PIH ENGAGE Continental-Style Scarf (basic)

Worked flat in the continental style (yarn held in left hand). This pattern knits a clean, non-curling scarf with a bold 3x5 pixel-letter logo across the center reading PIH ENGAGE. Letters are added with duplicate stitch after knitting so you can keep knitting continuous background color and add the contrast color later.

Finished size

Approx 8" (20.5 cm) wide x 60" (152 cm) long (before blocking). Adjust length by adding or subtracting repeat rows.

Gauge

18 stitches x 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette using recommended needle. Swatch in the same border/body as pattern for best fit.

Materials

• Yarn: Worsted weight (US 4 / aran). Main color (MC): approx 300 yards (274 m). Contrast color (CC) for letters: approx 60 yards (55 m). Standard skein sizes vary; plan accordingly.
• Needles (use size to match gauge): US 8 (5.0 mm, UK 6) recommended. Alternatives: US 7 (4.5 mm, UK 7) or US 9 (5.5 mm, UK 5) to adjust fabric density.
• Tapestry needle for duplicate stitch, scissors, stitch markers.

Abbreviations

• CO = cast on
• k = knit
• p = purl
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• RS = right side (knit side)
• WS = wrong side (purl side)
• MC = main color
• CC = contrast color (for letters)

Notes

• This is knitted flat (back-and-forth). Use continental style (yarn held in left hand): to knit, hold right needle in right hand and use left needle to pick the strand of yarn with the tip of left needle; for purl, bring yarn to front and let left index finger tension the yarn and use the left needle to form the stitch. See Continental tips below.
• To prevent edge curling, this pattern uses a small garter/seed-stitch border (recommend 4 sts each edge in garter or seed stitch). The chart width (36 stitches) fits the body width described below exactly.
• Letters are worked after knitting using duplicate stitch. Each chart row corresponds to one pair of knitted rows (one RS + one WS) in the stockinette body; duplicate stitch is applied on the RS surface but aligns vertically with the chart rows as described.

Stitch counts and cast on

Border: 4 sts at beginning and end (garter or seed stitch). Body width for letters: 36 stitches. Total cast-on = 4 + 36 + 4 = 44 stitches.

Edge pattern (choose one)

Option A (garter border): Work first and last 4 stitches on every row in knit (k) for a garter edge. Option B (seed stitch border): Work first and last 4 stitches in seed stitch (k1, p1 across that edge) to stabilize edges.

Pattern

Using MC and chosen needles, CO 44 sts.

Setup rows (Edge)

1. Row 1 (RS): Work first 4 sts in border pattern, k across next 36 sts in stockinette set-up (see below), work last 4 sts in border pattern.
2. Row 2 (WS): Work border sts in border pattern; purl across body sts; border.

Repeat Rows 1-2 until scarf measures approx 28-30" (71-76 cm) from CO (this places the logo near center). You may shorten or lengthen placement; the chart height is 5 rows (see Chart section) but duplicate stitch occupies vertical space roughly equal to 5 pairs of knit/purl rows.

Continue knitting the body until scarf reaches desired total length (recommended 60" / 152 cm) leaving same number of rows after the chart area as before it so the motif sits centered. Bind off in pattern (loose bind-off recommended).

Adding the phrase (duplicate stitch)

Work duplicate stitch using CC on the RS only. The chart below is 36 stitches wide x 5 rows high and is designed to fit across the 36-stitch body exactly and center between the 4-stitch borders.

How to position: If you followed the pattern placement above, your area for the top of the chart should be the first RS row at the top of the 5-row block where you want the top of letters to sit. Duplicate stitch is done on the knit-side (RS). For each chart 'X' work duplicate stitch over the corresponding stitch in the fabric; each chart row represents one horizontal row of duplicate-stitches mapped into two knitted rows (RS+WS) of stockinette. Work the chart left to right on the RS, top row first.

Chart legend: X = CC (stitch a contrast duplicate-stitch), . = leave MC.

Row1: X X X . X X X . X . X X . X X . X . X . X . X . X . X X X
Row2: X . X . . . X . X . . . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . .
Row3: X X X . X . X . X X X . X X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X .
Row4: X . . . X . . . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . .
Row5: X . . . X X X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X . X X X

Notes on reading the chart: Each row above contains 36 characters (3 wide letters with single-column spacing and a 2-column gap between the words). The leftmost chart column aligns with stitch 5 on your needle (after the 4-stitch border). Work duplicate stitches over the knit-side 'V' of each stitch: pull a length of CC yarn and duplicate the shape of the stitch by coming up through the base of the stitch, laying the strand across the V, and going back down through the base, securing yarn on the WS.

Continental-style tips (quick)

• Hold yarn in left hand, tension it with left index finger across the first two fingers or over the thumb depending on preference.
• To knit (continental): insert right needle into stitch on left needle, use tip of left needle (or left index finger placement) to flick the yarn through the stitch to the right needle (a gentle poke-and-catch motion).
• To purl (continental): bring yarn to front, insert right needle from right to left into stitch, then push the yarn back toward you with the tip of the left index finger and draw it through.

Finishing

1. Weave in ends using tapestry needle.
2. Block gently to even stitches and shape scarf: pin to dimensions, steam or wet-block per yarn instructions, allow to dry.
3. If duplicate stitch bumps are pronounced, lightly steam with cloth over them (do not press hard).

Variations

• For a subtler logo, use CC only on the top 3 rows of the chart or choose a tonal contrast.
• To knit the letters in-line (no duplicate stitch), you can stranded-knit the 5 chart rows while holding CC and MC, carrying CC across WS with small floats. Because the chart is narrow (36 sts), this is feasible but requires managing floats/strands.

Troubleshooting

• Edges curling? Make sure border is worked in garter or seed stitch as instructed.
• Chart not centered? Recount body stitches and ensure chart width 36 is centered between the 4-stitch borders.

Pattern rights: This pattern is written by PurlJam for personal, non-commercial use only.

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