Tom Baker wore several scarves during his seven series as the Doctor.

Each one had

its own unique characteristics. Select the links above for detailed information about
each scarf including patterns, knitting specifications and yarn suggestions. There are
also sections featuring the history of the design, tips for scarf construction, a gallery of
scarves knitted by fans (and me) plus some fun ephemera.

This site will forever be a work in progress as new or better information becomes
available. Your suggestions, corrections and questions are always welcome so please
email me.

The licensed scarf replica by Lovarzi is now back in stock! They kindly sent me a
sample last year. It is garter stitch and a pretty close rendition of the pattern. The colors
are generally brighter than the real thing, but it's a great collectible. Click the graphic
below to order one directly from Lovarzi.

Another licensed scarf is also being manufactured by Elope (found at Hot Topic and
many places online). It's not garter stitch, but has pretty good colors. Brown has been
omitted (only 6 colors).

The patterns presented on this site are considered the intellectual property of BBC Worldwide Ltd. The
Doctor Who brand is a trademark of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

THE ORIGINAL
When Tom Baker was cast as the Doctor, costume designer James Acheson picked up
a load of wool and asked a knitter Begonia Pope to knit a scarf for Tom. Perhaps
legendarily, she inadvertently used all the wool Acheson had given her resulting in a
scarf that was some twenty feet long. This unusual scarf was well received by the cast
and crew, and after being shortened slightly, it was worn by Baker in "Robot." The scarf
in its original form was only seen in "Robot" and "The Sontaran Experiment," which was
recorded right after "Robot." This particular scarf continued to both stretch and lose
stripes due to wear and stunts. A stunt duplicate was also created that was shorter and
had subtle color and pattern differences.

SEASON 15
An alternate scarf was introduced and only used in "Image of the Fendahl,"
"Underworld" and "The Invasion of Time." The pattern seems to have been based on
the stunt duplicate but is appended on the end with around 50 percent more stripes.
The colors are similar but mostly darker than the original. It was used in lots of publicity
photos including those from location work on "The Sun Makers" even though the stunt
duplicate was used in recording of that story.

SEASON 16/17/Shada
The original scarf (with more sections removed) was attached to the stunt duplicate to
create the longest scarf to date. This was worn for all stories in season 16 and 17, but
received further transformation, including new tassels, sewn-on patches and one
rearranged section for the untelevised story "Shada."

SEASON 18
Costume designer June Hudson created a new scarf design - and the longest - in the
subtler guise of thicker chenille in a burgundy color scheme. It was worn for the
remainder of Tom's tenure as the Doctor.

PATTERNS

The original scarf was probably sport weight wool, but DK/light worsted and worsted will
work, too. "Worsted" is really a misnomer that yarn manufacturers often use to label the
weight of the yarn, but all it really means is that the fibers were combed before being
spun. The weight of so-called worsted actually varies quite a bit between brands.

There is no reason to alter the pattern unless you knit rather loosely, quite tightly or
want to use heavier yarn. If you must, choose the worsted or the aran pattern. These
are calculated to the most common gauges suggested on the labels of manufacturers.
Fuller worsted hardly looks any different at around 84 percent the row count, but I don't
recommend aran weight. The scarf will lack drape and look more like one of your gran's
afghans than a professional garment, but it will do if you need a scarf in a hurry.
Unfortunately, the options for sport weight wool are few. For that reason I have chosen
to focus on DK/light worsted options.

The original scarf measured approximately 12 feet (blocked, not including tassels) for its
screen debut. Despite the loss of a grey stripe, it continued to stretch to something
around 14 feet for its tenure in Season 12. It must have been around 6 stitches per inch
wide and 8 rows per inch long. DK on a US #5 produces this gauge exactly for me, but I
won't recommend a specific needle size. You will find knitting and blocking a swatch in
your choice of yarn the best way to determine the right needle size as both your tension
on the yarn and the needle size determine the gauge. Take a little time to experiment.

