Not all pinstripes are all business! A little tweak to their directionality and color, and our Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf shows us just how fun those simple lines can be.

Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho

You knit this garter stitch scarf with easy increases and decreases, plus one-line pinstripes capriciously interspersed throughout. Don’t worry, you knit the tails in as you go to minimize weaving in at the end (You’re welcome, dear knitter!). 

Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho

You might be knitting stripes, but you don’t have to fall in line. There are twenty beautiful colors of our Quartz yarn to choose from, so you can make your Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf as striking (or as subtle) as you like. And with the way this mix of merino and suri alpaca glows, you’ll be in business no matter what combination you choose!

Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho

Designed for Purl Soho by Joelle Hoverson.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoProjectName and #PurlSohoYarnName. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho
  • Purl Soho’s Quartz, 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca. Each skein is 420 yards/ 100 grams.
    • Main Color (MC): 3 skeins; approximately 1200 yards required. We used the color Fresh Fig.
    • Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 40 yards required. We used the color Cardinal Red.
  • US 3 (3.25 mm), 24-inch circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge

GAUGE

30 stitches and 60 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch

SIZE

Finished Dimensions: Approximately 11 inches wide x 74 inches long

NOTES

SLIP STITCHES

Work all slip stitches knitwise with the yarn in back.

RANDOM STRIPES

We placed the pinstripes in this scarf randomly. To do the same, try one of these tricks: Whenever you put your project down for more than eight hours, start the next knitting session with a stripe, or roll a die to determine the number of inches before the next stripe. Let us know in the Comments section below if you have a go-to way of creating chaos you’d like to share!

PATTERN

INCREASE SECTION

NOTE: There are no stripes in the increase or decrease sections of the scarf, and the right side of the piece is not yet established.

With Main Color (MC), cast on 3 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Set-Up Row: Slip 1 (see Note), 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, knit two together (k2tog), knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.

Place a removable stitch marker (or safety pin or scrap of yarn) to mark the right side.

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you’re ready to work a stripe (see Notes).

STRIPE PATTERN

At the end of a wrong side row, cut MC yarn.

Row 1 (right side): Slip 1, with Contrast Color (CC), k2tog, pick up CC tail and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.

Cut CC yarn.

NOTE: When working each of the next 2 rows be sure to knit the nine double stranded stitches as only one stitch each.

Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1, with MC, k1, pick up MC tail and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to end of row.

Row 3: Slip 1, k2tog, pick up MC tail from 2 rows below and k9 using both working yarn and tail, drop tail, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, k1.

Row 4: Slip 1, knit to end.

Continue with Rows 1 and 2 of Main Stitch Pattern, working Main Stitch Pattern and Stripe Row as desired, until work measures approximately 74 inches from cast-on edge to top left corner (with right side facing you).

DECREASE SECTION

Decrease Row: Slip 1, with MC, 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 remaining CC tails through the stripe stitches. For the most invisible results use Duplicate Stitch for garter stitch. Trim remaining tail ends.

Weave in remaining ends and gently wet block.

Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho
Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho
Diagonal Pinstripe Scarf In Quartz | Purl Soho