Where I’m living we’re in that part of the fall where you might need a coat in the morning but wish you were wearing shorts in the afternoon. In that kind of unpredictable weather a cozy mesh scarf that scrunches down into your bag can be the perfect accessory, and this one fits that description. It’s a stretchy, flexible mesh knit that works up quickly but also looks really special and complicated, which means it would be a great go-to for quick holiday gifts. The remarkably simple pattern and a photo tutorial are behind the cut.
For a 9 inch wide (that stretches to about 14 inches) by 36 inch long scarf I used 3 skeins of Paton’s Silk Bamboo yarn, each about 103 yards. In general, about 300 yards of a mid-weight yarn should be enough for a nice scarf. I used the needles recommended on the package and the pattern worked just a bit bigger than the swatch size on the label. This Silk Bamboo yarn is insanely soft to wear and easy to knit – I would definitely recommend it.
If you’re using the same yarn I am and want to make an identical scarf cast on 52 stitches. Otherwise, just cast on an even number of stitches.
Mesh Knit Pattern
multiple of 2 stitches
All Rows: k1, *yarn forward to make 1, k2tog, *k1
k1 = knit 1
k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
Knit the first stitch as normal.
Bring the yarn to the front. This will be used to make a stitch (the opposite of how I usually prefer to, but it makes things much easier with this particular pattern.) By bringing the yarn forward instead of making one with a yarn over from the back, this made stitch will be properly oriented when you turn the work around to knit the other side.
Place the needle through two stitches to knit two together.
Bring the yarn over the right hand needle and around to the back.
Knit the two stitches together.
Repeat that to the end of the row – bring the yarn forward…
Place the needle into two stitches…
Bring the yarn to the back and knit two together.
Knit the last stitch of the row.
The tricky part of this scarf is switching between balls of yarn in a way that isn’t obvious within the mesh pattern. The method I used was successful for me, so here’s how I did it. When you’re nearly to the end of a ball of yarn pull the beginning of the next skein and overlap them by about 6-8 inches.
Knit with the two strands together as if it was one. My transition landed at the end of the row but it would work anywhere.
A little tail will hang loose, don’t worry about it yet.
After you’ve knit a few rows or are done with the scarf carefully weave in those short tails to match the pattern and use a tiny dot of fray check or clear fabric glue to hold them down if necessary. In this picture my transition is a few rows down from the needle, it feels fairly invisible to me.
When you’ve used up your yarn or reached the length you desire bind off your stitches and weave in the beginning/end tails.
That’s it. This is my scarf (and I hadn’t even blocked it for these pictures!)
This is what the knit looks like when it’s stretched – it opens up into an airy mesh.