THE STUNT DUPLICATE

A stunt/duplicate version of the scarf was also created that was later used as the
primary scarf and ultimately became half of the super-long scarf starting in Season 16. It
is ostensibly smaller than the original and has some subtle differences in the pattern. It's
narrower at only 60 stitches. For the most authentic replica of this particular scarf, I
recommend switching to smaller needles to make a smaller finished size. The colors are
very slightly different, though this could be due to differing amounts of wear and fading
compared to the original. As it is today, the purple and gold are a tad brighter and more
saturated, the brown is a tad lighter, the tan is less saturated, and the red is a wee bit
darker.

BLOCKING
More about this will be added to the knitting tips section, but for now a little advice. You
might be finished knitting only to find that your scarf is much shorter than you imagined.
Don't panic! Pure wool will stretch 40 to 50 percent with the wet blocking technique.
When knitting the original scarf (Season 12.5), I end up with a strip measuring 11-12
inches wide and about 8 feet long. After blocking, it measures 10-11 inches wide and
about 12 feet long, which is right on target for that version, which will stretch even more
with wear. See this photo for an example of what you might get.
Blocking will make your replica much more authentic looking. The original and
duplicate/stunt version of the scarf might not have been intentionally blocked, but they
were definitely wetted and stretched (more like mishandled and stretched to their limits
if the pronounced ribbing is anything to go by).

TASSELS (11/21/2013)
The number of tassels changed as the scarf was damaged and repaired, but it started
out with 12 (proven by a photo at last!). By Season 13, the now gold end of the scarf still
had 12 tassels, but I haven't quite nailed down the number for Season 14. The stunt
duplicate has 11 tassels. Tassel instructions are planned to be added to the knitting tips
section.

TO SLIP OR NOT TO SLIP?

The original scarf definitely has a slipped stitch edge. Don't let anyone tell you
otherwise. The duplicate/stunt version of the Season 13 scarf does not. It's a little
difficult to discern the edge of the original in the small publicity photo at right, but the
lack of slipped stitches on the back of the duplicate scarf is easy to spot as diagonal
loops over the edge where the rows change color.

I prefer to slip the last stitch of each row knit-wise as it neatens the edge and can help
hide color joins.

COLORS (10/26/2013)
Pantone colors and yarn swatches were evaluated directly against the Shada scarf to
make these color selections. The colors presented on this site do not to significantly
vary from the colors of the Shada scarf in its present state. I do not believe that it has
enough wear or fading to really be concerned about. The intensity of new yarn is
generally enough of a fix. This choice is reinforced by a comparison to the Today
Promotions scarves, the reference for which is believed to have been the actual stunt
duplicate. Those scarves are wool blend and still match the real thing very closely,
which suggests that the Shada scarf is fairly stable despite its history of wear.

Keep in mind that print and fiber are quite different. Matching to coated Pantone chips is
probably better due to the reflectivity and depth of color that yarn exhibits. Color
matching will never be exact even with guidance, and it's virtually impossible to match
how the scarf appeared in the 1970s. You might find these colors dark - especially the
tan. Studio lighting and video recording often made the scarf seem lighter than it is. The
hues in photographs also tend to wander. Perhaps the trickiest color is the grey. If often
appears bluish in photographs, but it is a very warm grey bordering on a deep taupe.
See the example of the Shada scarf today as it appears with some sunlight and in
typical artificial light. Quite a difference isn't it?

These free Behr paint chips found in hardware stores also make a good guide.

red S-H-190 Antique Red

green 300F-7 Centaur
gold 290D-7 Crispy Ginger Snap
tan 270F-6 Fudge Truffle
brown 240F-7 Root Beer
purple S-G-690 Delicious Berry
grey 750B-6 Tree Bark

You can always compare yarn to commonly found red bell pepper, Bosc pear, turmeric,
roasted peanuts, tarnished copper coins, red onion and steel wool. Vegetables and
coins will vary, but these will put you in the right direction. Click to enlarge.
100% WOOL RECOMMENDATIONS (09/16/2013)
Both single brand profiles and compatible combinations are presented here. They have
been tested for reliable gauge and blocking. Best colors are highlighted, and problem
areas are noted. Recently manufactured lots from each brand are occasionally checked
to ensure that colors and quality are the same. Notice that some choices will change
rank or disappear.

