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Close Cable Scarf
A charming, giftable little scarf that slips neatly around your neck with no need for a knot, our Close Cable Scarf pattern is a terrific opportunity to spend some time knitting simple cables in a truly beautiful yarn… Meet Big Mountain Cormo Worsted, our new breed-specific yarn from the mountains of Montana and the wonderful people of Earthstar Farm!
To knit your Close Cable Scarf, you’ll start and end with ribbing that flows smoothly into five tidy cable columns. A single purl stitch between each one is enough to clearly define each cable. When you get to the clever 2-slit keyhole, you’ll knit each section separately and then join them all together again to finish your scarf.
Our new Big Mountain Cormo Worsted is a perfect yarn for cable knitting, its round three-ply structure lending beautiful stitch definition and pleasing fullness to the richly cabled fabric, not to mention velvety next-to-skin softness. To bring you this incredibly special undyed 100% Cormo wool yarn, we teamed up with Earthstar Farm, a small regenerative organic farm tucked at the foot of Montana’s Big Mountain.
Cormo wool is prized for its exceptional softness, elasticity, and lightweight warmth, and all the wool for Big Mountain Cormo Worsted comes from Earthstar Farm’s small, beloved flock of pasture-raised sheep. The wool is combed and spun into yarn by a family-run mill in Wyoming, and the whole process, from shearing to milling, happens just once a year… This is truly a small-batch yarn!
Happy Cormo sheep at Earthstar Farm, who grow all the wool for our new Big Mountain Cormo Worsted yarn | Photo courtesy of Earthstar Farm
Choose from five undyed shades, a naturally beautiful palette straight from the sheep themselves! For our scarves, we chose creamy white Swan and Dove, a warm grayish-brown created by mixing the wool from moorit sheep with white fleece.
With timeless, universal appeal and three sizes to choose from, the Close Cable Scarf can be worn by anyone. Pick up 2 or 3 skeins of Big Mountain Cormo Worsted and create a knitted testament to the beauty of cables and Montana wool!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 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!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 2 (3, 3) skeins of Purl Soho and Earthstar Farm’s Big Mountain Cormo Worsted, 100% undyed Cormo wool yarn. Each skein of this worsted weight yarn is 110 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 220 (245, 270) total yards required. We used the colors Swan and Dove.
- US 6 (4 mm), 24-inch circular knitting needles
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 24-inch circular needles
- A cable stitch holder
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
NOTE: If you’re knitting the Medium size, you may not need the 3rd skein (we used every last bit of 2 skeins, plus an extra few yards for our Dove sample). If you don’t end up needing it, you can return unwound yarn for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months, for store credit. Our Return Policy has all the details!
GAUGE
30 stitches and 28½ rows = 4 inches in Repeating Cable, on larger needles
30 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in Ribbing, on smaller needles
NOTE: To check your gauge (and not run out of yarn!), we recommend casting on and knitting the pattern for a few inches, then place your work on scrap yarn without cutting the main yarn and block your piece. If necessary, frog and re-knit on different needles.
SIZES
Small (Medium, Large)
To fit actual neck circumference of 11½– 13½ (13½–15½, 15½ -17½) inches. (If you’re between two sizes and want to style your scarf with both ends even, we recommend going up one size. Before moving on to the final Ribbing section, try it on and check the fit!)
Finished Dimensions: 4½ inches wide x 30½ (33, 35½) inches long
SAMPLES: The Swan sample is the Small size, and the Dove sample is the Medium size.
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over a multiple of 7 plus 6 stitches.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all stitches purlwise.
CABLE 6 BACK (C6B)
NOTE: Our Cable Tutorial shows you the basic steps of working a cable.
Slip 3 stitches onto cable stitch holder and hold in back of work, k3, then k3 from cable stitch holder.
PATTERN
Cast 34 stitches onto smaller circular needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
RIBBING
Set-Up Row (wrong side): *P2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p2, k2, p1, slip 1 (see Notes) with yarn in front (wyif).
Row 1 (right side): *K2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, k2, p2, k1, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib).
Row 2 (wrong side): *P2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p2, k2, p1, slip 1 wyif.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until Ribbing measures 3 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
CABLE
Switching to larger circular needles…
Row 1 (right side): Cable 6 Back (C6B, see Notes), *p1, C6B, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): P6, *k1, p6, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 3: K6, *p1, k6, repeat from * to end of row.
Rows 4–5: Repeat Rows 2 and 3.
Row 6: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1–6 two more times, then repeat Rows 1–5 one more time, ending with a right-side row.
