Rowan Button Down Scarf Knitting Pattern

Rowan Button Down Scarf by Andrea McHugh

What Is Being Made

The Rowan Button Down Scarf is a knitted accessory featuring a functional button-down closure system. This downloadable knitting pattern produces a finished scarf measuring approximately 17.5 cm (7 inches) wide by 65 cm (25½ inches) long. The design incorporates four metal buttons spaced evenly along the length, allowing the wearer to adjust the scarf's fit and styling options.

Techniques Used

This scarf is worked flat on straight needles from cast-on to cast-off, making it an ideal project for knitters comfortable with fundamental flat knitting construction. The pattern employs slipped stitch techniques to create visual texture and interest throughout the piece. A buttonhole row is strategically placed near the completion of the scarf to accommodate the button closures, demonstrating basic shaping and functional design integration.

Stitches and Stitch Pattern

The scarf utilizes an eight-row repeating stitch pattern that combines knit, purl, and slipped stitches. The pattern instructions specify working slipped stitches purlwise, with yarn held at the back (wyib) or front (wyif) to create dimensional slip-stitch texturing. The core stitches employed include:

• Knit stitch – foundational stitch used throughout
• Purl stitch – creates reverse stockinette sections
• Slipped stitches – worked with yarn held at back or front to build the pattern texture
• Yarn forward (yfwd) – used in the buttonhole row to create eyelet openings
• K2tog (knit two together) – decrease stitch used in conjunction with yarn forward for buttonhole construction

The eight-row repeat pattern is worked continuously until the scarf reaches approximately 60 cm in length, ending after pattern row 4 or 8 with the right side facing. A dedicated buttonhole row is then worked across all stitches using K3, K2tog, yfwd repeats, followed by five additional centimeters of pattern continuation before casting off.

Materials and Gauge

This pattern requires Rowan Alpaca yarn in the colorway graphite (142), with one 50-gram ball providing sufficient yardage for the complete scarf. The recommended needle size is 3¾mm (US 5) straight needles. The pattern specifies a tension of 26 stitches and 28 rows to 10 centimeters measured over the slip-stitch pattern using the recommended needle size. Four 22mm metal buttons are required for the button-down closure feature, with the first button positioned 5 centimeters up from the cast-on edge and the remaining three spaced evenly along the scarf length to align with the buttonholes at the cast-off edge.

Pattern Construction Notes

The scarf begins with a simple two-row stockinette introduction (knit row followed by purl row) before entering the eight-row slip-stitch repeat pattern. The slip-stitch texture creates a visually interesting surface while maintaining the scarf's drape and flexibility. Finishing involves pressing according to yarn ball band instructions, sewing in loose ends, and carefully attaching the four metal buttons to correspond with the buttonholes, creating a functional and decorative closure system.