After the IWC Knitting Workshop

Double knit, single strand scarf,  knit with Noro Silk Garden--photo taken in backyard

I have completed two scarves using Valentina Devine’s double knit technique which utilizes only one strandof yarn. The scarves before they were blocked were about 4 ½ inches wide by 80 inches long, after I washed them they grew to 89 inches long! I think I made a mistake in rolling the scarves in towels to get the excess water out of them.

The scarves were knit on a #7 knitting needle using Noro brand Silk Garden yarn, which is 45% silk, 45% kid mohair, and 10% wool. Noro Silk Garden is not the softest yarn, but the color changes are great and they made up as nice looking scarves. And of course, it is always nice to finish a project, which is not always the case with me.

Double knit means that there are actually two layers of fabric. The scarf is knit in a circle so the center is hollow, then the knots from the color changes in yarn can be pushed to the center of the scarf to be hidden.



Same scarf with photo taken against stucco wall

The whole scarf consists of four different rows of knitting. The first row you cast on an even number of stitches.

The second row: knit the edge stitch through the back of the knit stitch, *yarn over, knit through the back of the next stitch*, (repeat the yarn over and knit through the back of the next stitch until the last stitch in the row), the last stitch slip the stitch as if you were going to purl it. Turn knitting.

The third row: knit the edge stitch through the back of the stitch,* slip the next stitch as if to purl it, knit the third stitch in a regular manner*, repeat the slipped stitches alternating with the regular knit stitches across the rest of the row including the edge stitch which is a slipped stitch as if it was purled.

Continue knitting as in row 3, changing colors at will. I always knotted at the edge, but that isn’t necessary. If you look at Valentina Devine’s example of double knit edging and cuffs on a black jacket in the last blog, many of the new colors were introduced in the middle of the line. As long as the knot is hidden it doesn’t matter where the color change takes place. Knot yarn, and then knit for a few rows before hiding knot in center of scarf.

When scarf is desired length begin row four binding off. Bind off first and last edge stitches as single stitches, but treat the knit and purl pairs of stitches as one knit stitch in binding off. After binding off the last edge stitch single, cut the yarn leaving a two inch tail and put the tail through the last loop. Hide this knot in the center of the scarf.

Lightly wash and lay out scarf to dry, blocking out to the scarf’s measurements.