I explain it? Instead of an even rectangle my finished scarf resembles a diamond, or a rhombus. Blocking didn’t help. The beginning and end of the work are fine, and the corners are 90°. But when I start main section and then start the decrease section that are supposed to create those two “middle” angles, they are not 90°(not right angles) but wider. I don’t know how to explain it differently.
I thought maybe instead of k2tog and kfb in every other row, I should make it in on both sides? So that the angle is not that wide?
Hi Diane,
Thanks for reaching out! It does actually sound like the scarf is turning out as intended – when working the middle portion of the scarf, your needle and live stitches will be at a steep angle across the the scarf rather than straight across. The final decrease section will compensate for this and create a straight edge to match the beginning of the scarf. If you still aren’t sure if it’s correct, please feel free to send us a picture of your work at customerservice@purlsoho.com so we can take a look!
Best,
Julianna
Is it possible to make this in stockinette stitch rather than garter stitch? If so, would the edges curl ?
thanks,
RM
Hi there,
Thanks for the question. I don’t suggest making this in just stockinette stitch because the edges will definitely curl. If you add a garter stitch border the edges will not curl, however. Best of luck!
Adam
Sorry, I should have been more specific; I am nearly finished with the diagonal pinstripe scarf that I made in a single color (using Purl Soho Line Weight yarn). So, I am familiar with the construction of this scarf, I’m just not a fan of garter stitch and would prefer using stockinette.
thanks
Hi there, this looks like a beautiful and elegant scarf! I’m thinking of making it as a wrap and just expanding the width. Is this a good idea and by how much would you expand the width by?
Hi Juliana,
Thanks for writing in! I think that a good width for a wrap would be between 17 and 20 inches wide. I think that this would be lovely at a wider width. To do so, you will keep increasing until you reach the width you would like and then continue on with the pattern as written!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi , the design is lovely – I really like it . However , I want to make the scarf narrower so do I have to increase to a multiple of 2 or I just increase to a random number ?
Hi Anna,
Thanks for writing in! You certainly can make this scarf narrower. You will want to increase until one side measures the width that you would like for your scarf. To keep consistency, I would say that you should increase to an even number!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi , i have a question : how can i change color when i also have to slip the first stitch in the stripe section ? I consult some sites and they say to change the color in the row before , but i am scared of ruining the beauty of the scarf
Hi An,
Thanks for writing in! The first slip stitch at the beginning of the stripe section is done exactly the same way as the slipped stitches in the rest of the pattern. You simply slip the first stitch on your left needle (which will be in the main color yarn) to the right needle, knitwise. Then you start using the Stripe yarn to do the k2tog and onward. Make sure you are slipping the stitches gently and not pulling them out of shape.
Any unevenness on the edge is caused by loose stitches when you join a new color but in the end they pretty much even out.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi,
I’ve had some false starts with this project and would love some feedback. The pattern isn’t the issue, but I tried using other yarn and it isn’t coming out the way I hoped. I’m a new knitter so I’m probably just learning some valuable lessons about fabric?
Anyway, I tried this first with a two-ply 100% alpaca fingering yarn and loved the sheerness, ethereal-ness and inconsistent squiggly-ness of it. But I hated the feel against my face–it felt like hair! Ugh. So I started again with Quince&Co’s Finch (fingering, 4-ply, 100% wool), and I love the way it feels but it’s so plump and bouncy that there’s nothing sheer or ethereal about it. I even tried going up to US6 needles to loosen the fabric but it still is just so robust.
Where did I go wrong in picking a substitute yarn? Is it all about the ply and I should have used a single ply yarn? Or was it the yarn content? Is there something as delicate looking as alpaca that doesn’t feel like hair? I was nervous about using Line Weight (since I would have to order instead of buying at my LYS), but now I’m curious where it falls on he ethereal vs robust/bouncy spectrum.
Thanks for letting me ramble. I’d love you know what y’all think.
Tina
Hi Tina,
Thanks for writing in! Yarn substitution can be a challenge. The yarn that we used here, Line Weight, is a single ply super fine merino. The structure and fiber content of the yarn give it a light and soft quality! Quince and Co Finch is quite a different yarn. While knitting up at the same gauge, it is a rounder, plied yarn with a fair amount of bounce, creating a denser fabric. Both are lovely yarns but give very different results! To achieve similar results when using an alternate yarn, you will want to look for a yarn that knits at the same gauge but also has similar qualities. Here a light weight single ply yarn would work best!
I hope that this helps and welcome to the wide world of knitting!
Cassy
How many yards of the MC did you use?
Hi Jess,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately we do not have the exact yardage used, but the designer did say she had quite a bit of the third skein left over. I would suggest having at least 1200 yards to be on the safe side!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I would like to widen a bit to turn it into a baby blanket. I assume I just do what you suggested for the lady making a pancho correct? And once I get the desired width I start the decrease?
Hello Kara,
Thank you for reaching out, what a lovely idea! You are correct, you will just need to add increases to achieve your desired width. Let us know how it goes and happy knitting!
-Marilla