Difficulty: Intermediate, involving entrelac and easy color work.

This scarf tones down the entrelac woven-basket look with garter stitch, creating a squiggly texture accented by wrapped stitches in a different color. It is turned on a bias, leaving an impression of squares rather than diamonds. The end effect is a beautiful fabric that is entirely the same on both sides. No accent buttons, beads, or lining, so the scarf is squishy soft and easy. Inspired by the possibilities of entrelac, the fashion and textiles I can’t afford by Mociun and Mer, and the squiggly Jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

SIZE
one size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Length 60″
Width 6″
Diagonal Edge 9″

MATERIALS

[MC] Henry’s Attic Peruvian Tweed [100% alpaca; 600 yds per 8 oz. skein]; Gray with black thread; 1 skein.
Peruvian Tweed is wonderfully soft. The particular color I chose is smoky gray plied with black lace weight  yarn. Any color combination you like will work for this scarf, but the particular reason I like this one is that the plied lace weight is the exact opposite of the CC yarn, and the smoky gray has light gray highlights that come close the color of the CC yarn. Together they cover the entire gray scale. Also, using alpaca in the chunkier garter stitch with the reinforcement of the lace weight yarn helps the alpaca keep its shape beautifully.

[CC] Mystery Yarn [100% mysterious; approx 1000 yd per mysterious skein]; the lightest shade of gray before white; 1 skein.
This yarn was a bargain, and I don’t know what it’s made of, but really, any lace weight yarn will work for this project.  Having tried so many combinations of yarn for this scarf, I find that these guidelines yield the best results:
1. The chosen yarns should be a combination of one fat yarn and one skinny yarn differing by approximately two weight sizes. Although this means there are many more wraps involved, it also means that the wrapped stitches will be more noticeable because the thinner weight of the yarn allows the main color to be more prominent.
2. The color choices should be very different in both tone and hue, since similar tones seem to get lost in each other. The pattern works fine with one color, but might be best as a pure solid instead of a tweed.
3. Skinny variegated yarn makes the dots so interesting that I might make another one using Suri Elegance from the Alpaca Yarn Co., KPPPM, or a series of skinny handspuns. It’s a great way to show off beautiful skinny yarn but not knit with skinny needles.

1 US Size 5/3.75mm 24-inch circular needles

1 Size H/5mm crochet hook
Straight needles can also be used, circulars are recommended if you’re comfortable with them, because working the pieces section by section means the stitches sometimes get very stretched. It also helps to have a little bit of flexibility in picking up stitches.
Optional: 1 US Size 8/5mm double pointed needle or 1 cable needle.
PATTERN NOTES
The scarf’s cast-on and bound-off edges are made up of a series of triangles. Squares are made by working straight and to the side using the entrelac technique to create the shape of the scarf.
To make cluster with CC yarn:
without dpn: bring CC yarn forward, slip next 2 sts on to RH needle, move CC yarn to back, slip the same 2 sts back on to the LH needle and repeat 5 to 10 times or until desired effect is achievedorwith dpn: k next 2 sts and transfer 2 sts just knitted onto dpn; then wind CC yarn 6 – 10 times counterclockwise around these 2 sts, and return sts to RH needle.

After cluster is made, the first 2 sts worked are the 2 wrapped sts.

To pick up extra bit of MC yarn:
After cluster is made, the MC yarn is draped over the wrapped stitches in the back. To remedy this, in each row on the wrong side of the wrapped row, all stitches are knitted until the last stitch, the extra bit of the MC yarn is pulled up by the right needle onto the left needle, the last st knitted is slipped back onto the left needle so that the extra bit can be passed over the slipped st. The st is then put back on the right needle.PATTERNWith MC and CC held together, CO 32 sts.Base Triangles
Row 1 (RS): k2, turn. Row 2: sl 1 pwise, k1. Row 3: k3, turn. Row 4: sl 1 pwise, k2. Row 5: k4, turn. Row 6: sl 1 pwise, k3. Row 7: k5, turn. Row 8: sl 1 pwise, k4. Row 9: k6, turn. Row 10: sl 1 pwise, k5. Row 11: k1, make cluster, k6, turn. Row 12: sl 1 pwise, k5, pick up extra bit of MC yarn, k1. Row 13: k10 (the last st of the first triangle and the first 2 sts of the next triangle).
Beg with Row 2, rep Rows 2-13 twice more. Work Rows 2-12 once more. Next row: k8, turn. BO 8 sts, do not turn.
Squares Knit Straight
Row 1 (WS): pick up and knit 7 sts turn. Row 2: knit 8, turn. Row 3: K7, ssk, turn. Rep Rows 2 and 3, 5 more times. Next row: K1, make cluster, k6, ssk, turn.  Next row: k7, pick up extra bit of MC yarn, k1. Next row: k7, ssk  (do not turn) pick up and knit 8 sts, turn.
Rep from Row 2, twice more.
Next row: k8, turn. Work even in Garter st for 12 rows. Next row: k1, make cluster, k6. Next row: k7, turn. Next row: k7, pick up extra bit of MC yarn, k1. BO 8 sts.
Squares Knit to the Side
At the beginning of each row of squares knitted to the side, CO 8. Row 1: k7, ssk, turn. Row 2: k8, turn. Rep Rows 1 and 2, 5 more times. Next row: k1, make cluster, k6, ssk, turn. Next row: k7, pick up extra bit of MC yarn, k1. Next row:k7, ssk (do not turn) pick up and knit 8 sts, turn.Row 1: k8, turn. Row 2: k7, ssk, turn. Rep Rows 2 and 3, 5 more times. Next row: K1, make cluster, k6, ssk, turn. Next row: k7, pick up extra bit of MC yarn, k1. Next row:k7, ssk, pick up and knit 8 sts.Rep from Row 2 twice more.
Continue alternating between squares knitted to the side and squares knitted straight desired length is achieved, ending after a row of Squares Knit to the Side.End Triangles
Row 1: with one stitch rem (from last BO row), pick up and knit 7 sts, turn. Row 2: k8, turn. Row 3: ssk, k5, ssk. Row 4: k7, turn. Row 5: ssk, k4, ssk, turn. Row 6: k6, turn. Row 7: ssk, k3, ssk, turn. Row 8: k5, turn. Row 9: ssk, k2, ssk, turn. Row 10: k4, turn. Row 11: ssk, k1, ssk, turn. Row 12: k3, turn. Row 13: ssk, ssk, turn. Row 14: k2, turn. Row 15: ssk, turn. Row 16: k1, turn.Rep from Row 1, twice; then cont as foll:Row 1: with one stitch rem (from last BO row), pick up and knit 7 sts, turn. Row 2: k8, turn. Row 3: ssk, k6, turn. Row 4: k7, turn. Row 5: ssk, k5, turn. Row 6: k6, turn. Row 7: ssk, k4, turn. Row 8: k5, turn. Row 9: ssk, k3, turn. Row 10: k4, turn. Row 11: ssk, k2, turn. Row 12: k3, turn. Row 13: ssk, k1, turn. Row 14: k2, turn. Row 15: ssk. Fasten off.

FINISHING

Work one row of single crochet on each of the short edges to stabilize and match edges. Weave in ends, block as desired.
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