Simplicity Scarf
With its effortless grace, our Simplicity Scarf is the perfect introduction to our newest yarn! Ninety-five percent recycled cashmere, our new Echo Cashmere combines a timeless elegance with an inspiring story of renewal and the beauty of second chances.
This gorgeous swath of stockinette makes use of the natural curl in the fabric to show off the beauty of both the knit and purl sides, creating a scarf that frames your face with edges that curve and flow into one another as you wrap it… Stunning!
Soft and elegant, cashmere’s characteristic drape lends a supple fluidity to the fabric, and its amazing lightness means the scarf won’t weigh you down.
Located in Italy, the mill that makes Echo Cashmere collects fiber from the production process of both cashmere sweaters and cashmere yarn and combines it with cashmere from recycled sweaters. They sort by color and then begin the work of turning it back into cashmere yarn. They spin the fibers into three delicate plies and twist them together into this fingering weight yarn… A beautiful new beginning for exquisite fiber that deserves a second life!
Very soft (it’s cashmere, after all!), the final yarn also gains strength and body from the 5% other fibers in the yarn. These other fibers are mostly wool, and sometimes a little nylon, depending on the sweaters whose fibers were recycled. This tad bit of non-cashmere inevitably gets mixed into the process, but it’s nice to know that nothing is going to waste!
The collection includes a palette of twelve colors, gently heathered hues with an earthy beauty. From the understated elegance of Flour Sack to the striking impact of Orange Pekoe (below, right then left), each color has an alluring depth that reflects the history of these recycled fibers.
With the small and large sizes needing only one or two balls of Echo Cashmere, this lovely scarf is an affordable way to cast on with cashmere and enjoy the wonderful experience of knitting with one of the world’s softest fibers!
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, #PurlSohoSimplicityScarf, and #PurlSohoEchoCashmere. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 (2) ball(s) of Purl Soho’s Echo Cashmere, 95% recycled cashmere and 5% other fibers. Each ball is 236 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 230 (405) total yards required. We used the colors Orange Pekoe and Flour Sack.
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 40-inch or longer circular needles
GAUGE
25 stitches and 39 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZES
Small (Large)
Finished Dimensions: 4½ x 45 (6 x 60) inches
Samples: The Orange Pekoe scarf is the Small size, and the Flour Sack scarf is the Large size.
PATTERN
NOTE: You will knit this scarf lengthwise, casting on for the long edge.
Cast on 280 (375) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On, but if you’re using Echo Cashmere and have a hard time not breaking the yarn, try a Make 1 Backwards Loop instead!
Set-Up Row (wrong side): K1, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 1 (right side): K1, slip slip knit, knit to last 2 stitches, make 1 left, k2.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, purl to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 4½ (6) inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise.
FINISHING
Weave in the ends and gently wet block.
LEARN ABOUT ECHO CASHMERE + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
We used Echo Cashmere for this project because it is a wonderfully affordable way to experience the joy of knitting with one of the word’s softest fibers! A delicate fingering-weight yarn, it has the lightness and warmth of cashmere, and since it’s recycled, also the beauty of second chances!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of free Echo Cashmere knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-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 cashmere 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!
Is this gorgeous yarn appropriate for crochet as well? I have tried many times in my life to learn to knit and I just can’t!
Hi MaryFran,
Thank you for writing in! Yes! This yarn is amazing to crochet with as well! I know how difficult it can be to learn a different fiber skill but I’d also like to highly suggest our Learn to Knit Kits! The kits include our Super Soft Merino which is a bulky yarn so it makes it even easier to learn the motions of your stitches and see exactly how they work up. Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Happy making,
Gavriella
The continental method of knitting is often the easiest to learn if you already crochet as the working yarn is similarly held in your left hand. You might be surprised at how much easier that method is for you.
Just beautiful. I’m looking forward to making it
What do you mean make 1 left on the end row?