Manufacturers often seem to arbitrarily label the gauge of their yarn. They are not to be
trusted. The reality is that there are many incremental gauges to say the least of the
differing textures and number of plies. This creates further headaches for those of us
who like to mix brands, but the updated suggestions are refined to new categories for
easier compatibility. For now, Hobby Lobby options are still included. It is not the
purpose of this site to have a political opinion.

You will find some yarn choices appearing in more than one category. There is a little
wiggle room in the gauge of these, but you should not experience any radical
differences.

Light Sport Combo (09/26/2013)

These are on the lighter side of sport. The resulting fabric has the best drape of any
combo presented on this site. It's my favorite by far. It's great to have this down to only
two brands. Stick to the original or duplicate pattern for these.

red Jamieson's Shetland DK 462 Ginger

green 1 Jamieson's Shetland DK 429 Old Gold (vivid but fine)
green 2 Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport 209 Wood Moss (too dark)
gold Jamieson's Shetland DK 425 Mustard
tan 1 Jamieson's Shetland DK Camel (untested)
tan 2 Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport 123 Saddle Tan (very saturated but great
brown1 Jamieson's Shetland DK hue)
brown 2 Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport 1190 Burnt Umber (terrific)
purple 1 Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport 139 Chocolate Kisses (intense)
purple 2 Jamieson's Shetland DK 142 Spiced Plum
grey 1 Jamieson's Shetland DK 293 Port Wine (could be redder)
grey 2 Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport Dove (untested)
701 Stone (slightly heathered)

True DK Combo (09/02/2014)

This combo is terrific, but beware having to ship all those brands from different sources.
Stick to the original or duplicate pattern for these. Stay tuned for more options to be
identified.

red Knit Picks Wool of the Andes 25284 Saffron

green Sport 25280 Thyme
gold Knit Picks Wool of the Andes 25654 Turmeric
tan 1 Sport 054 Tan (quite saturated)
tan 2 Knit Picks Wool of the Andes 2642 Sandlewood (a bit taupe, great for
brown 1 Sport stunt dupe)
brown 2 Rowan Pure Wool DK 1190 Burnt Umber (the best match ever)
purple 1 Dale of Norway Falk 016 Hessian (not heathered, discontinued)
Jamieson's Shetland DK 037 Port (a bit red, great for stunt dupe)
purple 2 Rowan Pure Wool DK 25662 Currant (earthy hue)
grey 1 Rowan Pure Wool DK 2671 Dark Taupe (slightly light)
grey 2 Knit Picks Wool of the Andes 7878 Mouse Brown (too light)
Sport
Dale of Norway Falk
Classic Elite Liberty Worsted

Light Worsted Combo (09/16/2013)

These choices are very much light worsted - nearly DK weight. Note that Cascade 220
Superwash pills and felts a bit, but this failure makes it compatible with the plain wool in
this combo. Stick to the original pattern for this combination.

Cascade 220 Superwash

red 1 823 Burnt Orange (brighter choice)
Hobby Lobby I Love This
red 2 170 Terra Cotta (technically 97% wool,
Wool
green darker choice)
Universal Deluxe Worsted
gold 12181 Bronze Brown
Universal Deluxe Worsted
tan 1 12182 Gold Spice
Universal Deluxe Worsted
tan 2 41138 Brown Sugar (very slightly brownish)
Cascade 220 Superwash
brown 1961 Camel (a tiny bit dark)
Knit Picks Wool of the
1 23893 Amber Heather
Andes
brown 753 Burnished Gold Heather (too ginger)
Plymouth Galway Worsted
2 880 Marionberry
Cascade 220 Superwash
purple 12172 Dark Crystal (cooler hue than
Universal Deluxe Worsted
grey 1 required)
Hobby Lobby I Love This
grey 2 354 Smoke (good hue, a bit dark)
Wool

Cascade 220 Superwash (09/02/2014)

This single brand makes a very good representation of the overall color scheme in a
washable yarn, but there is no decent green at all. Substitute Patons Superwash DK
12012 Cork for a green that's still too light but much better. Stick to the original pattern
for this brand. If you're not concerned about it being washable, you can substitute
choices from the Light Worsted Combo.

