Campfire Blanket Scarf
When I set out to design my most recent Lion Brand Yarn collaboration pattern, I knew I wanted to make something that really captured the essence of fall and the excitement in the air that comes with this season. Being a knitwear designer, these are the kinds of days for which you spend the rest of the year waiting and preparing. Scroll down for the free pattern, click here for the purchasable ad-free PDF, or grab the kit here from Lion Brand with everything you need to complete the project.
I love that New York City has such distinct seasons like where I'm from in the Midwest. It allows for an extensive wardrobe and brings a new rush of excitement for the season to come. But for me autumn has so many special qualities that can't be matched by any other season. The crisp fall air makes me feel refreshed and motivated and brings with it a special mystical quality. Being able to wear cozy knits and actually style and layer an outfit is the most wonderful feeling.
Although I'm 11 years out of college, I still get giddy when I think about back to school shopping. Fall fashion is something I always look forward to, particularly in NYC where just sitting on a street corner and people watching can entertain you for an entire day. It seems like everywhere you turn there is something pumpkin flavored - and that is never a bad thing. Speaking of pumpkins, nothing beats a trip to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard to stock up on seasonal fruits and veggies. Handmade fairs pop up all over and it's so inspiring to see what everyone is creating. And last but definitely not least, the fall season makes watching Hocus Pocus every day for the month of October totally acceptable. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday.
Living in NYC has its benefits for sure, but it also brings a lot of struggles and obstacles that living elsewhere alleviates. The hashtag #thestruggleisreal is seriously no joke. Growing up in Ohio, fall meant playing in the leaves, sleeping with the windows open, cardigans but no coats, bonfires and backyard parties. Fall in the Big Apple is still the greatest season ever, but it tends to last about three days - the only three days where you can actually get away with the "cardigans but no coats" look because the other days you're either really pushing for fall when it's still too hot and you end up sweating like a crazy person, or all of a sudden it's freezing but you're caught out on the street in nothing but a thin gauzy sweater that you just refused to put a jacket over because you didn't get the chance to show it off yet.
When I'm in Ohio I go straight from the house to the garage to the car to a parking spot 10 feet away from my destination and can sometimes get away without wearing a coat even in the winter. It's a weird combination here in the city of not really being able to enjoy nature, but also having to be totally exposed to the elements at all times because most people walk everywhere and don't have the luxury of cars to shield them (side note: man do I miss having a trunk). On top of that, sleeping with the windows open means a restless night full of sirens and people shouting from the street, fall foliage is pretty hard to come by, no one has a backyard, and there definitely aren't bonfires (yikes if there were!).
So that leads me back to this latest pattern ... When I'm designing something I am always thinking about the feeling behind it. Where do I imagine myself wearing this? What does the air feel like and what kind of mood does that put me in? For this design I wanted something that would transport me back to those Midwest fall days of backyard parties and bonfires. What better than a giant wrap that could serve as a jumbo scarf and also a blanket? I instantly felt myself in a dreamy state sitting around a campfire telling stories with old friends and something like that draped over my shoulders. I realized this could also be functional for life in the city as either a super scarf in the streets or a throw for the couch.
I had never used Lion Brand's Fishermen's Wool before, but something about the idea of a cold sea breeze and oyster shucking on a dock while wrapped up in some undyed pure virgin wool sounded really appealing and I wanted to infuse that concept into the piece as well. I guess I always imagined this type of wool to be scratchy and outdated, but to my surprise this yarn was a dream to work with and is actually incredibly soft and squishy. The unprocessed quality of it means it still contains natural lanolin oil which helps with the soft hand of the yarn.
Then I started thinking about the fabric - is there anything more fall than plaid? I decided to go with a very subtle tartan vibe that wasn't too obvious but still added a little something that regular stripes couldn't achieve. After working up the whole piece in two sets of striping patterns, I threaded long strands of yarn onto a tapestry needle and wove them vertically up the blanket scarf to produce a light plaid-like effect. It almost makes the fabric look woven from a distance, which I absolutely love. I also chose to do all of the color changes on the wrong side of the fabric, which I think adds even more of a plaid look to the piece. Then the last bit of detail was added through the fringe. I chose to place a bundle on each corner and everywhere there was a yarn hanging out from the weaving part to hide the tails (anything to avoid weaving in more ends, haha).
