Valley Yarns Traveling Scarf Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Traveling Scarf

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Traveling Scarf is a knitted accessory designed by Kathy Elkins that measures 6 inches wide and 60 inches long. This scarf is specifically crafted for comfort during travel, making it ideal for use in cars, planes, or trains throughout the year. The finished piece features a cozy texture created by a series of traveling knits and purls that form an attractive stitch pattern.

Techniques Used

This scarf is worked bottom-up, meaning you begin by casting on stitches at the base and work upward to the desired length. The pattern employs traveling stitches, which are created by strategically shifting knit and purl stitches across rows to produce a dynamic, directional texture. This technique creates visual movement in the fabric while remaining accessible to beginner knitters. The scarf does not require working in the round despite its name suggesting travel; instead, it uses flat knitting on straight needles with a straightforward row-by-row construction.

Stitches Used

The Traveling Scarf pattern relies on two fundamental knitting stitches:

• Knit stitch (k): The basic stitch that forms the foundation of the fabric, used on all right-side rows and strategically placed on wrong-side rows to create the traveling effect
• Purl stitch (p): The reverse of the knit stitch, used in specific sequences on wrong-side rows to shift the visual pattern across the width of the scarf

The pattern repeats over ten rows, with a combination of knit and purl stitches arranged in groups of two and three to create the traveling effect. Right-side rows are worked entirely in knit, while wrong-side rows alternate the placement of purl and knit stitches in a shifting pattern that creates the distinctive texture.

Materials

The pattern calls for 3 skeins of Valley Yarns Colrain yarn in the Lt Grey Heather colorway. This yarn is composed of 50% Merino wool and 50% Tencel, a blend that combines the warmth and elasticity of merino with the smooth, breathable qualities of Tencel. Each skein contains 50 grams and provides 109 yards of yardage, giving a total of approximately 327 yards for the completed scarf.

The project uses US size 7 (4.50mm) needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. The recommended gauge is approximately 5 stitches per 1 inch in the stitch pattern, which ensures the scarf will reach the intended finished dimensions of 6 inches wide by 60 inches long.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner-friendly, making it an excellent choice for knitters new to the craft or those looking for a straightforward project. Despite the use of traveling stitches, which might sound complex, the ten-row repeat is simple enough for beginners to master quickly. The pattern works up fast, providing satisfying progress and allowing new knitters to build confidence with basic stitch techniques while still creating a visually interesting finished garment.