Forest Canopy Scarf

A beginner tube scarf in forest green and cream. Wide bands of green are broken by a cluster of skinny stripes, so the fabric reads much greener than a classic even stripe. You knit every round — no purling — then sew the ends closed for a double-thick, 6-inch-wide rectangle with a hidden interior.

The 9-and-3 counts from your sketch are worked as rounds (horizontal stripes), the same construction as your original 4-and-4 scarf, just heavier on the green. About five-eighths of the fabric is forest green.

Skill level: Beginner (knits in the round, two-color stripes)

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight (medium / 4), wool or wool blend

• MC (forest green): 400 yards (365 m)
• CC (off-white cream): 220 yards (200 m)

Two 200-yard skeins of green and one 220-yard skein of cream are typical. Use the same yarns and needles as your first scarf if you liked that fabric.

Needles: US 8 (5 mm) double-pointed needles, or a 32-inch (80 cm) circular needle for magic loop, or size needed to obtain gauge.

The tube is only 12 inches around, so a 16-inch circular needle is too long. Stick with DPNs or magic loop.

Notions: 1 stitch marker, tapestry needle, scissors

Gauge

4 stitches and 6 rounds = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch in the round (knit every round), after blocking.

A 4-inch (10 cm) swatch is 16 stitches and 24 rounds.

Match this gauge so the 48-stitch tube is 12 inches around and 6 inches wide when flattened. Change needle size if needed.

Finished Size

6 inches (15 cm) wide × 61½ inches (156 cm) long, measured flat after the ends are sewn closed.

Tube circumference: 12 inches (30.5 cm) (48 sts ÷ 4 sts per inch = 12 inches ✓).

Flattened width: 6 inches (12 ÷ 2 = 6 ✓).

Abbreviations

Pattern

Notes

• The scarf is a long tube. Knit every stitch of every round. The smooth knit side is the outside of the tube; the purl side stays hidden once the ends are sewn shut.
• Two colors are never used in the same round. Change color at the stitch marker.
• Carry the unused yarn loosely up the inside of the tube at the marker. Do not cut at every stripe. If the carry looks tight, tug the tube lengthwise to loosen it — a tight carry cinches the scarf.
• Stripes in the round have a small jog at the beginning of the round. When you sew the ends closed, flatten the tube so that jog sits on a long fold and disappears.
• Optional jogless join (skip this if you prefer to keep it simple): On the second round of a new color, slip the marker, pick up the right leg of the stitch in the row below the first stitch, place it on the left needle, and knit it together with the first stitch. Knit the rest of the round as usual.

Cast on

With MC and US 8 (5 mm) needles, CO 48 sts. Pm and join to work in the round, taking care not to twist. (48 sts ÷ 4 sts per inch = 12-inch circumference ✓)

Stripe sequence

Work in stockinette (knit every st every rnd) as follows:

Rnds 1–9: With MC, k to end of rnd. (9 rnds green = 1½ inches ✓)

Rnds 10–12: With CC, k to end of rnd. (3 rnds cream = ½ inch ✓)

Rnds 13–15: With MC, k to end of rnd.

Rnds 16–18: With CC, k to end of rnd.

Rnds 19–21: With MC, k to end of rnd.

Rnds 22–24: With CC, k to end of rnd.

One 24-round repeat = 4 inches (24 ÷ 6 rnds per inch = 4 inches ✓). Each repeat is 15 rnds green + 9 rnds cream.

Length

Work Rnds 1–24 of the Stripe Sequence 15 times, then work Rnds 1–9 once more in MC so both ends of the scarf are green.

(15 × 24 + 9 = 369 rnds; 369 ÷ 6 rnds per inch = 61½ inches ✓)

Stitch count remains 48 every round.

Bind off

With MC, BO all sts knitwise. Cut both yarns, leaving 12-inch (30 cm) tails.

Finishing

Weave in the starting tails on the inside of the tube. Leave the bind-off tails for seaming if they are long enough; otherwise weave them in and cut a fresh length of MC.

Flatten the tube into a 6-inch-wide rectangle. Shift the fabric so the beginning-of-round jog lies along one long folded edge.

With MC and a tapestry needle, sew each short end closed through both layers, using mattress stitch or a neat whipstitch. This closes the tube into a double-thick scarf: both public faces are smooth striped stockinette, and all yarn carries are trapped inside.

Wet-block. Pin the scarf flat to 6 inches × 61½ inches (15 × 156 cm) and let it dry completely.

No fringe is required. If you want fringe, cut 10-inch (25 cm) strands of MC and CC, and add mixed bundles through both layers of each sewn end.