Rising Tide Scarf
With its soft, flowing surface and the gorgeous shifting color of our Nine-Note Bundle, our Rising Tide Scarf lifts all spirits!
We have three gorgeous new Nine-Note colors for spring, including this cheery Dragon Fruit, plus crisp Apple and warm Penny. Now a grand total of twelve palettes, each bundle’s current of color rolls from very light to very saturated, and for this simple slip-stitch design, we’ve also used our spectacularly beautiful Season Alpaca in Heirloom White, a solid ground to highlight the gradient beauty of the bundle.
The design combines these yarns into what looks like stranded colorwork, but really, you just use one color per row, creating tidy stripes that are striking at one end and subtle at the other… Plain sailing all the way!
The Season Alpaca part of the Rising Tide Scarf is a very special 100% super baby alpaca. Its plied structure keeps the stitches smooth and even, and its pleasant heft lends just the right drape for a scarf.
The Nine-Note Bundle brings drama and is a beautiful combination of 80% extra fine merino and 20% baby alpaca. Wonderfully plump with a satisfying and supple feel, this yarn is always gratifying to knit and stunning when complete.
Both yarns are exquisitely soft and together make for twice the beauty in this striking, easy knit. So, pick your bundle, pick your contrast, and cast on!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. Click here to see even more of Hiromi’s work!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoRisingTideScarf, and #PurlSohoNineNoteBundle. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Yarn A: One of Purl Soho’s Nine-Note Bundle, 9 skeins of 80% extra fine merino wool and 20% baby alpaca yarn. Each skein is 100 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 610 yards required. We used the Dragonfruit bundle.
- Yarn B: 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Season Alpaca, 100% super baby alpaca. Each skein of this sport weight yarn is 218 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 430 yards required. We used Heirloom White.
- US 7 (4.5 mm), straight or 24-inch circular needles
With twelve stunning palettes to choose from, find the Nine-Note Bundle that sings to you!
GAUGE
29 stitches and 46 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
NOTE: We used almost all of Yarn B to make this scarf. To avoid running short, please re-use your swatch yarn, double check your gauge, and be conservative with tails!
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 11¾ inches wide x 72 inches long
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern is worked over a multiple of 5 stitches.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all stitches purlwise, except for the first stitch of Rows 1 and 3, which is a “slip 1 knitwise.”
CARRYING YARN
When switching yarns, be sure to carry the old yarn up the selvage in front of the new yarn.
YARN A COLOR SEQUENCE
Start with the darkest color skein of the Nine-Note Bundle (Yarn A), then use the next lighter color, and so on to the lightest color.
PATTERN
With Yarn A (using the darkest color skein, see Notes), cast on 85 stitches. We used a Long Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): With Yarn A, slip 1 (see Notes) with yarn in front (wyif), *p3, slip 2 wyif, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, p4.
Join Yarn B.
Row 1 (right side): With Yarn B, slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back (wyib), *slip 3 wyib, k2, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, slip 3 wyib, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): With Yarn B, slip 4 wyif, *p2, slip 3 wyif, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, slip 3 wyif, p1.
Row 3: With Yarn A, slip 1 knitwise wyib, *k3, slip 2 wyib, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4.
Row 4: With Yarn A, slip 1 wyif, *p3, slip 2 wyif, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, p4.
Repeat Rows 1–4 until piece measures approximately 8 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
**Cut current Yarn A and join next lighter color skein in the Yarn A Color Sequence (see Notes) for new Yarn A.
Beginning with Row 3, repeat Rows 1–4 for approximately 8 inches, ending with Row 2.
Repeat from ** working through entire sequence of Yarn A.
Cut Yarn B.
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise with lightest color of Yarn A.
Weave in all ends and gently wet block.
LEARN ABOUT NINE-NOTE BUNDLES + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
The gorgeous gradient of our Nine-Note Bundle makes this project sing! A carefully calibrated scale of nine skeins ranging from very pale to very saturated, there is beautiful complexity in every harmonious color. A light worsted/DK-weight yarn, our Nine-Note Bundles are a mix of 80% of the softest extra fine merino wool in the world and 20% incredibly soft baby alpaca… It must be experienced to be believed!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of Nine-Note Bundle knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop alpaca yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
I’m a beginner (can purl,knit,work in round,BO,CO) at age 64 but self taught over last 3 months. Love knitting and want to try this Rising tide scarf. Do you think I am capable? If so I plan to purchase the bundle. Love your store! Best of the best!
Hi Beth,
Thanks for writing in! I think that the Rising Tide Scarf would be an exciting challenge for a beginner knitter. We always want to encourage people to discover that learning new techniques enriches the process of making, so we try to describe the skills involved with a pattern so that knitters know what they’re getting into. I’d recommend taking a look through the pattern notes and the pattern itself to get a sense of what skills this pattern requires, and if these are familiar to you.
Ultimately, we hope that you will take little leaps into the unknown and find that the satisfaction was worth the challenge. If these techniques are daunting, I would recommend trying them out with some scrap yarn before beginning the blanket. And as always, we are happy to help answer any questions you may have along the way!
All the best,
Lili
Do you have a recommendation for how to join Yarn A and Yarn B? The pattern calls for the first 4 stitches of Row 1 to be slipped. Yarn B is therefore not “knitted in” to the scarf until stitch 5 of Row 1 when the pattern calls for k2. The light colored yarn therefore does not begin at the edge but rather on stitch 5. Please advise!
Thank you
Micki
Hi Micki,
Thanks for reaching out. You’re absolutely correct, you will first knit with Yarn B on the 5th stitch of Row 1! To “join” Yarn B, all you’ll need to do is start knitting with it this stitch. The yarn will be completely secured as you continue to knit more rows. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
This is the most beautiful yarn/scarf! I have requested it as my upcoming (very special) birthday gift. Can you please tell me if the edges of the scarf lie flat? It looks like it might roll without a border. Thank you!
Hi Alison,
Thanks for reaching out. The edges on this scarf may roll inwards a bit, but blocking should help minimize that significantly!
All the best,
Lili
I am a novice knitter and willing to take a whirl at the Rising Tide Scarf because the yarn is so beautiful. I’ve read the pattern several times and tried to watch YouTube videos on the stitches. Is it possible to call you for a bit of tech support when I tackle it!?
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for reaching out! If you’d like to meet with us over video for help with this pattern, I’d recommend signing up for 1-On-1 Project Help.
All the best,
Lili
If you buy an extra skein of season alpaca, could this be made into a wrap?
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, if you get an additional skein of Season Alpaca, you can definitely make this design wider.
All the best,
Lili
I’m having trouble downloading the pattern for the Rising Tide pattern. I would like a digital copy to work with. Please let me know if I’m doing something wrong.
Thanks!
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for writing in! You can use the following instructions for most of our free patterns but if you have any additional questions, please let us know!
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
You can 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%. You can also hover your mouse over any portions of the pattern you wish to delete, and click the trash can icon that appears. Then, you can click “Print” or “PDF” along the top left of the pattern preview box to print or save the pattern!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Maybe this is a silly question, but I can’t quite tell from the pattern or the photos (or I’m just missing it). For Yarn A (the gradiating colors of yarn), when do I know when to move from one shade to the next lighter shade? Is it after every 4-row sequence?
Hi Michaela,
Thanks for writing in! You’ll switch to the next color in the gradient once piece measures approximately 8 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2. From there, you keep switching Yarn A after every 8 inches!
All the best,
Lili