Hi Ann,
Thank you for writing in! To “make 1 right” (m1R), use the left needle to pick up the strand between the last stitch you knit and the one you’re about to knit, bringing the needle from back to front. Leave the strand on the left needle. You can also check out our short tutorial on how to knit this increase here!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Can I make it wider?
Hi Ann,
Yes, you can make this scarf wider by knitting more rows until it reaches your desired width! Depending on how wide you want to go, you may need to order an additional skein of yarn.
All the best,
Lili
Im disappointed because it rolls
Doesn’t fall nicely like yours,?
Hi Ann,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing so much curling in your scarf! Blocking once more using a different method may help minimize that. In particular, steam blocking might do the trick! If you’re still experiencing significant curling though, then I’d recommend adding more of a border to the wrap! You can pick up the stitches all the way around and use a symmetrical stitch (like garter stitch, ribbing, seed stitch, etc.). This will help prevent the edges from curling at all!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thanks
I’d love to know how to tie this scarf just how it is on the model. Would you be able to explain? Thank you. I can’t figure out how to make it look as nicely done as hers….
Hi Jeannie,
Thanks for your question! The Orange Pekoe color scarf is wrapped once around the model’s neck with a single tie and the Flour Sack color scarf is wrapped twice with a single tie. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
I was wondering how many yards are used for each of the sizes?
Will there be any yarn leftover in either size?
Thanks.
Hi Carla,
Thanks for reaching out! The smaller scarf uses 230 yards of Echo Cashmere and the larger scarf uses 405 yards. If you knit the smaller size, you’ll have about 6 yards of yarn left and if you knit the larger size, you’ll have 67 yards leftover. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
I have not knitted since I was a youngster and my Aunt taught me to make blankets for Biafrian babies. This seems so similar and brought back those beautiful memories. Is this suitable for a beginner again (with arthritis this time)? I would love to make these to donate to the local woman’s shelter.
Hi Susan,
Thank you for writing in! We are happy to hear that this pattern sparked some beautiful memories for you. We do believe this pattern would work wonderfully for a beginner as you jump back into knitting! Should you encounter any issues, our team is always just a comment or email away. You can also contact us at [email protected] should any questions arise!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
If I wanted to use sport weight yarn for this, how many should I cast on? Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
That’s a great question! To determine your new cast-on number of stitches, first knit a gauge swatch with your sport weight yarn. Then, find how many stitches per inch you’re knitting and multiply that by 45 for the smaller size scarf or by 60 for the larger size scarf. That will be your new cast-on number! Then, after casting on your stitches, you can follow the pattern as written. Happy knitting!
All the best,
Cat
Is this a good pattern for someone who has some knitting skills?
Thanks
Hi Thea,
Thank you for writing in! Yes, this pattern is great for knitters of all skill levels!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
FYI
I’m having great difficulty printing your patterns that include yarn choices and other extra information. Is there any way of getting just the directions? That is not to say I love your yarns and patterns.
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for writing in! We understand how it could be helpful to print just the information you need and I am happy to share with you how you can do this!
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!
I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
What weight is the Echo Cashmere? Is it considered fingering?
Hi Linda,
That’s a great question! Our new Echo Cashmere is indeed a fingering weight yarn making it great for not only this project but many other fingering weight projects as well. Please let us know if you need any other assistance and we would be happy to help!
Happy making,
Gavriella
Beautiful scarf. I just do not like doing k1p1.
I am thrower.
Hi Phyillis,
Thank you for writing in! We totally understand where you are coming from but would just like to clarify that this pattern’s main body stitches are mostly made of stockinette stitches (All knits on the right side, and all purls on the wrong side). You will only work alternating stitches along the edges of the scarf to give your project a nice clean finish. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
What if I want to use straight needles and knit the garter stitch. About how many stitches would I cast on for a 6-inch wide scarf on size 4 needles? Thank you!
Hi Amy,
Thank you for writing in! To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if you need help with this step please visit our tutorial: All About Gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like to get your cast on number. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any more questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
How would this pattern work with Nigh DK yarn?
