Super lofty in a deeply furrowed variation on seed stitch, our Seedbed Scarf is perfectly ripe for harvest season!
We used three skeins of our classic Worsted Twist, 100% merino wool and 1000% soft and cozy. And bonus… it now comes in three new colors, including this wonderfully rich and comforting Red Plum, plus gorgeous Bougainvillea Pink and dreamy Raindrop Blue.
A dead simple stitch pattern, a charming nubbly texture, and a perfectly toasty merino, our Seedbed Scarf is the perfect cast on for the fall knitting season!
Designed for Purl Soho by Jake Canton.
Materials
- 3 skeins of Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist, 100% merino wool. We used Red Plum.
- US 8 circular or straight needles
Gauge
17 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
Size
Finished Dimensions: 10 inches wide x 68 inches long
Notes
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.
The stitch pattern works over an even number of stitches.
Pattern
Cast on 42 stitches.
Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif, see Notes), *k1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (right side): Slip 1 wyif, knit to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 68 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
With the wrong side facing you, bind off in 1 x 1 rib stitch pattern. Here’s how…
Bind Off Row: K1, *k1, pass stitch over, p1, pass stitch over, repeat from * to last stitch, k1, pass stitch over.
Weave in ends and block as desired!
PRINT
Question: You do not mention or tag this as Reversible. Are both sides the same? Thanks for replying.
Hello Deena,
Thank you for reaching out- this is a great question! Though the sides are not the same, I would say that the scarf is reversible. The knit row will have “v”s on one side and bumps on the other.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Can this pattern be converted to a cowl. I know that I could sew the two ends together, but I prefer to knit in the round.
Hello Laura,
Thank you for writing! This scarf could be knitted in the round. You would just omit all slipped stitches and start row one with a purl rather than a slip stitch.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
If I was making a shorter cowl in the round the stitch pattern will look the same if I skip the slip stitch? Also how Emanuel co st do you recommend ?
Hello Diana,
Thank you for this question! While you are no longer slipping your first stitch you will be replacing that first stitch with a purl on row 1 and a knit on row 2. This means your pattern would read
round 1 (wrong side): *P1, K1, repeat from * to end of row marker
round 2 (right side): knit to end of row.
T figure out a cast on number for a cowl you will need to decide how large you would like your cowl to be. Once you ave that number you can simply use your stitches per inch to find out the best cast on number to get your desired circumference.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I would like to make it about 70 inches long and closer to 20 inches wide, more of a wrap than a scarf. How many skeins should I buy using the same gauge?
Hello Ellen,
Thank you for reaching out! Because you would be doubling the size of the scarf you will need double the skeins. I would recommend 6 skeins for this size.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Such a gorgeous colour!
I have been on your list however I am not seeing enough crochet free patterns. In addition u need to make it so that patterns can be printed out without having to print many pages of useless text
Hello Ellen,
Thank you for all of this wonderful feedback! We are actually huge fans of crochet, but sadly, we lack the resources to produce as many crochet patterns as we would like. We do have a lovely selection of free crochet patterns which you can find here.
As far as printing goes, I can help! If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
Thank you for visiting our site and happy crafting!
-Marilla
This is beautiful! Does this yarn shed much?
Hello Kate,
Thank you for your kind words! Our worsted twist is made from 100% Merino Wool and sheds very little. I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I am wanting to teach my husband to knit- would this be a good beginner project? Or do you have a simpler garter stitch shawl pattern?
Hi Hazel,
Thanks for reaching out! I do think this would be a pretty good project for learning to knit – it does start right off the bat with both knits and purls, so you may want to have him start with a small swatch to practice a few rows of each. Otherwise, the scarf is very straightforward and doesn’t require any skills besides casting on, knitting, purling, and casting off! If you would like to start with an easier garter stitch scarf, you could definitely use the cast on amount for this scarf and have him knit every row instead of following our stitch pattern.
Best of luck and happy knitting!
Julianna
Just to say thank you for yet another free pattern, and lots of inspiration over the years. I just finished a version of your Speckled Scarf (beautiful !), and this one may be the next.
How do I start the first row with the slip one with yarn in front. Do I have to knit or purl the very first stitch?
Thanks!
Hi Mabel,
Thanks for reaching out! To work this first slipped stitch, you will hold your working yarn so that it is in front of the right hand needle, insert your needle into the first stitch as if to purl, then slip the stitch over to the right hand needle without working it. You will then move your working yarn to the back as you normally would to knit and proceed with the rest of the row.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I agree with Ellen regarding the printing. I save my patterns to iBook, but there is no way to choose the pages of the pattern only.
Hi Susan,
I’m sorry to hear that you are having trouble downloading our pattern! To save it as a PDF, if you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Thanks again for another lovely scarf pattern.
I’ll be starting to knit it soon.
Does this pretty stitch have a name?
Hi Ros,
Thank you so much for the kind words! I believe this stitch pattern is most commonly referred to as a Broken Rib Stitch.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Double question.