KEYHOLE
DIVIDE FOR KEYHOLE
Division Row (wrong side): P6, *k1, p6, repeat from * to last 7 stitches, place previous 27 stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn, k1, p6. [7 stitches on needles]
WORK RIGHT KEYHOLE
Working 7 live stitches…
Row 1 (right side): C6B, p1.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, p6.
Row 3: K6, p1.
Rows 4–5: Repeat Rows 2 and 3.
Row 6: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1–6 two more times, then repeat Rows 1–5 one more time, ending with a right-side row.
Place stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn, and cut yarn.
WORK CENTER KEYHOLE
With right side facing you, place the next 20 on-hold stitches onto larger circular needles, leaving 7 stitches on hold for Left Keyhole. [20 stitches on needles]
Joining main yarn…
Row 1 (right side): C6B, *p1, C6B, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): P6, *k1, p6, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 3: K6, *p1, k6, repeat from * to end of row.
Rows 4–5: Repeat Rows 2 and 3.
Row 6: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1–6 two more times, then repeat Rows 1–5 one more time, ending with a right-side row.
Place stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn and cut yarn.
WORK LEFT KEYHOLE
With right side facing you, place on-hold Left Keyhole stitches onto larger circular needles. [7 stitches on needles]
Joining main yarn…
Row 1 (right side): P1, C6B.
Row 2 (wrong side): P6, k1.
Row 3: P1, k6.
Rows 4–5: Repeat Rows 2 and 3.
Row 6: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1–6 two more times, then repeat Rows 1–5 one more time, ending with a right-side row.
Do not cut yarn.
JOIN KEYHOLES
NOTE: You will now resume working across all stitches, starting with the Left Keyhole stitches.
Joining Row (wrong side): P6, k1, return all on-hold stitches to left needle tip, p6, *k1, p6, repeat from * to end of row.
CONTINUE
Work Rows 1–6 of Cable section 21 (24, 27) more times, then repeat Row 1 one more time.
Changing to smaller needles…
Repeat Ribbing section, beginning with Set-Up Row.
With right side facing you, bind off in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches.
FINISHING
Weave in the ends and gently wet block.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
LEARN ABOUT BIG MOUNTAIN CORMO WORSTED + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Our Big Mountain Cormo Worsted brings the heart of the Montana Rockies to this project! Spun from the fleece of a single, happy flock, this 100% Cormo wool yarn from Earthstar Farm is a small-batch treasure and a celebration of the breed’s soft, springy, and wonderfully warm wool. A round, worsted-weight yarn with beautiful stitch definition and velvety next-to-skin softness, every stitch tells the story of its place, its sheep, and the care taken to create it.
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of Big Mountain Cormo Worsted knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarn (What does worsted-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to worsted-weight yarn will answer your questions and more!)
- 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, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop wool yarn
- Shop undyed yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of 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!
Could you please send this pattern and further emails to
I have a great interest in knitting and would enjoy further emails…thanjs
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks for reaching out! You can find the pattern directly here on the pattern page. You can also print or save it as a pdf if you prefer, here’s how:
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.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, click on the “PDF” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window. Once your PDF has finished downloading, just click the “Download PDF” button, and it will be saved to your computer! (You can also just click the “Print” button if you’d like to print the pattern.)
I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any issues!
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
In the pattern, which I printed out, I only see the directions for the small size. Normally in a knitting pattern, the directions for medium and large are in parentheses with the correct amount of stitches to cast on, etc. Why is there only once size in the printed pattern? It’s a beautiful scarf and I really want to knit one for my daughter for Christmas, but I need to do the medium size or the large size rather than small. Thank you!
Hi Linda,
Thanks for asking, that is a great question! All sizes of the pattern are worked identically to each other until after the keyhole has been completed. From there you will complete the remaining cabled fabric of your scarf to the length indicated for each size in the CONTINUE section. I hope this helps but please let us know if we can answer anything else for you!
All the best,
Gavriella
This is a beautiful pattern! Would using the Paintbrush Mohair be appropriate for this scarf, so I could match it with the Big Cuff Hat.
Hi Mary,
Thanks for writing in! Paintbrush Mohair creates much softer, more relaxed stitches, so you won’t get the same crisp cable definition that you see with Big Mountain Cormo Worsted. To coordinate with the Big Cuff Hat, I’d recommend a simpler scarf that will highlight Paintbrush Mohair’s soft-brushed look, such as a simple garter-stitch scarf (like the Powder Puff Scarf or the Fringe-As-You-Go Scarf). We hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Allison
I am interested in making this beautiful scarf but am wondering if the Paintbrush Mohair would be appropriate to use. I plan on making the Big Cuff Hat and would like to make this scarf to match. Thank you for your response.