Hi Anne,
Thank you for writing in! Although Nigh Dk is quite lovely, it is just a tad too thick for this project with the same gauge which would lead to a denser fabric. One thing you could try is using a larger needle with Nigh DK which will result in a larger version of this project that we think would still be absolutely wonderful! Please let us know if you have any other questions and we would be happy to help!
Happy making,
Gavriella
Is there a reliable trick for using long tail cast on with so many stitches required for this project? I always seem to be over or under. I have utilized the needle wrap method but not very successfully. I plan on making the small version and don’t want to run out of yarn if I overcompensate.
Hi Maureen,
Thank you for writing in! We recommend starting with a tail 3x the length of your project plus a 10% buffer of that length. In this case that would be 148.5″ for the smaller size and 198″ for the larger size. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
When I learned to knit many years ago, I could only master casting on stitches by knitting them on. Does it make any difference using that method rather than the long tail method?
Hi Mary,
You’re absolutely welcome to cast on for this scarf in your preferred method! We like the long tail method best, but it won’t make a difference if you do a knit cast-on.
All the best,
Lili
Would this pattern do well with Linen Quill yarn? Love the way it drapes with echo, but happen to have linen quill. Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
This would be a wonderful project to knit up in Linen Quill! That yarn will actually have even more drape than Echo Cashmere does because of its linen and alpaca content.
All the best,
Lili
Hello,
Would the Santolina fingering weight yarn work for this scarf? Thank you!
Hi Deborah,
Thank you for writing in! Santolina would work great with this pattern! We always recommend knitting a gauge swatch just to be sure you are able to match the same gauge as the pattern. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hello,
Thanks to those of you who mentioned the rolling and that blocking did not completely solve the problem. I still love the scarf.
What kind of hem would you recommend? I tried the picot hem, and I’m not convinced of the look. Would a simple folded hem work? As a knitter, what kind of hem would you use? Thank you so much! (Also, I’m making it using linen quill).
Hi Tatiana,
Thank you for writing in! Some 1 x 1 ribbing or a nice eyelet edge could be a wonderful detail! I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Thank you, Gavriella. I’ll try that.
In an earlier question, someone asked about the Make 1
Left (M1L) in Row 1 of the pattern. You explained how to do a Make 1 Right (M1R) which slants in a different direction. Which one should it be? If it’s M1R, shouldn’t the pattern be changed to reflect that? I appreciate all the questions & answers. I’ve just cast on for this project & otherwise wouldn’t have known about the edges curling. I’ve decided to try the 1×1 rib edge. Can’t wait to get started!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for catching that! We would recommend knitting the instructions as they are written in the pattern!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hello! can this be done in Garter stitch?
Hi Annie,
Thank you for writing in! You can definitely make this pattern in garter stitch although it will require a bit more yarn. I’d suggest purchasing an extra skein just to be safe!
All the best,
Gavriella
Dear Gavriella,
Thank-you so much for you kind reply!
I will keep that in mind!
Take care, Annie
You are very welcome! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Could I knit this in cattail silk? If so, what size needles, how many stitches to cast on, and how many skeins? Thank you!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks so much for writing in! Cattail Silk is a wonderful choice for this scarf. Based on the yardage, you’ll need just 1 skein to make either size of the scarf. And we recommend using sizes US 2 to 5 with this yarn.
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if this is daunting, we have a wonderful tutorial called All About Gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the length of the scarf (either 45 or 60 inches, depending on the size you want to make) and cast on the nearest whole number. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
I would like to do the smaller version of this scarf in a dk yarn. I noted in some of the statements above that you can use dk yarn by going up a needle size.
Also noted that with sport weight you can adjust by multiplying an inch of your gauge by 45 to get the number of stitches to cast on.
Can you recommend which method I should go by and if there is a needle size which would work best. I understand gauge plays a part. Thank you!