The result is everything I hoped for and more. Wearing this piece totally takes me back to a more rustic way of life and it's already been useful for me as both a scarf/wrap and a blanket. You can find the free pattern below, or head here to purchase an ad-free, printable PDF.
MATERIALS:
2 skeins Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool in Oatmeal, or approx. 930yds/850m of another worsted weight, cat. 4 yarn for color A
1 skein Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool in Brown Heather, or approx. 465yds/425m of another worsted weight, cat. 4 yarn for color B
1 skein Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool in Oak Tweed, or approx. 465yds/425m of another worsted weight, cat. 4 yarn for color C
Size US 13/9mm circular knitting needles, 24”/60cm or longer
Stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Crochet hook (optional)
FINISHED SIZE:
Width: 30”/76cm
Length: 64”/163cm
GAUGE:
10 sts + 16 rows = 4”/10cm in garter stitch (after blocking)
ABBREVIATIONS:
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms*
CO - cast on
K - knit
Rep - repeat
RS - right side
St(s) - Stitches
Note: Scarf is worked in garter stitch, knitting every row. Pattern is worked with 2 strands of yarn held together throughout. The color changes are all made on the wrong side of the work. Each group of stripes is worked with two colors, and the color not in use can be carried up the side of the work until it is needed again in order to reduce the number of ends to weave in at the end. Long strands are threaded onto the tapestry needle and woven vertically into the work by going under purl bumps to create a subtle plaid effect.
PATTERN:
CO 75 sts with two strands of color A held together. K every row in the following colors:
Rows 1(RS)-9: A
Rows 10 and 11: B
Rows 12-15: A
Rows 16-21: B
Rows 22-25: A
Rows 26 and 27: B
Rows 28-37: A
Rows 38-43: C
Rows 44-47: B
Rows 48-53: C
Rows 54-63: A
Rows 64 and 65: B
Rows 66-69: A
Rows 70-75: B
Rows 76-79: A
Rows 80 and 81: B
Rows 82-91: A
Rep rows 38-91 three more times for a total of 253 rows.
Bind off. Block work and weave in all ends.
Along the cast on edge, place markers on stitches 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 34, 38, 42, 51, 55, 59, 63, and 67.
Cut twenty 80”/203cm lengths of color C and six 80”/203cm lengths of color B. Thread 2 strands of color C held together onto tapestry needle. Starting at the cast on edge, weave the yarn into the work by inserting the tapestry needle under the purl bumps of stitch 9 all the way up the length of the scarf. Repeat on stitches 13, 21, 25, 34, 42, 51, 55, 63, and 67 with color C, and on stitches 17, 38, and 59 with color B.
Cut one hundred and twenty 14”/35cm lengths of color C and separate into 30 groups of four. Fold each bundle in half, and use crochet hook or your fingers to draw the folded loop of each bundle through the place along the cast on edge where the woven strands are hanging out. Draw the ends of each bundle through the folded loop, along with the hanging woven strand and pull to secure, forming larks head knot fringe. Repeat all along cast on edge wherever there is a hanging woven strand, as well as into each corner. Repeat along bind off edge. Trim fringe to desired length.
Purchase the printable, ad-free pattern here.
Purchase the kit from Lion Brand Yarn here.
Don't forget to share your projects made using Two of Wands patterns on Instagram with the hashtag #crewofwands so your post will get featured on my site and you'll be in the running for monthly pattern giveaways!
Check out the #crewofwands community page here.
The patterns and photographs of items on this site are the property of Two of Wands and are for personal, non-commercial use only. These patterns files are protected by US copyright, and you may not distribute or sell them electronically or physically.
Small batch sales of finished pieces made from these patterns are permitted, but seller must use their own photographs and credit must be given to Two of Wands as the designer.