red 823 Burnt Orange terrific

green substitute substitute
gold 853 Ginger Peach low contrast with tan
tan 1961 Camel a tiny bit dark
brown 1920 Pumpkin Spice too red
purple 880 Marionberry perfect
grey 816 Gray more neutral than warm, not bad

Worsted Wool Mixed Combo (09/02/2014)

These mix with no significant difference in gauge between brands - certainly nothing
than can't be evened out when blocking. There's a hit for every single color. This will
work for the original pattern, but the result will be thick. Better drape will result from
using the worsted pattern. The full Cascade 220 combo has been removed because
only a few colors are viable now.

Elsebeth Lavold Favorite

Wool
Hobby Lobby I Love This
10 Flaming Red (brighter choice,
red 1 Wool
discontinued)
red 2 Knit Picks Wool of the
170 Terra Cotta (technically 97% wool,
green Andes
darker choice)
gold 1 Knit Picks Wool of the
24066 Thyme
gold 2 Andes
25651 Turmeric
gold 3 Elsebeth Lavold Favorite
12 Lichen
tan 1 Wool
2415 Sunflower (a bit dull, low contrast with
tan 2 Cascade 220
tan)
tan 3 Rowan Pure Wool Worsted
104 Toffee
brown
155 Beige
purple Plymouth Galway Worsted
8622 Camel (recent lots too brown)
1 Cascade 220
23893 Amber Heather
purple Knit Picks Wool of the
9572 Cabernet
2 Andes
092 Eggplant
grey Cascade 220
25073 Bramble Heather (heathered)
Plymouth Galway Worsted
Knit Picks Wool of the
Andes

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted (12/10/2012)

This yarn is great for wool on a budget and is the best I can recommend for beginners
(much easier than acrylic). This will work for the original pattern, but the result will be
thick. Better drape will result from using the worsted pattern. The color concessions are
very minor - the best palette when sticking to a single brand of wool. You can substitute
any choices from the Worsted Wool Mixed Combo or Cascade 220.

red 23896 Firecracker Heather heathered, too cool

green perfect
gold 24066 Thyme perfect
tan 25651 Turmeric a bit light but perfect hue
brown 25072 Almond perfect if very slightly too red
 23893 Amber Heather
purple too red, a bit earthy
24647 Currant
grey heathered and very slightly too light
25073 Bramble Heather

ACRYLIC RECOMMENDATIONS (09/02/2014)

Low cost and easy care can be had with acrylic, but not in a single brand. Stay tuned for
sport options.

DK (05/04/2012)
This is as good as it gets in acrylic using the original pattern. Many of these options
have UK-friendly shipping options. Note that the sport weight and DK yarns in this
combo gauge the same in spite of their labels. It's all very compatible.

red 1 Knit Picks Brava Sport 133 Paprika

red 2 Stylecraft Special DK 1029 Copper (too rust)
green Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK 792 Moss Green (too green but very
gold 1 Stylecraft Special DK good)
gold 2 Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK 1790 Gold (excellent)
tan 1 Knit Picks Brava Sport 01613 Pumpkin (excellent)
tan 2 Stylecraft Special DK 26371 Almond (a bit light but perfect hue)
brown Knit Picks Brava Sport 1420 Camel (a bit golden and saturated)
1 King Cole Big Value DK 26376 Brindle (excellent)
brown Knit Picks Brava Sport 037 Taupe (a bit mocha and mousy)
2 Stylecraft Special DK 26378 Currant (too red, a bit earthy)
purple Stylecraft Special DK 1035 Burgundy (marginally redder than
1 purple 1)
purple 1063 Graphite (neutral but light)
2
grey

Worsted (12/10/2012)
If you knit tightly and are skilled at steam-blocking, these will work with the original
pattern, but the result will be thick and could lack drape. A few of these are also in the
aran options below, but there is some wiggle room in the yarn weight. The green is the
trickiest, but I haven't found another option.