1. If I wanted to make this a wrap instead of a scarf, how many stitches would I cast on?
2. If I wanted to use a lighter weight yarn to do so, what would you recommend?
I Iive in Texas and need wraps for the times between sweater weather and just regular weight shirts.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for writing in! In order to make the wrap wider, as long as you are working at our gauge of 17 stitches to 4 inches, you can multiply the desired width of your wrap in inches by 4.25 and round to the nearest even number. For a lighter weight version, you could use just about any yarn you like as long as you knit a gauge swatch in pattern, determine your stitches per inch, and multiply that by your desired width and, again, round to the nearest even number. I think this stitch pattern would be lovely in Cashmere Merino Bloom or Mulberry Merino for an in-between-seasons wrap!
Best of luck, and please let us know how your wrap turns out!
Julianna
I purchased 4 skeins of Super Soft Merino, with the intention of making the Mistake Stitch scarf. Now, the recipient has decided that she doesn’t want that pattern. I like this Seedbed Scarf and wonder if you think it would be pretty in that bulkier wool. Also,
what needle size to get this more refined look? Would I still use a size 15 and just modify the stitch count to get the gauge?
Hello Carol,
Thank you for reaching out! I think that this scarf would be lovely in our Super Soft Merino. I think it would work best with a US13 needle and you can easily modify the cast on amount to come out a similar width you will just want to be sure that you are casting on an even number. I think that casting on 30 stitches will give you a similar width.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Beautiful scarf! If I want to make an 8 inch width, how many stitches should I cast on?
Hi Chris,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! I am happy to help! This lovely pattern works over any even number of stitches and with a gauge of 17 stitches over 4 inches (4.25 stitches per inch), a cast on of 34 stitches should get you a scarf that is 8 inches wide (4.25 x 8 = 34).
Happy knitting!
Cassy
I’m about 6” into this scarf and it seems to be curling at the edges. In the photos it looks like it lies flat. Am I doing something wrong? I should note that I’m using US 9 needles, because one of my 8’s went missing in our recent move. 🙁
Hi Carissa,
Thanks for writing in! This stitch does turn up slightly at the edges, but it should block out quite easily. If anything, the larger needle should make the scarf lay even flatter after blocking!
Best of luck and happy knitting!
Julianna
Is there enough yarn for fringe with the 3 skeins?
Hello Megan,
Thank you for reaching out- what a fun idea! You will have a small amount of yarn left over so it will depend on how full you would like your fringe to be, you will have approximately 40 yards.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Am I doing something wrong? With 42 cast on stitches and using see 8 and 10 needles, I cannot get the width of 10 inches.
Hello Debra,
Thank you for reaching out! This sounds like a gauge issue, are you getting more than 10″ or less than 10″? If you are getting more than 10″ you might need to go down in your needle size, while if you are getting less than 10″ you will need to go up in needle size.
I hope this make sense and let us know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla
I started with what the pattern called for size 8 needles. I didn’t get the width, 8.5 inches, then I went up to size 10 needles, 9.0 inches. I think it has to do with the number of cast on stitches. I’m thinking about going up on the cast on, but I wonder if I will run out of yarn to make the length 68 inches.
Hi Debra,
Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you may have skipped trying a US size 9 needle – I would try that before adjusting the cast on amount to see if you get the correct gauge.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Has anyone knit this scarf using 10 knitting needles? If so, how did it turn out?
Hi Lilly,
Thanks for reaching out! We haven’t tried it, but could certainly give it a shot! I would recommend knitting a gauge swatch first to make sure you are happy with the stitch on the larger needles, and I would also be sure to have some extra yardage on hand since the larger needles will mean each stitch takes a bit more yarn. Please let us know how it turns out!
Best,
Julianna
Hi! I love this pattern and I’d love to make this for my niece. Do you have child sized dimensions for this pattern? And how much yardage do you think you’d use for it? She is 3 but I’d want to make something that she can wear for a few years and grow into a bit.
Hi Kara,
Great question! For a toddler or child scarf, I would probably make the width about 6 to 8 inches. A good rule of thumb for the length regardless of the wearer’s age is to knit the scarf until the length is about equal to or a little longer than their height, which for a three year old is probably around 27 to 30 inches – for her to grow into it, I would probably knit the scarf about 3 feet long.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Howdy y’all.
I’m about 4 inches into this and I don’t think I’m going to get the 10inches. Looks more like 8.5-9. I think it’s because I’ve been knitting kinda tight. Think I can get it to 10 with a wet block?
Hello Mattie,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, if you have a smaller gauge the project will come out smaller as a whole. If you wet block and then pin it to dimensions I think you can get some extra length.
Congrats on being almost done and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I purchased 10 skeins of the Worsted Twist to make a large shawl. How many stitches should I cast on?
Thank you for such a great selection of yarn and providing beautiful patterns as well
Hi Olga,
Thank you so much for writing in and for the kind words! With that much yarn, you have enough to knit a shawl that is about 28 inches wide by 80 inches long. I would suggest casting on 120 stitches for a shawl this width.
Happy knitting, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Your patterns are always wonderful and result in beautiful finished projects! I have suddenly decided to turn my seed stitch scarf into a cowl…simply by stitching the ends together. As a beginning knitter, I am uncertain as to a suggested length to knit this scarf before I cast off and connect the ends. What length would you suggest for such a cowl? Thank you!
Hi KayEllen,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Cowls are usually a bit shorter than scarves, so I would suggest knitting to 55-58 inches before casting off.
Happy knitting!
Julianna