Project – Ruffled Swirl Scarf
RUFFLED SWIRL SCARF by Linda Jensen
Machine: Bulky
Yarn: Worsted (1 sk Red Heart Symphony or 1 sk Sensations Casual Boucle or 2 sks Impeccable (ombre)
Gauge Not Too Important For This Project
Tension = 8 or 9
E-wrap cast on 22 sts, L10 – 0 – R12
Knit 2 rws
Begin Short Row Pattern
*COH, short row 5 sts farthest from carriage, K 2 rws**
Repeat * to ** 2X more.
Cancel Hold, Knit 2 rws
Repeat this pattern until the scarf is as long as you want it (I suggest between 60 – 70”), then cast off loosely.
Steam out. With the beginning and ending piece of yarn, smooth out the pointy “bump” so the scarf has a straight edge from tip to tip by folding a small triangle over and sewing it down.
Do a final quick steam and weave in any ends (if you used more than one skein).
Hi Linda,
Bought a scarf from you yesterday at Piecemakers and you gave me your website address. Unfortunately, I do not understand the directions. Are your using a machine? I do not know what the tension is, e-wrap, carriage, etc. I understood that you had regular knitting instructions on your website. I hope you will be able to help me.
thanks
Miriam
This is the hand knit version for those intrepid folks who don’t have the machine:
Use suggested yarn and needle size indicated on the wrapper.
Cast on 22 sts
Row 1, Knit all sts
Row 2, Purl all sts
*Row 3, Knit 17 sts, turn.
Row 4, Purl 17 sts, turn.
Row 5, Knit 12 sts, turn.
Row 6, Purl 12 sts, turn.
Row 7, Knit 7 sts, turn.
Row 8, Purl 7 sts, turn.
Row 9, Knit 22 sts, turn.
Row 10, Purl 22 sts**
Repeat * to ** until the scarf measures at least 65″. Cast off all sts and weave in ends.
OK? This technique is called “Short Rows”. It is one of my favorites because it is so versatile. I like to use a fuzzy yarn or boucle that hides the short row holes.
Let me know how you do, especially, send me a picture of your finished scarf and I will post it.
I am trying to understand, just started machine knitting. You want to cast of 5 stitches, then another 5 and another 5 till you only have 7, do we then do the exact reverse? Add 5 etc..????
The machine knit instructions use the “Short Row” technique. COH means Carriage On Hold – the first step. The carriage will now only knit those needles in Working position, i.e., when you pull needles to “Hold” position or all the way towards you, those will not knit when you pass the carriage over them. So, when you started you cast on all 22 needles and knit 2 rows over all the needles. The next 2 rows, you pull 5 needles on the far left into Hold position and knit 2 rows over only the 17 needles that are in Working postion. Then you pull the next 5 needles into Hold, knit 2 rows over the 12 needles in Working position, and so forth. When you have knit 2 rows over the last 5 needles in Working position, you cancel the “Hold” on the carriage (meaning it will knit all needles), knit 2 rows and start over with the COH and pulling the far right needles back in to Hold.
Needless to say, I don’t know what machine you have, but not all of them have the Short Row capability. Refer to your manual. Sometimes it is called “Partial Knitting” like when you want to shape a shoulder seam. You might even try Googling Short Row, machine knitting, to see if anyone has a short video of the technique.
OK? Hope this helps!!
Okay, now I get it, lol. Like I said, just starting out. Thanks alot, the scarf is gorgeous!!
No Problem! I specialize in the beginner. Hey, without beginners, where would we all be? We were once beginners ourselves for heaven’s sake!
Enjoy this and be prepared for all the compliments!
A friend of mine came to the guild meeting and showed off the scarf she made using your pattern. It was just lovely. I liked the holes made with short rowing it looked like an eyelet decoration.
Thanks for sending her over here to get it! It is beautiful especially in a variegated or ombre yarn, and one of my best sellers too. If you use a fuzzy yarn, the holes seem to melt away. The key is to “kill” the yarn with steam to get the pretty ruffle effect. I use a Jiffy Steamer – priceless.
Hey, Did you ever get a new sponge bar for your machine? I added that comment when I read on your blog that you were having trouble with “clonking” on your machine. Once I had the same trouble, right in the middle of a sweater. I tried everything, then miracle of miracles, a new sponge bar fixed it.