Hi Janet,
Thanks for writing in! To modify this pattern you will want to start with a gauge swatch. You will then measure your stitches per inch and multiply that number by the desired width of your scarf and that will give you your cast on number. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Bonjour,
C’est un SOS 🙂 Peut-être que la traduction française fait disparaître des informations.
Vous écrivez “Rang 1 (endroit) : 1 m end, 1 m end, 1 m end, 1 m end, 1 m end .
Rang 2 (envers) : 1 maille endroit, 1 maille envers jusqu’à la dernière maille, 1 maille endroit.” Ensuite on répète les rangs 1 et 2.
Si je suis ces indications, j’obtiendrai un rectangle… or il doit bien y avoir d’un côté des augmentations et de l’autre des diminutions, n’est-ce pas?
Le dernier passage “1m end” du rang 1 est cliquable (apparaît en typo rose) : cela renvoie à la vidéo sur les augmentation/diminution. Mais quoi : je fais seulement 1 augmentation (ou diminution) en toute fin de rang 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.?
Et en rang 2 ,
Ou alors les augmentation/diminution se font toutes sur l’endroit du travail?
Ce sont des droites ou des gauches?
Il y a peut-être un telescopage entre l’abréviation pour “maille endroit” et pour “Make 1 maille droite” ???
Merci en tous cas 🙏
Hi Christine,
Thank you for writing in! Yes that is exactly correct, you will increase only on the odd numbered rows. So rows, 1,3,5 etc… are your right side rows and this is where you will increase. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Hello, do you think this scarf will work with Cygnet? If so will the needles be the same? Thanks!
Hi Genevieve,
This pattern would work great with Cygnet and you can use the same needles as well!
Happy making,
Gavriella
Thanks Gavriella! That’s great
Hi, I tried to use the method in your tutorial about long tail cast on to figure out how much of a tail I need for cast on (280). It seems very short 14”. I also tried casting on 10, unraveling and measuring that, and then multiplying by 28, but it seems too long (266”)! How long should the tail be? Thanks!
Hi Nadia,
The length of the cast-on edge in the Small version of this project is 45 inches. Multiplied by 3.5, that would come to 157.5. So you’ll need a tail of approximately 157.5 inches to cast on for this scarf using the long tail cast-on!
All the best,
Lili
Do you think it would be possible to knit this with alternating stripes? Is there something I would need to do to make the edging look right?
Hi Nancy,
That sounds like such a fun idea! You won’t need to do anything different except carrying up your yarns. If you are thinking you’d like thicker stripes, you can definitely just cut and weave in those ends later!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Is this pattern listed on your Ravelry site?
Hi Annie,
Yes it is! You can find our Simplicity Scarf on Ravelry at this link.
All the best,
Lili
I just finished the set-up row and I seem to have accidentally joined to knit in the round. Is there a way I can undo this without unraveling the whole row? If not, how do I start the set-up row without joining?
Hi Piper,
Oh no! Never fear though, you can definitely undo your work and fix this. I would recommend un-knitting each stitch of the Set-Up Row so that your knit fabric separates again. To un-knit a stitch, just stick the left needle into the stitch below each live stitch on the right needle and let the live stitch fall off and unravel. This method is pretty time-consuming, especially with so many stitches, but it’s a lot more secure than unraveling completely!
Then, once you’ve undone the entire Set-Up Row, all you need to do is turn your work before beginning it again! Turning your work, just like you would on straight needles, will ensure that you don’t join your work in the round. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there,
Love this pattern! Could you please suggest a method for the case that I need to change to a new strand of yarn? I am hoping to use up some leftover cashmere yarn I have, but none of them are very long so I will have to connect them to my project a few times. I suppose magic knot is not a good way because stockinette is so flat. Thank you!!
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for writing in! We have a wonderful tutorial on adding a ball of yarn, so I’d recommend checking that out! In general though, we do not recommend ever tying a knot in your yarn. Instead, you can leave about 8 inches of the old yarn and the same of the new yarn and weave in the ends later. This creates the most smooth and invisible join!
All the best,
Lili