Apparently “circle” or “tube” scarves are very fashionable right now.  Never one to miss a hot fashion trend, I decided to make my own in preparation for my Thanksgiving trip home to Chicago.  Since moving to California, I am a total wuss, and cannot handle the cold at all.  Made from The Plucky Knitter’s Aran Cashmere yarn, this scarf was so warm and cozy that I practically never took it off the whole trip!  The long cables in the pattern reminded me of frosting ripples on a cupcake, hence the name.  =)

Frosting Scarf

Yarn: 3 skeins of The Plucky Knitter Aran Cashmere (300 yards total), pictured here in the color “Blue Spray”

Substitutions: Plucky Knitter can be kind of difficult to obtain, but this scarf would work well in many other soft yarns as well.  For example, Sundara Yarn’s Aran Silky Merino or Madelinetosh Pastoral would make a nice soft version, though perhaps with a bit more drape.   Madelinetosh Eyre is another nice soft option that would make a slightly fuzzier scarf.  An alpaca yarn might be a nice choice too.

Needles: U.S. Size 9

Gauge: Approximately 16 st/20 rows per 4″

Finished dimensions: 6.5″ by 48″ (circumference)

Casting on:

This scarf is begun by using a provisional cast-on.  I did this by crocheting a chain of stitches in worsted weight, and then knitting the starting stitches into the bumps on the back of each crochet stitch.  This method is great, because in the end, you can just tug on the end of the chain and the stitches come right out.  Be careful though, that you don’t end up pulling out some of the chain while knitting (which I did and subsequently had to put those stitches on some waste yarn).

For the pictured scarf, I cast on 38 stitches.  The width of this scarf can easily be modified by adding or subtracting multiples of 6 stitches.  When laid flat, the scarf looks fairly wide, however, the fabric tends to curl in on itself, so you may want to cast on more than you would otherwise expect.  The curling adds to the squishiness factor of the scarf.

Cable pattern:

With the exception of the very first row of the scarf, each row starts by slipping the first stitch to create a neat selvedge edge on both sides.  Each right side row should end with a k1.  I highly encourage learning how to cable without a cable needle, as it is much quicker.

C6F:  With right needle behind, insert right needle into the 4th, 5th, and 6th stitches on the left needle.  Use your right hand to pinch the 3 stitches that you have just skipped.  Withdraw the left needle from all six stitches, then with the left needle in front, insert the left needle into the first 3 stitches, then place the slipped stitches held on the right needle back on the left needle and knit them in the new order.

C6B:  With the right needle in front, insert right needle into the 4th, 5th, and 6th stitches on the left needle.  Use your right hand to pinch the 3 stitches that were just skipped.  Withdraw the left needle from all six stitches, then with the left needle in back, insert the left needle into the first 3 stitches, then place the slipped stitches held on the right needle back on the left needle and knit them in the new order.

The cable pattern is worked over 12 rows as follows:

Row 1, 5, 7, 11: sl 1, k to end
Row 2 and all even rows: sl 1, p to end
Row 3: sl 1, *C6F, k6* repeat between ** until one stitch left, k1
Row 9: sl 1, *k6, C6B* repeat between ** until one stitch left, k1

Simply work the cable pattern until you have reached the desired length, or you are almost out of yarn.

Finishing:

Pick up the first row of the scarf as you undo the crochet chain.  Graft the two ends together using the Kitchener stitch.

If you plan to mostly wear the scarf doubled, you may wish to twist one end around once, making the scarf a mobius, otherwise there will be a twist each time you double the scarf around your neck.

Weave in the ends, preferably leaving the last bits close to the edge, where the curl of the scarf will hide them.

Wearing the scarf:

One great thing about this style is its versatility.  For the most part, I wear it doubled, like a thick cowl.  Doubled, you can also pull one loop tighter than the other to give it a more traditional scarf look.  However, you can also wear it in a large single loop.  If your ears are cold. you can wrap once around your neck and then bring the end up like a hood or headband.  Really, is there any wrong way to wear squishy cashmere around your neck? =)