Hi Mary,
Great question! Making a Paintbrush Mohair Scarf to match your Big Cuff Hat is a lovely idea, but I would steer you toward a different pattern. Paintbrush Mohair is so fluffy and downy that it would obscure the beauty of the Close Cable Scarf’s stitch pattern. Instead, I recommend sticking with a simpler stitch pattern and allowing the beauty of the yarn to be the star of the show. Our Keyhole Scarf would be a great match with the Big Cuff Hat, same stockinette fabric, quick, easy, and beautiful!
Let us know how it goes… I’m feeling inspired by this pairing myself! And of course, please let us know if you have any more questions!
Best,
Whitney
Hi, do you have any other recommendations on a yarn to use for this scarf? Thank you.
Hi Joan!
Thank you for your question! Here are some great yarn options that would work beautifully for this scarf if you’re looking for something beyond Big Mountain Cormo Worsted:
Yonder – A classic wool-and-alpaca blend that knits up at a similar gauge and has a lovely, cozy drape.
June Worsted – A plant-based option with organically grown cotton and Belgian linen, perfect if you prefer a non-wool fiber.
Vinter Wool – A slightly finer worsted-weight yarn with a wonderful heritage feel and beautiful hand-dyed colors.
These all work well at worsted gauge and would be lovely choices for this pattern. You can also explore our other worsted-weight yarns on the site if you want even more options!
Warmly,
Megan
Thank you for this beautiful pattern. I’m a beginner and currently stuck. Under “work center keyhole” section, it says to join main yarn. Is there a video on how to do this? I have cut the yarn as instructed after completing the right keyhole and don’t know how and where to attach the yarn to start working on the center keyhole. Currently, my right keyhole is completed and on hold, the left keyhole is on hold but hasn’t been knitted, and the center keyhole is on a needle waiting to be worked.
Thank you in advance. Happy Holidays!
Hi Thy!
Thank you so much for your kind words, and happy holidays to you too! This is a very common spot to feel stuck, especially as a beginner.
Joining the yarn here is actually much simpler than it sounds. Since you’ve already cut the yarn after finishing the right keyhole, all you need to do is start knitting the center keyhole stitches with a fresh strand of your main yarn. There’s no special knot or technique required: Insert your needle into the first stitch of the center keyhole. Leave a 4–6 inch tail of yarn. Begin knitting as instructed for that section.
That’s it! The new yarn is now “joined.” You’ll weave in that tail later when you’re finishing the piece. This is the same basic method used whenever you start a new section of knitting. If it helps visually, you might enjoy our Adding a Ball of Yarn tutorial. Keep going, you’ve got this!
Warmly,
Megan
Do you think I could knit this with a lighter yarn, and add more repeats to make it just as wide? I’d like to keep the beautiful stitch definition though!
Hi Shawna!
Thank you for your question! Yes, you can absolutely use a lighter yarn and add more repeats to reach the width you want. To keep that beautiful stitch definition, I’d definitely recommend making a gauge swatch with the needle size you plan to use and adjusting from there until the fabric feels just right. When you’re ready to cast on, just remember that this pattern works over a multiple of 7 stitches plus 6, so you’ll want your total stitch count to follow that formula as you add repeats.
If you’d like help with the math for your ideal width or want a second opinion on your swatch, feel free to reach out again. We’re always happy to help!
Warmly,
Megan
Just started this scarf, instead of doing cable at back of work, could you do cable at front? I know the cable work would go in the opposite direction.
Hi Clare!
Thank you for your question! Yes, you can absolutely work the cable at the front instead of the back if that’s more comfortable for you. As you noted, the cable will twist in the opposite direction, but that won’t affect the structure of the scarf at all, only the look of the cable. As long as you’re consistent throughout, it will turn out beautifully.
Happy knitting!
Megan
Such a beautiful scarf and the yarn provides such an interesting texture. The yarn looks lovely, but does it shed? I can’t knit with alpaca or mohair because they shed, does this yarn shed. Please advise.
Hi Fran!
Thanks so much for writing in, and I am so glad to hear you like the Close Cable Scarf pattern (and the look of the Big Mountain Cormo Worsted yarn used in the sample!).
The Cormo wool is super soft and resistant to pilling, thanks to being triple-plied for extra durability. It’ll have a lovely soft halo, but it won’t shed as much as alpaca or mohair.
I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any other questions you might have.
Happy knitting!
Hills