Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf
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
Hello, I’m not used to knitting with multiple colors and I don’t understand very well this instruction:
“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.”
Do you have a video so I can see how we pick up and knit tail ends? And what’s the reason we do that? If I understood well, we just cut these tails at the end so the idea is to simulate a weaving end? In this case, is it possible to change colors using another technique like Russian joins or magic knot?
Thanks!
Hi Ana,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this; however, you are correct that this is a method to weave in the ends as you go. We chose to hold both the working yarn and the tail together to knit these 9 stitches double stranded, but if you are familiar with another joining method that avoids leaving tails to weave in later, you can certainly substitute that instead!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello!
I’m about to purchase the yarn and begin this beautiful scarf. However I was reading through the instructions and noticed “pick up tail end of Stripe Color and k9 using both working yarn and tail”
Does that make that part of the scarf thicker than the rest?
Hello Chrissie,
Thank you for reaching out- this is a great question! This is a method to weave in the ends as you go. We chose to hold both the working yarn and the tail together to knit these 9 stitches double stranded. It doesn’t add more bulk than a duplicate stitch.
I hope this clears things up for you and happy knitting!
-Marilla
If I was going to do this (de-stashing in this crazy time) would a thicker yarn still work? (say worsted) – going up several needle sizes to make it more ‘airy’? I may have something in my stores that could make this!
Hi Erica,
Great question! Yes, this basic shape and method an be knit in any weight yarn as long as you choose a suitable needle size! You can easily customize the width by working the Increase Section until the sides of the triangle measure however wide you would like the scarf to be. After that, you can knit the rest of the pattern as written!
Best,
Julianna
Julianna, thank you so much. I just LOVE this pattern. Great tips!
Love it. Do you think a summer weight version could be knit up with Linen Quill? Does LQ look AOK in all garter stitch? Any experience with that texture-wise? (Somehow want to combine something re: the older pattern Ticking Stripe Scarf, with this beauty, love the edges and also the same-on-both-sides aspect.
THANK YOU!
_A
Hi Ann,
You could absolutely use Linen Quill to work the Diagonal Stripe Scarf! I’ve worked with Linen Quill several times, and I have to say that it really knits up beautifully when worked in a garter stitch. It makes for such a wonderfully bouncy, squishy fabric! I would definitely recommend it for this project.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Kelsey