Whit's Knits: Sunshine Scarf
I feel a little guilty divulging this information, as if I'm betraying the whole rest of the spectrum, but I have to admit that I have a favorite color... yellow. And not just any yellow, not baby yellow or lemon yellow or mustard yellow, but deep and bright and clear sunshine yellow, the kind of yellow that emits its own light and whistles its own carefree tune.
When it comes to this kind of yellow, Alchemy is the master, hands down. Alchemy's yellows are saturated and fresh, like pollen-soaked blossoms. Using them to make a scarf in August feels like the perfect way to bring the heat of summer into the upcoming crisp nights of autumn.
While Madeline Tosh's beautiful Tosh Merino Light serves as the soft, neutral ground, Alchemy's Kozmos provides the entertainment, not only with its splash of intense color, but also with its play of texture: a little fuzzy, a bit shiny, and a lot gorgeous!
The Materials
- 1 skein of Madeline Tosh's Tosh Merino Light, 100% Superwash Merino Wool. This color is "Flour Sack" ("Luster" would be a very similar option...). (I used almost the entire skein.)
- 2 skeins of Alchemy's Kozmos, 30% Silk, 26% Mohair, 13% Wool and 31% Cotton. These colors, from the left, are "Canary" and "Michelle's Marigold". (I used 25 grams of each 45 gram skein.)
- A US #6, 32 inch circular needle.
The Pattern
Gauge
6 1/2 stitches = 1 inch of garter stitch in the Tosh Merino Light (before blocking)
Finished Size
84 inches long and 5 inches wide (after blocking)
Pattern Notes
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE TAILS
Although you can weave in all the ends when you're finished, I decided it would be much easier to knit the tails into the scarf as I worked. Here's how...
When you're done with a yarn, cut it, leaving a 5 or 6 inch tail. Then knit the first stitch of the new row with the new color. Knit the next inch or two holding together the new yarn and the tail of the last yarn you used. Complete the row with the new color. Finish the next row and when you start the next row, pick up the tail of the new color that you left behind and knit along with it for the first inch or two of the row.
If, on rare occasion, you find yourself with more tails than this method can accomodate, leave a tail or two to weave in at the end.
YARN AND COLOR ABBREVIATIONS
In the pattern, I call the Tosh Merino Light the "Main Color" or "MC", and I call the Kozmos Canary, "Yellow" or "Y" and the Michelle's Marigold, "Orange" or "O".
Begin
With the Main Color, cast on 415 stitches. Be sure not to cast on too tightly; your stitches should easily slide along the needle.
Knit 5 rows.
With Yellow, knit 1 row.
With MC, knit 3 rows.
With Orange, knit 3 rows.
MC: Knit 9 rows.
Y: Knit 3 rows.
MC: Knit 3 rows.
O: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 3 rows.
Y: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 5 rows.
Y: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 9 rows.
O: Knit 3 rows.
MC: Knit 3 rows.
Y: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 1 row.
Y: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 3 rows.
O: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 5 rows.
Y: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 1 row.
O: Knit 1 row.
MC: Knit 3 rows.
With MC, bind off loosely.
Gently block your scarf, and then wrap yourself in a burst of sunshine!
August 21, 2011
Reader Comments (25)
None of the yarn is doubled in this pattern. They are all knit single as detailed in the pattern.
Thanks so much for your question!
available choice at Purl Bee.
We are indeed sold out of the colors at the moment but if you drop us a line at customerservice@purlsoho.com we'd be happy to email you as soon as we get it back in.
Thanks for your comment!
Flour Sack isn't discontinued, it's just sold out at the moment. It should be back in stock in 3-4 weeks. If you'd like us to email you when it comes in please drop us a line at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
If you'd like to get started right away the color "Milk" would be a good substitute.
Thanks for the question!
Thanks!
I almost always use a long tail cast on. I measure out roughly four times the length of the finished knitting (so in this case, 84 inches x 4) and start my cast on there.
Or you might prefer the knitting on method which doesn't involve a long tail. Here's a link to a good tutorial: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/cast-on
Either way, I recommend placing a marker every 50 stitches as you cast on. If you lose track, you'll only ever have to count up to 50!
Thanks for your great question!
Whitney
Thanks and I love your website...Peggy
We recently got in a shipment of the Madeline Tosh Light and it included a lot of Antler which is a beautiful pale pale gray, almost white. It would be a great background for almost any Kozmos combo! Like, try Cambodian Blue and Blue Moon for a crisp, blue and white look; or Fieldstone and Bamboo for a very soft, neutral palette; or Bougainvilla and Violet Fizz for a whole lot of pop! Or let me know what color family you have in mind and I 'd be happy to offer some more suggestions!
Thanks so much for your comment and question!
Whitney
Sure! First figure out how long you'd like your cowl to be, multiply that number of inches by the gauge (6 1/2) and cast on that number. For example, for a 60-inch cowl: 60 x 6.5 = 390. Cast on 390 stitches.
I'd use 24 or 32-inch circular needle to knit the cowl in the round. And I would organize my stripes so that I could carry the yarn up the inside, rather than weaving in a ton of ends. Either way, it'll be gorgeous!
Thanks for your question and good luck!
Whitney
You will cut the yarn and leave a tail for each color. Please see the "How to deal with the tails" section in the Pattern Notes to see how to weave these ends in neatly.
Thank you for writing in!
Molly
'happy & cheery' mood that your Sunshine Scar does! All suggestions welcome!
Any reversible stitch would work with this technique- seed stitch, ribbing, whatever you like!
Thanks for writing in-
Best
Molly
You certainly can! Thanks for your question!
Molly
Flour Sack has not been discontinued. If you email customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com we'll let you know when it comes back in stock.
Thank you!
Molly