Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet

Boy, sending mail to Belgium takes a while! I’m so thrilled to finally be posting this pattern. I had to wait for it to arrive in my friend’s mailbox before I could publish it. Enjoy!

Last summer an old friend of mine got married on the Greek island of Paros, which is known for its brilliantly white  buildings contrasted against the blue Aegean Sea. I wanted to send her a handmade wedding gift that represented the beautiful location of her wedding. Since I have limited artistic talent (I am not a brilliant illustrator as she is), I decided to knit her an ombre scarf. Ombre might still be considered trendy, but I know I’m a little past the height of ombre hype.

I had a difficult time finding yarn that was the right color, so I settled with a “Frozen”-esque ice blue. Elsa wasn’t whom I had in mind when I made this scarf, but I do love the colors anyway.

I wanted to try an unusual stitch pattern instead of doing my basic ribbing or garter stitch. I don’t have a great attention span for stitch patterns that take 14 rows to complete, so I found a lovely pattern that is repeated every 4 rows. This way I can set it down anytime and be certain where I left off. I went with St. John’s Wort Stitch.

St. John’s wort is a flowering plant that is used medicinally as a sort of cureall. It’s supposedly good for treating anxiety, depression and cuts. I made this scarf so my friend can feel cozy and safe, so it’s fitting it is named for a healing, cheer-you-up herb.

I hope my friend is able to think of this scarf as a warm hug from her past. We haven’t seen each other in more than 10 years, so I wanted her to have a little reminder of home and of her happy day in Santorini.

Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet

• 1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5630 (or any sport weight yarn in ice blue that is more than 200 yards). I’ll call this color B
• 1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5682 (white). I’ll call this color A.
• 1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 0010 (or 100 yards of any mohair brand in white). I’ll call this color 1.
• 1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 6815 (blue). I’ll call this color 2.
• US 10 needles

Abbreviations:

• CO = Cast on
• psso = pass the slipped stitch over the stitches you just worked
• yo = yarn over (wrap the yarn around the working needle one time before continuing to next stitch)

You’ll be knitting three strands together at all times during this pattern. Start out with one strand of white mohair and two strands of white sport weight. Hold them all together as though they were one piece of yarn.

Colorway pattern:

• 10 inches of AA1 (that’s two strands of A and one strand of 1)
• 11 inches of AB1
• 12 inches of AB2
• 13 inches of BB2
• CO 34 stitches with AA1
• Knit 3 rows in garter stitch.
• Row 1: Slip 1, K1, *Slip 1, k2, psso, k3*. Repeat * 3 more times, Slip 1, K2, psso, k5.
• Row 2: Slip 1, *P5, yo*. Repeat * 4 more times, p3.
• Row 3: Slip 1, k1, *k3, slip 1, k2, psso*. Repeat * 4 more times, k2.
• Row 4: Slip 1, p2, *yo, p5*. Repeat * 4 more times, p6.
• Repeat rows 1-4 13 more times, until piece measures about 10 inches.
• Cut one strand of the sport weight yarn leaving an 8-inch tail.
• Bring in one strand of the blue sport weight and continue working rows 1-4  for 11 inches. This is AB1. You’ll be knitting with one strand of white mohair, one strand of white sport weight and one strand of blue sport weight.
• Cut the white mohair strand, leaving an 8-inch tail.
• Bring in the blue mohair and continue in St. John’s Wort pattern for another 12 inches. This is AB2. You’ll be knitting with one strand of blue mohair, one strand of white sport weight and one strand of blue sport weight.
• Cut the white sport weight strand leaving an 8-inch tail.
• Bring in the other strand of blue sport weight and continue with pattern for another 13 inches or so. This is BB2. You’ll now be knitting with one strand of blue mohair and two strands of blue sport weight.
• Knit 2 rows in garter stitch and cast off.
• Weave in all ends. Block the scarf in the best way that you see fit. I lightly wetted the scarf under running water, laid it out on a towel on a carpeted floor and used straight pins to flatten it out. I let it dry over night.