red 1 Knit Picks Brava Worsted 25719 Paprika

green Bernat Waverly 55013 Bark (thick, discontinued)
gold 1 Bernat Satin 04609 Goldenrod (intense)
gold 2 Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn 156 Sungold (a little thick)
tan 1 Bernat Satin 04011 Sable
tan 2 Red Heart Soft Yarn 9388 Wheat (a bit light)
brown Red Heart Soft Yarn 1882 Toast
1 Knit Picks Brava Worsted 25721 Brindle (excellent)
brown Red Heart Soft Yarn 3729 Grape
2 Bernat Satin 04307 Sultana (intense)
purple Knit Picks Brava Worsted 25720 Currant
1 Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 125 Taupe (it's warm grey, a little thick)
purple Bernat Satin
2 Red Heart Soft Yarn 04044 Stone (not warm enough)
purple 9010 Charcoal (not warm enough)
3
grey 1
grey 2
grey 3

Aran (09/17/2014)
These are easy to find. Depending on your gauge, the full worsted or aran pattern will
be best for this combo.

red 1 Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 133 Brick

red 2 Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn 152 Terra Cotta
green Bernat Waverly 55013 Bark (discontinued)
gold Loops & Threads Impeccable 01613 Gold
tan Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn 797 Light Taupe
brown Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 124 Toffee
purple Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 148 Burgundy (a little red)
grey Lion Brand Vanna's Choice 125 Taupe (it's warm grey)

WOOL BLEND RECOMMENDATIONS (09/16/2013)

The combination of Patons Decor and Plymouth Encore Worsted works perfectly
because they are the same yarn. Their content and appearance are quite identical, and
they're imported from the same place. There are only so many fiber factories in
Hungary/Turkey. The worsted or aran patterns are recommended for this yarn.

The green is a bit tricky here. The best wool blend option is to pick the neps out of the
tweed as you go. It's slightly annoying but not a big deal. If you don't mind mixing fiber,
you could always substitute Bernat Waverly 55013 Bark, but beware uneven stretching
over the life of the scarf.

Patons Decor
red 87532 Rustic
Plymouth Encore
green 1 0138 Mushroom (pick out the neps, too drab)
Tweed
green 2 45 English Fern (wrong hue)
Plymouth Encore
gold 460 Golden Glow (a little bright)
Plymouth Encore
tan 87631 Taupe
Patons Decor
brown 1445 Burnished Heather
Plymouth Encore
purple 0468 Phlox
Plymouth Encore
grey 6001 Raccoon
Plymouth Encore
Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark
of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

THE ALTERNATE SCARF

This scarf is presumed to be worsted weight wool. 60 stitches and 7 tassels have
revealed themselves in a very high resolution publicity photograph I acquired (at right).
It appears to be 12 to 14 inches wide with larger stitches than the original scarf.

With only 60 stitches, I needed a US #7 needle to reach the gauge for that width and
bulk.

Too bad we don't know the whereabouts of this scarf or if there was more than one.
These suggestions will only help approximate it, but you could do worse. Also note that
there has been a pattern correction (09/25/2012). One stripe was off by exactly one
garter rib.

THE PUBLICITY SCARF (11/29/2013)

The information regarding this scarf is still a bit sketchy, but there was definitely another
scarf that was quite similar to the S15. It never saw any known screen use but appears
in photos particularly for Tom's public appearances. The pattern appears to be the S13
portion of the S15 pattern with minor deviations. I had assumed this scarf dropped the
only two brown stripes in favor of simplifying to only 6 colors, but a recently acquired
photo shows that the brown is there. Instead of the chartreuse of the S15, this publicity
scarf uses gold and possibly a lighter purple. No color recommendations are available
at this time.

BLOCKING
This scarf was not stretched in any of its television or publicity photo appearances. A
synthetic or wool blend yarn will be a good choice because it might not stretch as much
as full wool. This should help maintain the unblocked appearance of the scarf for longer.
If you want to wash your scarf, it is still a good idea to block it anyway. Just make sure
to get as much water out of it as possible (gently). Dry it flat after tugging it to the
desired dimensions. If it's too long or narrow, try drying it rolled in towels (think
cinnamon roll).

