Spiral Scarf

nona had to stop the madness, the Spiral Madness.  With great sorrow I bound off my spiral scarf. Although I wasn't done knitting the scarf -- it was so dang fun -- the scarf had grown long enough, the scarf was finished.   The question, fashionable reader, is now -- "What's the best way to wear the spiral?"

Long and Loose  OR >>

I'm partial to "Doubled Over and Through", which do you prefer?  Interested in knitting a Spiral Scarf for yourself?  Continue reading...

Spiral Scarf

The spiral scarf is formed from a series of pie shaped wedges knit one after the other, spiraling around and around.  Each wedge is created using short rows* -- please, please don't be afraid of the short row, once you get the hang of them you'll be buzzing right along.  More information on the YO short row technique used in this pattern can be found here.  The 3 edge stitches on the outside of each wedge forms a slip stitch edging.**

Finished Size
Approximately 3 inches by 62 inches -- hanging

Materials

• Yarn -- Approximately 350 yards of medium to light weight yarn -- I used RY's Cashsoft 510 Clementine (3 balls)
  
• Needles -- Appropriate needle for chosen yarn -- I used US 6.

Gauge
Approximately 18 - 22 sts in 4 inches.  Matching the exact gauge is not critical.

Abbreviations and Techniques

sl1 -- Slip 1 Stitch -- Slip one stitch from the left needle to the right needle.  When slipping the stitch, insert the right needle into the loop as if to purl.
yf -- Yarn Front -- Move the yarn to the front, taking it  between the needles.
yb -- Yarn Back -- Move the yarn to the back, taking it between the needles.
bYO -- Backward Yarn Over -- take the yarn to the back between the needles and then over the right needle to bring the yarn to the front.
Correct Mount -- The next stitch on the left needle is "backwards", the left leg of the loop is in front of the needle instead of the right leg.  Use the right needle to turn this stitch around, leaving it on the left needle.
k2tog -- knit 2 stitches together.
WS -- Wrong Side
RS -- Right Side

Directions

• Cast on 13 stitches
• Starting with a Wrong Side (WS) row, knit the first wedge as follows:

Row 1 (WS):	purl 10 sts, sl1, p1, sl1
Row 2 (RS):	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k9, turn
Row 3 and all remaining WS rows:	bYO, purl to last 3 sts, sl1, p1, sl1  Note:  The bYO at the beginning of the row creates a YO just before the 1st purl stitch.  The YO will look slightly "different", this is correct.
Row 4:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k8, turn
Row 6:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k7, turn
Row 8:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k6, turn
Row 10:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k5, turn Are you seeing the trend here?
Row 12:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k4, turn
Row 14:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k3, turn
Row 16:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k2, turn
Row 18:	k1, yf, sl1, yb, k2, [correct mount, k2tog] 8 times, k1

• Repeat these 18 rows until scarf is approximately 62 inches or desired length.

References and Inspirations
* Other variations on the theme of short row spiral scarfs include Amanda Blair Brown's Ruffles published in "Scarf Style" and Teva Durham's Spiral scarf published in "Loop D Loop".
** I learned the 3 stitch slip stitch edging from Annie Modesitt's Backyard Leaves scarf published in "Scarf Style".