Difficulty: Hard
Time: 18 hours to design and knit
Price: $5-10
I learned to knit this winter! After making a hideous Gryffindor scarf (it started out as 32 across. At some point it was 42,) I decided I had enough mad skillz to design my own scarf, because you know, what fun is a hobby unless you jump right into it? Using the leftover colors I had, I decided to make a Pikachu tail to go with the Hoodie I had already made. The burgundy and yellow were perfect!
So, here goes the pattern.
Needle Size: 10.5 US (6.5mm)
Yarn: Worsted
The scarf is mostly seed stitch, but the zigs and zags come from adding and combining stitches. The color transition part – if you have a better suggestion on how to do that, let me know.
S = Slip Stitch
P = Purl Stitch
K = Knit
K2tog = Knit two stitches together
P2tog = Purl two stitches together
Kfb = Knit front and back
…… = Continue K P pattern
The scarf is made in 6 or 4 row blocks that ‘zig’ or ‘zag’ (slant left or right) and increase, decrease, or remain constant in width.
The stitching is slightly different if the row starts with an odd or even number of stitches, so keep track when increasing or decreasing the number of stitches in a row.
The scarf, by block type:
Cast on 25 stitches.
Zig Decrease x5
Zag Decrease x2
Zig Decrease x2
Zig Constant x3
Zag Constant x5, first two are the color transition
Zig Constant x5
Zag Constant x5
Zig Constant x5
Zag Constant x5
Zig Constant x5
Zag Constant x5
Zig Constant x5, last two are the color transition
Zag Constant x3
Zag Increase x2
Zig Increase x2
Zag Increase x5
Cast off!
Zig Decrease
Starting with an odd number of stitches.
Row 1: S P K P …… K P K
Row 2: S K2tog P …… K Kfb P
Row 3: S K P K …… P K P
Row 4: S P2tog K …… P Kfb K
Row 5: S P K …… P K2tog P
Row 6: S P2tog K P …… K Kfb P
This ends with an even number of stitches.
Starting with an even number of stitches:
Row 1: S K P …… K P K
Row 2: S K2tog P K …… P Kfb K
Row 3: S P K …… P K P
Row 4: S P2tog K …… K Kfb P
Row 5: S K P K …… P K2tog P
Row 6: S P2tog K …… P Kfb K
This ends with an odd number of stitches.
Zag Decrease
Starting with an odd number of stitches:
Row 1: S K P …… K P
Row 2: S Kfb P K P …… K P2tog K
Row 3: S P K …… P K
Row 4: S Kfb K P K …… P K2tog P
Row 5: S P2tog K …… P K P
Row 6: S Kfb P K …… P K2tog P
Starting with an even number of stitches:
Row 1: S K P …… K P K
Row 2: S Kfb K P …… K P2tog K
Row 3: S P K …… P K P
Row 4: S Kfb P K …… P K2tog P
Row 5: S P2tog K …… P K
Row 6: S Kfb K P K …… P K2tog P
Zig Constant
This should only ever be even.
Row 1: S K P …… K P K
Row 2: S K2tog P K …… P Kfb K
Row 3: S P K …… P K P
Row 4: S P2tog K …… K Kfb P
Zag Constant
Row 1: S K P …… K P K
Row 2: S Kfb K P …… K P2tog K
Row 3: S P K …… P K P
Row 4: S Kfb P K …… P K2tog P
Zig Increase
Starting with an odd number of stitches:
Row 1: S Kfb P K P …… K P
Row 2: S P2tog K …… P K Kfb P
Row 3: S K P K …… P K
Row 4: S K2tog P K …… P Kfb K
Row 5: S P K …… P K P
Row 6: S P2tog K P …… K Kfb
Starting with an even number of stitches:
Row 1: S Kfb P K …… P K
Row 2: S K2tog P …… K Kfb P
Row 3: S K P …… K P
Row 4: S P2tog K …… P Kfb K
Row 5: S P K …… P K
Row 6: S K2tog P …… K Kfb P
Zag Increase
Starting with an odd number of stitches:
Row 1: S P K P …… K Kfb P
Row 2: S Kfb P K …… P K2tog P
Row 3: S K P …… K P K
Row 4: S Kfb K P …… K P2tog K
Row 5: S P K …… P K P
Row 6: S Kfb P K …… P K2tog P
Starting with an even number of stitches:
Row 1: S K P …… K Kfb P
Row 2: S Kfb P K P …… K P2tog K
Row 3: S P K …… P K
Row 4: S Kfb K P K …… P K2tog P
Row 5: S K P …… K P
Row 6: S Kfb P K P …… K P2tog K
Color transition:
I don’t actually know a good way to do this. Since I wanted a zig zag in the transition, like Pikachu’s tail, I didn’t want to just change yarn colors. Also, it was a scarf and both sides are visible, so I didn’t want stands to go across a back side.
These are the color patterns you want. The first is the to red transition the second is the back to yellow. Both start from the bottom left. If you don’t feel like trying to decode my wacky improv way, you can work a color, and when it changes, chop the end off the yarn, tie the new color at the end and repeat. This way, you only have one strand of yarn dangling from your project at a time.
When you do the first transition, the first four rows are the first Zag Constant block. The next two are the first two rows in the second one.
On the second transition, the first two rows are the last two in the fourth Zig Constant block. The next four are the last Zig Constant block.
If you are feeling brave, you can try the way I came up with. You tie fewer knots with it, but it involves having multiple pieces of yarn dangling from the project. At the end, you are back down to one strand of the new color. I think this is easiest to show visually, so here it goes.
Every time I needed a new color, I tied the new strand to the existing strand and continued to knit with both according to the color pattern.
When it was time to tie out, I tied the end of the finished strand to the strand that was continuing.
I found it easiest to tie the yarn in and out before I made the first or last stitch with it so there was actually an end to work with.
I also made a mock up of the transition out of scarp yarn before I started knitting it in the scarf to make sure it worked.
This is the tie in/out map I used.
Hopefully that makes some sense. I highly recommend threading piece of extra yarn through all your stitches before you start the transition so if it starts to fall apart, you can just pull out all the new stitches and put the pre-transition project back on your needles.
