Pam Allen - Scarf Style

A scarf on the needles is the comfort food of knitting. Whatever else were working on, whatever else the day holds for us, we can return to the scarf were making with a sense of pleasure and relief. A scarf allows us to forget about the rigors of gauge. A scarf always fits its wearer, whether it ends up an inch narrower or wider, shorter or longer than intended. Worked in a familiar pattern, a scarf is soothing to knit. If we decide to add random stripes here and there, or we use the scarf as a sampler of knitting patterns; if we change the stitch pattern halfway through, or knit the entire scarf in simple garter stitch: whatever we do becomes a coherent design by the time we bind off. And of course, scarves are a comfort in the wearing, wrapping us in soft, reassuring warmth. And what makes a better gift than a handknitted scarf?a virtual hug to the recipient with our carefully constructed stitches.

To extend the food metaphor, knitting a scarf is a bit like making a favorite pasta dish. Like pasta, scarves can be created with little effort and a few basic materials. You can follow a knitting pattern or cooking recipe to the letter with excellent results. Yet both are good vehicles for creative elaboration. Depending on the techniques you use and the ingredients at hand, you can whip up basic weekday pasta or a dazzling gourmet treat. With yarn and needles, you can create any number of scarves depending on your mood, your time, your skill level, and whats in your stash. Yarn, needle size, stitch pattern, colors, even the direction you work, can be combined in endless ways to create wonderful scarves and satisfying knitting experiences.

Scarf Style is a book of scarves to knit and a book about knitting scarves. Its a collection of patterns (or recipes) for scarves collected from more than thirty knitwear designers, each of whom has interpreted the idea of a scarf in a particular way. Each scarf is individual, yet together they represent the creative ingenuity of these designers and the myriad ways you can think about this most basic of garments. From a traditional scarf whose beauty lies in its timeless stitch patterns to a scarf thats really a pair of portable sleeves with a turtleneck, from a delicate triangular shawl based on nineteenth-century Estonian lace patterns to a striped scarf made from separate knitted strips held together with bobbles, the scarves in this book expand our idea of what a scarf can be. They give us new ways to think about this classic knitting project and, in the way the designers have explored the techniques of knitting to make them, they add to our understanding of creative knitting possibilities.

If youd like to design your own scarf, turn to the Design Notebook on . Whether youre new to knitting, or youve been knitting forever, this chapter can help you make an imaginative scarf thats simple or complex, sophisticated or whimsical. To get you started, youll also find in the Designers Notebook a template for a basic scarf, along with many suggestions for how to vary your design through stitch pattern and colorwork.

At the end of the book, youll find a Glossary of terms and techniques as well as instructions for the basic mechanics of knitting. The simple directions and illustrations should provide all the help and reminders youll need.

So set down your fork, and pick up your needles... a scarf awaits you.

Kristin Nicholas

Kristin Nicholas confesses that for her, knitting a scarf can be tedious. It goes on and on forever and when you look down at your progress, you still have more to do. Devoted to knitting in the round, Kristin decided to use the length of her circular needle to help her out. She cast on the entire length of the scarf and began knitting. That way, she only had to knit eight inches to make a full-size scarf. Working a stripe pattern into the scarf added some visual interest and made the knitting part more fun. And no need to weave in the ends. They can be knotted and incorporated into the pom-poms.

10" (25.5 cm) wide and 65" (165 cm) long, not including pom-poms.

Devon Yarns Julia (50% wool, 25% kid mohair, 25% alpaca; 93 yd [85 m]/50 g): #6086 velvet moss (MC), 5 skeins; #5084 zinnia pink, #2163 golden honey, #0178 harvest spice (rust), and #5185 spring green, 1 skein each. Yarn distributed by Great Yarns.