To celebrate my 60th post!

A free pattern for you all! Something nice to celebrate! I will try and get this uploaded as a pdf as well, to make things easier for anyone interested in the pattern. For bigger versions of the pictures here, just click on the thumbnails here.

ZACH’S DOUBLE-KNIT SCARF

My husband (still weird writing that!) is a Virginia Tech grad and when we were dating, asked for sweater at one point. Fearing the curse (he’s a good one – didn’t want him getting away), we settled on a hat & scarf set for his birthday instead. Not knowing if he had a burgundy-with-orange or orange-with-burgundy preference, I decided to make him a reversible set. I made the hat working from Knitty’s “Not Your Grandma’s Double-Knit Hat” and “One Warm A$$ Double Knit Hat", both available free online. The scarf was harder to find, online or otherwise. There are several reversible hat patterns available on the web, but the only scarf patterns I was finding were in books and not quite what I wanted. So, out of necessity, this is what I came up with.

If you’re unfamiliar with double-knitting (as I was), there a two ways to do it. The basic premise is the same for both methods – you are creating two pieces of fabric at the same time. As you’re working, you are looking at the front of one piece, and the back of the other. Ideally, this creates a pocket between the two fabrics. There’s even a pattern I’ve seen online for making a small bag using this technique. I made several potholders for family members as I was practicing the technique. The two layers make wonderful insulation, making it very suitable for potholders, and also resulting in a very warm scarf. My husband is one of those permanently chilled types, so he has loved having this nice warm scarf the past few years.

These are some of the references I consulted as I was teaching myself how to double-knit. There are 2 styles of double-knitting. You’ll see this as you read through the references below. I didn’t use the ‘slip & slide’ method, but knit a stitch from the ‘front’ side of the fabric, and then purled the matching stitch from the ‘back’ side of the fabric. This way, both sides are worked at once, with stitches from each side of the fabric alternating on your needles.

• Stitch Diva - lots of pictures and explains all the steps of the process in nice detail
• Knitting Help – if videos help more than still pictures, this page on KnittingHelp.com has videos of double knitting
• Woolworks – There are a few notes on Woolworks on double-knitting, but no pictures.
• Knitty – Not-your-grandma’s-double-knit Hat – yes, it’s a hat, but it’s got some nice pointers and tips to make your first DK project go more smoothly
• One Warm A$$ Double-Knit Hat – this uses the ‘slip & slide’ method of DK, but if that is more comfortable for you, this has a good explanation of it.
• InKnitters magazine, Spring 2005 also has a good article, but I do not know if it is still in print. If you have a copy, check it out.

Materials:
Yarn: Plymouth Encore (100g, 3 ½ oz, 200 yds per skein - 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool) 2 skeins each color A and B (For VT - Colors 999 burgundy and 1383 orange)

Choose your own school colors, or whatever nice contrasting colors take your fancy! The important thing for this scarf is that the weights of the yarns be the same/very similar. The idea is to get the contrast with the color, not weight or texture (that type of scarf is also possible, but would look very different than this one).

Needles & Notions:
US Size 10 (or size needed to achieve gauge).
Crochet hook/tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Finished Dimensions:
9 inches wide x 73 inches long

Gauge:
16 stitches x 23 rows = 4 inches in double-knit stockinette stitch

Directions:
Cast on 72 stitches. This is twice the number of stitches used in each side. Every other stitch will be side A, and the rest will be side B. Another way to achieve this same result is to cast on 36 stitches with both colors held together.

Begin Chart. I’ve summarized the striping pattern below
1 K selvedge (knit 1 stitch of both A and B held together)
2 K stitches A (each paired with P stitch B)
2 K stitches B (each paired with P stitch A)
1 K stitch A (paired with P stitch B)
2 K stitch B (each paired with P stitch A)
1 K stitch A (paired with P stitch B)
2 K stitches B (each paired with P stitch A)
14 K stitches A (each paired with P stitches B)
2 K stitches B (each paired with P stitch A)
1 K stitch A (paired with P stitches B)
2 K stitches B (each paired with P stitch A)
1 K stitches A (paired with P stitch B)
2 K stitches B (each paired with P stitch A)
2 K stitches A (each paired with P stitch B)
1 K selvedge (knit 1 stitch of both A and B held together)
___
72 stitches/2 sides = 36 st at 16 st/4 in = 9 in.

NOTE: Except for the selvedge stitches on the edges, each block on the grid represents 2 stitches (a ‘front’ and a ‘back’). Remember, you are knitting up both sides of the fabric at once. Look at the chart as the pattern for one side of the scarf, then each time you knit in one color, purl in the other. The ‘front’ of the scarf will look like the chart, and the ‘back’ will be the reverse.

Continue knitting *k1 A, p1 B* following chart until the scarf measures 73 inches long (or as long as desired).

I bound off using only one yarn. To do this, bind off working through both the ‘front’ and ‘back’ strands of yarn, treating them as a single stitch. This acts as a k2tog decrease, and joins the two panels together, instead of creating a pocket. For the edge stitches, work through both strands of the end stitch, again working it as one stitch.

Some tips to help:

• Remember that any time you knit in your main color, you'll purl in your contrasting color.
• Carry both colors together from front to back. In other words, if you are knitting, both yarns are behind your work; if you are purling, both yarns are in front. You only actually knit or purl one yarn at a time. It's just that both are there hanging out together, as it were. It helps keep things from getting tangled.
• Keep your stitches firm and even. This REALLY helps.
• Try practicing first. I worked several pot holders before attempting the scarf. It helps you get the hang of how to hold the yarns and how to keep your tension even.

Enjoy! As always, if there are questions, please let me know. This is the first time I’ve tried writing up one of the patterns I’ve ‘unvented’ so feedback is always appreciated!

And, of course, the standard wording applies. Thanks very much for checking out my pattern. You are welcome to make any of my patterns for yourself, a friend, or charity, but please do not sell the finished product. If you would like to share the pattern, please do not sell it or try to pass my work off as your own. If you make one of the patterns, I would love to see pictures! Please consider sending me a picture, or letting me know on ravelry (I’m oddbird26).