A handknit duet between two exceptional camelid-fiber yarns, our Intermezzo Scarf pairs our new Simply Alpaca, playing solo, with our beloved Simply Camel, in harmony. Contrasting yet deeply compatible, both are radiant in their natural, undyed splendor.

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

These two fibers, Peruvian black alpaca and Mongolian baby camel, share certain characteristics unique to camelids: a soft, relaxed hand, a glorious natural luster, and a lush halo that blooms above the surface of the fabric. Linen stitch is a natural showcase for these qualities, a meditative stitch pattern that creates a dense, woven-looking fabric with a beautiful, flowing drape.

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

You knit this scarf lengthwise, alternating sections of linen stitch worked in both yarns with interludes that allow Simply Alpaca to shine on its own. A tidy, short fringe in Simply Alpaca is the composition’s perfect coda, continuing the nod to elegant woven scarves.

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Rich and resonant, Simply Alpaca is a warm, black-key ebony, so dark that it drinks in the light almost completely. This amazing color comes directly from the rare black alpacas that grow this singularly beautiful fiber, making up less than 1% of the total alpaca population. Though spun into a light, fingering-weight yarn, this superfine alpaca holds surprising warmth—a natural property of heat-trapping camelid fibers—and is also exceptionally soft.

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Beautiful black alpacas, who grow the fiber for our new Simply Alpaca yarn | Photo courtesy of our mill in Peru

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Simply Camel is the perfect accompaniment, offering a desert glow to Simply Alpaca’s midnight luster. It’s made from some of the softest, purest camel fiber there is, humanely gathered from the downy undercoat of baby camels living in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert and spun into a lofty, fingering-weight yarn.

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Both of these undyed yarns will give you true tactile pleasure, along with the satisfaction of knitting with fibers so deeply connected to their origins. Pick up eight 50-gram balls of Simply Alpaca and just one 50-gram skein of Simply Camel to knit this harmonious expression of nature’s beauty.

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!

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’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

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho
  • Yarn A: 8 balls of Purl Soho’s Simply Alpaca, 100% undyed alpaca yarn. Each ball of this fingering-weight yarn is 164 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 1,275 yards required.
  • Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Simply Camel, 100% baby camel yarn. Each skein of this fingering-weight yarn is 164 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 164 yards required.
  • US 3 (3.25 mm), 60-inch circular knitting needles
  • A spare US 4 (3.5 mm) or larger needle, for binding off
  • A small crochet hook (for fringe)

GAUGE

36 stitches and 64 rows = 4 inches in One-Color Linen Stitch (see Notes)

SIZE

Finished Dimensions: 15½ inches wide x 63 inches long, excluding fringe

NOTE: You work this wrap lengthwise, so the width listed above corresponds to the number of rows, and the length corresponds with the cast-on edge.

NOTES

STITCH MULTIPLE

This pattern works over an odd number of stitches.

SLIP STITCHES

Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.

TURN + SLIDE

When you work the Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch Pattern, you either “slide” or “turn” the work at the end of each row.

“Turn work” means to do what you would normally do when knitting rows with circular needles: Transfer the needle from your left hand into your right hand and the needle from your right hand into your left, flipping the work around so the opposite side is facing you.

“Slide work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you and to push all the stitches to the right end of the circular needles. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.

You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is right there waiting for you! To see this technique in action, visit our Turn + Slide Tutorial.

STITCH PATTERNS

NOTE: Because you’ll be referencing these stitches throughout the pattern instructions, we highly recommend printing this pattern out so you don’t have to scroll back and forth. You’ll find some helpful tips for printing above the Materials section!

ONE-COLOR LINEN STITCH

Row 1: (wrong side): Slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif), *p1, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif.

Row 2 (right side): *K1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.

TWO-COLOR SPACED-OUT LINEN STITCH

Row 1 (wrong side): With Yarn A, slip 1 wyif, *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif. Turn work.

Row 2 (right side): Crossing Yarn B below Yarn A (A is in front of B), use Yarn B to *k1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. Slide work.

Row 3 (right side): With Yarn A, slip 1 wyib, *k1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1, slip 1 wyib. Turn work.

Row 4 (wrong side): Crossing Yarn A below Yarn B (B is in front of A), use Yarn A to *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch p1. Turn work.

Row 5 (right side): With Yarn A, repeat Row 3. Turn work.

Row 6 (wrong side): Crossing Yarn B below Yarn A (A is in front of B), use Yarn B to *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, p1. Slide work.

Row 7 (wrong side): With Yarn A, slip 1 wyif, *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif. Turn work.

Row 8 (right side): Crossing Yarn A below Yarn B (B is in front of A), use Yarn A to *k1, slip 1wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. Turn work.

PATTERN

With Yarn A, cast on 567 stitches onto main needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

A little tip: When you’re casting on so many stitches, it helps to place a marker or piece of scrap yarn every 50 stitches, so if/when you lose your place, you don’t have to start counting from the very beginning!

**Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.

With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 5 times, ending with Row 2.

Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 2 times, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.

With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 10 times, ending with Row 2.

Repeat from ** 4 more times.

Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.

With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 5 times, ending with Row 2.

Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 2 times, then repeat Row 1 one more time. Cut Yarn B.

With right side facing you, use larger spare needle to bind off in pattern to end of row, knitting the knit stitches and slipping the slip stitches.

FINISHING

Weave in ends and gently wet block.

FRINGE

Cut four 4-inch strands of Yarn A. With wrong side facing you, insert crochet hook into selvage slip stitch at bottom corner of cast-on edge. Holding strands together, fold them in half, and use crochet hook to grab folded midpoint through to wrong side of work, forming a loop. Pass strand’s tails through loop and pull gently to tighten.

Repeat these steps 32 more times, placing fringe every 5th slip stitch along the same selvage.

Repeat along other selvage.

Trim all fringe to 1½ inches, and you’re done!

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

Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho
Intermezzo Scarf | Purl Soho

Learn About Simply Alpaca, Simply Camel + All Our Beautiful Yarns

To knit your Intermezzo Scarf, you’ll need eight 50-gram balls of Simply Alpaca and one 50-gram ball of Simply Camel. Together these two camelid-fiber fingering-weight yarns make an incredibly soft, radiant fabric with a glorious halo and beautiful, flowing drape. Each of these undyed yarns comes in just one magnificent, straight-from-nature color: Simply Alpaca is 100% black alpaca, inky as an endless night sky; while Simply Camel is 100% baby camel and is, of course, a beautiful rich camel color. Cast on for this free knitting pattern and experience the natural beauty of these two very special yarns together!

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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!