TASSELS
7 tassels do not space evenly on 60 stitches. There will be 9 stitches between all but
one pair of tassels, which will have 8. All seven colors should be used.

COLORS
With only photos and video to go on, it's not possible to match the colors, but a sensible
representation can be made relative to how the original colors appear. The red is close
to the same, but the brown and green are obviously darker. The tan seems lighter yet
more saturated. The gold has been replaced with a medium, dirty chartreuse. The grey
is much lighter and heathered. The purple is either a true purple or a bit blue-violet.

100% WOOL RECOMMENDATIONS (04/23/2012)

This is the best approximation yet! Best colors are highlighted.

Hobby Lobby I Love This

red 170 Terra Cotta (technically 97% wool)
Yarn
green 186 Kelp
Plymouth Galway Worsted
chartreuse 108 Mustard Heather
Ella Rae Classic
tan 1 138 Garbanzo Bean
Plymouth Galway Worsted
tan 2 25072 Almond
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes
brown 759 Reese Cup
Plymouth Galway Worsted
purple 13 Concord Grape
Plymouth Galway Worsted
grey 751 Medium Grey Heather
Plymouth Galway Worsted

WOOL BLEND RECOMMENDATIONS (03/12/2011)

The following yarn combination uses two brands to create a decent impression of how
this scarf appears on video and in photographs. The swatches need to be updated, but
these will give you a general idea. Expect updates as soon as more colors become
available.

It is interesting to note that Patons Decor and Plymouth Encore Worsted are the same
yarn. Their content and appearance are quite identical, and they're imported from the
same place. There are only so many fiber factories in Hungary/Turkey.

red Patons Decor 87532 Rustic

green Patons Decor 87525 Dark New Green
chartreuse Patons Decor 87026 Honey (could be more chartreuse)
tan Patons Decor 87631 Taupe
brown Plymouth Encore 1445 Burnished Heather (a bit red, a little light)
purple Patons Decor 87310 Rich New Lilac (could be bluer)
grey Patons Decor 87672 Grey Heather

ACRYLIC RECOMMENDATIONS (03/12/2011)

I'm not wild about Lion Brand Vanna's Choice for replicas of the original scarf, but it
serves as an inexpensive option for the Season 15 and should be easy to care for.

red Brick
green Olive
chartreuse Pea Green
tan Beige (too creamy)  
brown Toffee (a bit light)
purple Eggplant
grey Silver Grey
Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark
of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

END TO END

This scarf is simply the last remnant of the original scarf attached to the stunt duplicate.
The two scarves are not the same width (66 and 60 stitches) but are joined
nonetheless. There is some bleaching or fading that occurred on the second purple
stripe of the stunt duplicate side.

TASSELS
The number of tassels changed in practically every episode! On the stunt duplicate side
the usual 12 seemed to survive for the most part. These tassels will space evenly
across 60 stitches. Start on stitch #3, leave 4 stitches between each tassel and end on
stitch #58. More about this will be added to the knitting tips section. The original side
tended to have several strands hanging on that were barely tassels at all.

END OF THE LINE

There was a single garter ridge error in the above pattern, but it has been corrected
(05/13/2012). This version of the scarf got one last remix for the unscreened episode
"Shada." The stunt duplicate side remained almost unchanged except for the loss of the
purple end that was replaced with a new section in light grey. The original side received
a few cuts, and the segments were sewn back together in a new order with one section
flipped to the wrong side. This side of the scarf also got a new end knitted on in
burgundy. Several patches were sewn on. These were made from the the waistcoat (or
the same fabric) that was worn in Season 13 and 14. Rather than a real houndstooth,
the fabric is actually printed velvet.

Click on these for larger photos of each section of the Shada scarf as it is today.
ROMANA'S SCARVES (10/31/2013)

Romana donned two different long scarves in "Destiny of the Daleks." The first was a
duplicate of the S16/17 scarf in slightly different colors. The second was light cream with
long tassels.

