Striped & Spotted Scarf
A zigzaggyknits design This colorful and cuddly warm scarf is comprised of two stockinette layers, each having the same striped and spotted design but in reverse colors. The scarf is created by “double-knitting," a seemingly miraculous process in which you make both layers of fabric simultaneously, knitting the stitches of the layer that faces you while purling the stitches of the layer that faces away. Start by casting on 23 stitches with two colors of yarn held together. You will have 23 pairs of 2-color stitches on your needle, a total of 46 single stitches. Then, knit and purl the stitches of each pair, moving your two working yarns back and forth between your needles, following the charted design. Each square of the charts represents two stitches, one on the fabric layer facing you and the other on the layer facing away. Practice will perfect your technique, and you will develop your own rhythm. I tend to hold one color yarn in my right hand and the other in my left, and I knit (or purl) with the right-hand yarn English style (throwing) and purl (or knit) with the lefthand yarn Continental style. In between stitches, I move the yarns from front to back, or back to front, because both yarns must be behind your project when you knit and in front when you purl (or you will have nasty little horizontal running stitches across your lovely stockinette surface).
You'll need three colors of yarn, "A,” "B," and "C,” and appropriate needles. I used slightly less than 150 grams (330 yards) of worsted weight yarn and US 8 needles, and my scarf was approximately 5 inches wide and 45 inches long. Instructions: 23 stitches with both yarns A and B held together (as described above Each row: with yarns in front slip purlwise the first pair of stitches; work the chart until the last pair of stitches; and knit together the last pair of stitches with both working yarns held together. Section 1: Using colors A & B, complete chart #1 rows 1 through 50 and chart #2 rows 1 through 20. Section 2: Switch to colors B & C, and complete chart #2 rows 21 through 50, chart #1 rows 31 through 50, and chart #2 rows 1 through 20. Section 3: Switch to colors C & A, and complete chart #2 rows 21 through 50, chart #1 rows 31 through 50, and chart #2 rows 1 through 20. Note that chart #2 has a column (on the left) that illustrates the colors on the reverse side and shows how you shift colors from A and B in section 1 to B and C in section 2, for example. Note also that you can increase or decrease the number of stripes and spots. In my scarf, I knit 8 spots (rather than 5) in each section by adding another set of rows 31 through 50 from chart #1. Bind off: With both yarns held together, slip the first pair of stitches, slip-slip-knit the next pair together, pass the first slipped pair of stitches over the next pair, slip-slip-knit another pair of stitches, slip the earlier pair over ... and so on. When only one knit pair of stitches remains on your right-hand needle, cut your yarns and pull the ends through the last stitch and tighten. Weave in ends and block as necessary. Chart #1:
Chart #2:
