THE PRISMATIC SCARF

This PDF is the clean version—I’ve taken out almost all the pictures so you can
print this pattern easily for use. Please visit the original pattern page at
http://featherandfan.wordpress.com/free-patterns/the-prismatic-scarf/ if you
want to see the “uncut version” with pictures showing the various design features
of this scarf.

This scarf uses an unvented stitch

pattern based on Barbara Walker’s
Woven Diagonal Herringbone
stitch pattern from A Treasury of
Knitting Patterns.

I wanted to find a scarf pattern

other than the ubiquitous My So-
Called Scarf or Clapotis that would
show off a variegated yarn nicely.
Nothing wrong with MSCS (well,
it’s not really reversible, and I’ve
heard from some people that it
curls) or the Clap (well, since it’s
knit on the bias, it’s hard to
estimate exactly how much yarn
you need to finish and knit until
you run out of yarn; also, it’s not
warm unless you make it big
enough to counteract the open
dropped stitches). Anyway, I just
wanted something different!

When I was back at home for Thanksgiving 2007, my mom bought me two skeins
of absolutely gorgeous Manos Silk Blend in Wildflowers.

Once I started to swatch with it I realized that it was hard to find a pattern that
would showcase the colors in the yarn –there were so many different colors, the
stitch patterns I was trying out kept getting lost, and the yarn just ended up
looking like clown barf. (Albeit very expensive clown barf from a clown with a
belly full of Necco wafers.) At first, I thought the half-linen stitch would be nice,
but after knitting up an entire skein of the yarn in this stitch, I realized that it just
curled too much. It looked deceptively flat at first, but the more I knit, the more it
curled.

So that was out. I made another scarf’s worth of swatches with different stitch
patterns. Even my old standby, feather and fan, looked like crap.
by orata / Huan-Hua Chye, February 2010. v. 1.3. For personal, non-commercial use only. Please
do not copy or distribute this pattern without express written permission.
http://featherandfan.wordpress.com / featherandfan@gmail.com

Page 1 of 4
I had been admiring Knitting Kninja’s Dapper Herringbone Scarf pattern using
the Woven Diagonal Herringbone stitch–so very dapper!–so I swatched with that,
and liked it a lot. Slipping stitches is a good way to deal with variegated yarns
because of the way it lengthens color runs and breaks up the sea of blips of color.

I made a couple of little adjustments to suit my taste, though:

• I wanted a stitch pattern that would lie perfectly flat–the slipped stitches
do restrain curling, but after my experience with the half linen stitch
mega-swatch, I was feeling very leery of mostly-stockinette patterns and
wanted a balanced knit/purl pattern;
• I wanted a stitch pattern that would still look reversible in a busy yarn like
the Manos–while Kristen’s version looks perfect in her simple, single color,
the reverse side of mine ended up just looking like reverse stockinette
stitch, as the diagonal pattern of elongated slipped stitches was lost in the
color-barf;
• I wanted a very clean selvage. Mine was looking kind of wonky.

So I added purl stitches to go behind the slipped stitches, balancing the mostly
stockinette fabric, and creating a slipped diagonal rib on the wrong side; and I
added a very satisfying and clean knitted-in i-cord selvage.

I’m calling the result the Prismatic Scarf, for the way it refracts the random
mixture of hues into strong, slanting rays of color.

Yarn used: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (30% silk, 70% merino wool; 50
grams; 150 yards) in 3113 Wildflowers, two skeins

Needle size: US size 8/5.0 mm

Finished dimensions: 5″ x 65″ before blocking, 5″ x 68″ after blocking

by orata / Huan-Hua Chye, February 2010. v. 1.3. For personal, non-commercial use only. Please
do not copy or distribute this pattern without express written permission.
http://featherandfan.wordpress.com / featherandfan@gmail.com

Page 2 of 4
Pattern:

Using the long-tail, cable, or knitted cast-on, cast on 30 stitches or another

multiple of 6 stitches plus 6 selvage stitches (3 at the beginning of the row, 3 at
the end of the row).

I don’t recommend using the backwards loop cast-on, because the first row in the
pattern calls for you to slip stitches; if you really want to use the backwards loop
cast-on, work Row 12 once as a set-up row before beginning again from Row 1.

Begin working either from the written instructions below or the chart:

Row 1 (RS): k3, *sl3 pwise wyif, k3* to last 3 sts, sl3 pwise wyif. (Note that the
slipped stitches in this pattern should always be slipped purlwise, with yarn in
front; this will be referred to as just “sl” from now on.)
Row 2 (WS): k3, *p2, k3, p1* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 3: k3, *k1, sl3, k2* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 4: k3, *p1, k3, p2* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 5: k3, *k2, sl3, k1* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 6: k3, *k3, p3* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 7: k3, *k3, sl3* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 8: k3, *k2, p3, k1* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 9: k3, *sl1, k3, sl2* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 10: k3, *k1, p3, k2* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 11: k3, *sl2, k3, sl1* to last 3 sts, sl3.
Row 12: k3, *p3, k3* to last 3 stitches, sl3.

In other words, on every right side row, slip the purl stitches with yarn in front,
and knit the knit stitches; on every wrong side row, shift the rib pattern from the
previous row one stitch over to the right.

Knitting the first 3 stitches and slipping the last 3 stitches with yarn in front on
every row will create the i-cord selvage.

Repeat until scarf is the length you would like, and bind off. Weave in ends and
block.

The Textured Knitter's No-Purl Mod:

As shared on http://thetexturedknitter.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/prismatic-
scarf/ : You can make both sides of the scarf look the same if you replace the purl
stitches on the WS with slipped stitches (slipped purlwise with yarn in front).
This will give you slipped stitch stripes on both sides of the scarf. Thank you for
sharing, texturedknitter!

by orata / Huan-Hua Chye, February 2010. v. 1.3. For personal, non-commercial use only. Please
do not copy or distribute this pattern without express written permission.
http://featherandfan.wordpress.com / featherandfan@gmail.com

Page 3 of 4
Woven Diagonal Herringbone Rib
Repeat of 6 stitches + 6 selvage stitches and 12 rows
h h h g g g h h h . . .
. . . . g g g . . g g g 11
h h h h g g g h h . . .
. . . . . g g g . g g g 9
h h h h h g g g h . . .
. . . . . . g g g g g g 7
h h h h h h g g g . . .
. . . g . . . g g g g g 5
h h h g h h h g g . . .
. . . g g . . . g g g g 3
h h h g g h h h g . . .
. . . g g g . . . g g g 1

Symbol Key
g Knit on RS, purl on WS
h Purl on RS, knit on WS
. Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front
Pattern repeat is outlined in red

Note: Pattern updated 2008-12-01 to make various improvements, including

starting the pattern on a RS row, putting the instructions for the i-cord edging in
the main part of the instructions, and fixing the confusing symbols in the chart.

Updated again 2010-02-05 to fix error in WS symbols for i-cord edging and add
link to no-purl mod.

by orata / Huan-Hua Chye, February 2010. v. 1.3. For personal, non-commercial use only. Please
do not copy or distribute this pattern without express written permission.
http://featherandfan.wordpress.com / featherandfan@gmail.com

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