Romana's duplicate was knitted on larger needles with (probably) worsted weight wool.
The colors are similar apart from the darker, less brownish green. The grey appears to
be heathered, and the purple is more burgundy. It doesn't replicate the S16/17 exactly.
It has fewer stripes, different row counts and ends in 2 unique stripes. The pattern
presented here is mostly verified (thanks to research by Alex Murphy, David Lavelle and
Alister Pearson). There are no color recommendations at this time. Knit at your own
risk!

I don't know the whereabouts of the first one, who knitted it or why it didn't replace
Tom's highly worn scarf, but June Hudson was able to clarify some details about the
construction of the light cream one. It is simply a strip of silk (or silk-like) fabric with
finished edges and tassels. It's not even a flattened fabric tube.

Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark
of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

THE CHENILLE SCARF (08/07/2014)

June Hudson created the new design that was no doubt part of John Nathan-Turner's
vision for a more polished production. It's the big one, but thanks to a width of only 42
stitches and aran weight yarn, it knits fairly quickly - unless you're lucky enough to find
chenille yarn, which can be troublesome to knit.

There were also some scarves knitted for exhibition, but there are no plans to include
those patterns here.

The pattern has sections that are actually sequences of single color rows instead of the
usual 2-row/single color ridges. This was ignored by the official BBC pattern (officially
wrong) and largely unnoticed by fans until things were set right by scarf enthusiast and
classic Doctor Who artist Alister Pearson, who has contributed greatly to this section of
the site. It's amazing that there are still things left to sort out about this scarf after all

these years.

CUSTOM YARN (06/12/2015)

The custom order chenille is complete. See original Sirdar strands laid across the dye
samples to the right. Unfortunately, the manufacturer produced the final run in a
different yarn than the samples leaving everyone stuck with accurate colors but a
smaller gauge. It's still a great option if you were lucky enough to get in on the group
run. Visit the Stitches in Time group on Facebook for future projects.

TASSELS (09/16/2013)
Yet another quandary has been solved. Well, something closer to the truth anyway.
Previously the recommendation was 14 tassels spaced evenly on 42 stitches, but it
appears there are actually more. The new plan is a whopping 21 tassels! It's practically
fringe. Create each of these mini tassels with one strand of each color. Tie them to
every other stitch to space evenly. The tassels appear to have been tied on backwards
as well. The loop that the strands are pulled through is on the back rather than the front.
This is a very minor detail (possibly an error by the original knitter).

CROCHETED BORDER
The edges of the scarves have a crocheted slip stitch border along the length of each
side in rust. The S18B scarf sometimes appears to have only one border, but it is
merely the border curling towards the front side of the scarf. Look closely in the photo of
Janet Fielding below, and you can see the rust yarn peeking through the back near the
edge where the border can't otherwise be seen. Some exhibition versions of the scarf
have a purple border.

See more about crocheting the edge here.

COLORS (07/01/2013)
A recent review of the original yarn samples for this scarf has been helpful in curbing
some misconceptions about the colors. Generally, the rust is quite close to the red in
the original 7-color scarf only slightly more orange. The wine is a very slightly violet
burgundy (not too purple, though). The purple is virtually the same as that of the original
7-color scarf. The important thing to remember is that the contrast between these colors
is low.

The original yarn information has been hiding in plain site right on the old pattern
distributed by the BBC in the 1980s. These are Sirdar Chenille (acrylic/wool blend) 523
Rust, 525 Wine and 526 Plum. Though there might have been color reformulation,
Sirdar continued to use identical color number designations at least through the 1990s
for all chenille. The core is black rather than the same color as the pile fibers. It is
slightly glossy. Samples of indeterminate year have been used for making the color
suggestions on this page. They're a very good indicator of what the colors should most
likely be.

I've noticed that many fans' replicas get the wine wrong. It ends up being far too red.
This is reinforced by two things. First, the reflective nature of chenille fiber causes
"bloom" on film. This brightens and shifts the hue in photos to the familiar deep red (see
the photo of Janet Fielding below with this effect). Second, Lion Brand Suede was a
popular yarn choice (now discontinued) for knitting replicas, and one color concession
was that a deep red had to be subbed for the true burgundy. Unfortunately, the Lion
colors continue to influence.

