Malabrigo Barrow Scarf Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Barrow Pompom Scarf

What is Being Made

The Malabrigo Barrow is a luxurious knitted scarf featuring a decorative pompom accent at each end. This intermediate-level design measures 74 inches long and 8½ inches wide, making it an elegant accessory piece. The scarf is finished with two 4½-inch pompoms crafted from contrasting yarn, adding a playful textural element to the refined brioche rib construction.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several specialized knitting techniques to create its sophisticated appearance:

• Brioche Rib Pattern: The foundation stitch creates a reversible, highly elastic fabric with a distinctive textured appearance. The brioche rib is worked using yarn overs and slip stitches to build dimensional ribs.
• Brioche Rib Increases (BR-INC): Strategic increases are incorporated in rows 5 and 11 to shape the scarf width. These two-row increases work within the brioche rib structure, converting one stitch into three stitches over the increase process.
• Brioche Rib Decreases (BR-DEC): Symmetrical decreases are worked at both ends of the scarf to taper the finished edges gracefully.
• Worked Flat: The entire scarf is constructed on straight needles in flat rows rather than in the round, making it accessible for knitters comfortable with traditional two-needle techniques.
• Seamless Construction: No seaming is required; the scarf is completed as a single continuous piece from cast-on to bind-off.
• Pompom Finishing: Two hand-made pompoms are created using a pompom maker tool and attached securely to each end for a coordinated, polished finish.

Stitches Used

The pattern relies on fundamental knitting stitches executed within the brioche rib framework:

• Knit (k): Basic knit stitch forming the structure
• Purl (p): Reverse stitch used in the bind-off row for textural variation
• Yarn Over (yo): Creates the decorative holes and lace-like quality characteristic of brioche knitting
• Slip Stitch (sl): Stitches are slipped purlwise with yarn in back to maintain brioche rib tension
• Knit Two Together (k2tog): Right-leaning decrease stitch used throughout the pattern for shaping and in the brioche rib structure
• Brioche Rib Increase and Decrease: Specialized multi-step stitches that maintain the brioche rib pattern while shaping the scarf

Materials and Tools

The Malabrigo Barrow pattern specifies premium materials suited to the design's elegant aesthetic:

• Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta, a super-wash merino wool blend available in 5¼-ounce hanks with approximately 90 yards per hank. The main scarf body uses 3 hanks in colorway #005 Aniversario, while 1 hank in colorway #037 Lettuce is used for the contrasting pompoms.
• Needles: One pair of size 15 (10mm) straight needles, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge with the chosen yarn.
• Notions: A tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and one 4½-inch pompom maker for creating the finished pompom accents.
• Gauge: 7 stitches and 9 rows equal 4 inches over brioche rib pattern using size 15 needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished scarf meets the intended dimensions.

Pattern Structure and Skill Considerations

Rated at intermediate skill level, the Malabrigo Barrow requires familiarity with brioche knitting techniques, which are more advanced than basic stockinette stitch. The pattern involves working a two-row preparation sequence to establish the brioche rib, then maintaining this pattern while executing strategic increases and decreases. Knitters should be comfortable reading pattern abbreviations, understanding yarn overs and slip stitches, and managing multiple stitch counts as the scarf expands and contracts. The straightforward flat construction and lack of seaming make it more approach