Under decent lighting and without color grading, the colors on video are truer in relation
to each other (hues shift but equally) than vintage film or print. It's not reliable enough to
actually choose colors by, but the unaltered screen grabs below give a better sense for
how this scarf should look.

You can also use free paint chips found in hardware stores as a guide. These by Behr
are quite close.

rust PPU2-2 Red Pepper

wine GLR29 Deep Garnet
purple S-G-690 Delicious Berry

YARN RECOMMENDATIONS (08/07/2014)

If you can find aran weight Sirdar chenille, well, lucky you! The next best thing will be
locating some Crystal Palace cotton chenille in the hopelessly discontinued colors of
5137 Cinnabar, 4021 Red Velvet and 9719 Plum. Cinnabar and Red Velvet will be a bit
lighter than the real thing, and the weight of this yarn is thinner (only worsted).

Lion Brand Suede is a little heavier than the right weight and has pretty good colors -
Garnet, Eggplant and Spice. The contrast was a little too high between the colors,
Eggplant needed to be more of a red-violet. Garnet is too light and red. Spice is exactly
perfect. You will need to hunt for it on eBay and elsewhere as it is no longer produced.

Casco Bay Cotton Chenille (06/12/2015)

In spite of no spot on color matches, this is probably the best overall option that is
currently available. Order the aran weight option and probably knit on a US #8. Overall
the palette runs a bit lighter than the actual scarf, and the purple hue is a bit too
maroon.

rust 113 a bit orange and too light

wine 208 too light
purple 119 too light and reddish

Worsted Acrylic (08/07/2014)

If you can't get chenille, at least get some great colors. Experiment with needle sizes or
the number of stitches to reach the desired width. These selections are a wee bit under
aran weight.

rust Knit Picks Brava Worsted 25719 Paprika

wine 1 Knit Picks Brava Worsted 25701 Wine
purple Red Heart Soft Yarn 3729 Grape
1 Deborah Norville Everyday Soft 10 Aubergine
purple Worsted 25720 Currant (lower contrast with
2 Knit Picks Brava Worsted wine)
purple
3

 
Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark
of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

"INVISIBLE" JOINS

Invisible gets quotes because, of course, you can always spot the join, but this one
hides pretty well. It’s not anything new or novel at all - just plain old weaving in.

For best results, slip the last stitch knit-wise at the end of each row. To join a new color,
knit the first stitch on the row with the old color. Tie the new yarn to the old with a
square knot that is loose enough to untie later. Leave about 6 inch ends. Continue
knitting until you’re ready to hide the joins as follows (right-hand instructions):
How the knot is re-tied is critical. It is like the beginning of tying a shoelace only
opposite the direction you’d normally go. Match the photo! If the ends don’t point to
stripes of their own color, you have not knotted correctly.

Without studying closely, it will be difficult to distinguish the joined side from the plain.
They’re almost symmetrical.

The original scarf used 3 stitches before the color join. This will make it even more
secure, but a single stitch plus a knot will definitely do the trick as well as look better.
This join is fairly easy to undo if you ever decide to chop up your scarf into a Shada
version or need to make repairs.

Expect the instructions above to be improved and new tips and tricks to be added soon.

HANDY THINGS

Scarf-O-Matic
Thanks to Kristopher Miller for maintaining this handy tool

YARN SOURCES

Knit Picks
excellent value-priced yarn
Universal Yarn
some of the best colors

Yarn Country
good online store for Plymouth Galway

Jimmy Beans Wool

good online store for Cascade 220 and Cascade 220 Superwash

Casco Bay Cotton Chenille

the only known source for chenille for the S18

IMAGE SOURCES

Tragical History Tour

many photos and video stills of the scarves in the Pyramids of Mars section

COSTUMING

Doctor Who Cosplay and Costuming

redirects to a highly active LiveJournal community

Tardis Dress
A resource for Tardis-based fashions, decor and jewelry

Prydon Academy
Doctor Who Costuming at Dragon*Con and Beyond!

Stitches in Time
Facebook group for scarf makers, wearers, cosplayers, prop makers, etc.