Hunched up against the howling autumn gales, I’ve been knitting. A lot. This will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody who knows me at all.
I’ve been keeping one project semi-secret until now, because I’m writing up the pattern for you, and because I’ll probably initially be putting the blimmin’ thing ‘out there’ via a guest post I’ve got coming up soon on the Deramores blog. (But don’t disappear: the free pattern will also appear here, too.)
Anyway, the idea came from a simple question: what happens when you cross a scarf with a shawl? And the answer is this. (But what to call it? A scrawl? A sharf? I’m liking scrawl so far, but I’m odd like that…)
The shape was intended to provide the wearability of a scarf, combined with the sloping sides and substantial shape of a shawl. I added a fringe to each end to emphasize the waterfall-like cascade of the ends. The sloping sides also mean that the ends of the scarf aren’t too thick – I’m not a fan of cramming acres of thick scarfy fabric inside my coat.
The design owes a tiny bit to this picture in the front of a book, which made me think of painting colour into the world with yarn, which is pretty much the core of what this blog is about:-
Now, for the bad news, for anyone planning to knit one: it’s all done in 1×1 rib. Mad, you might think. But I wanted the stripes to be perfect on both sides. You’ve got enough to deal with in your life without worrying about whether your scarf shawl scrawl is the right way round. Also, ribbing is thick and stretchy: perfect for a scrawl, no?
I made a prototype in Katia Azteca, a soft aran-weight ombre feast of colour, and chucked in a sneaky blue stripe, just to be sure:-
And I checked technical aspects of the final pattern using swatches:-
And then I lined up some balls of a beautifully-shaded wool-alpaca blend, ready to knit. (Lima by Bergère de France, in case you’re interested.)
And started to knit. Here’s the result:-
Now, I’ll be writing up the pattern very shortly, free for y’all, because I love the people I’ve met and ‘met’ through blogging, and I want to give something back. The pattern might be a little different from patterns that you’re used to, in that for some parts you’ll be able to choose between the ‘doing it properly’ instructions and the ‘fudging it’ instructions.
But rest assured, it’ll be just as bonkers as anything else you’ve ever seen at the Twisted Yarn. 🙂
So gorgeous, and a generous gift to us, thank you. ?
Thank you. I’m sure it’s not quite the gift that everyone here would have wanted, but my rusty old car isn’t up to delivering chocolate cake to everyone reading this blog, so a pattern will have to do instead.
Frankly speaking, no one likes cramming acres of thick scarf fabric inside the coat. In addition, laying out the sketch of what you want to make is a great idea.
Thanks for stopping by Bob
Maggie aka Margaret Radcliff is a friend and member of our Knit Knit groups as well as our spinning group. She will be pleased to know she inspired this. Beautiful scrawl.
*gasps* My goodness, you actually know her? That book is one of my favourite knitting books. It’s a feast of colour and inspiration. She is one talented knitter
Ha! I knew it would be worth the wait! 🙂 Plus, Katia Azteca is lush, using it for a blanket at the mo. Although, 1×1 rib? That’s gonna be a tough knit! Love the scrawl 🙂 xx
That will be the warmest, snuggliest blanket ever. Please post pictures of it when it’s finished! (And yes, that yarn is lush. I’m never sure whether to knit with it or cuddle it.)
That is lovely. Beautiful colours. 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
Whoop-whoop for the SCRAWL!! Well worth the wait. It is deliciously beautiful – as is that photo of you as lovely model!! The ribbing is a great idea, I avoid scarves and suchlike that have obvious right and wrong sides – as you say , that’s just one concern too many. How wonderful that you will share the pattern with your both your blogger friends and real life friends too. You are seriously kind and clever!
Thank you, m’dear. 🙂 I’m a bit worried that anyone who starts it will realize just how much ribbing is involved and start sending me hate-mail. The pattern probably needs to begin with an apology!
Elegantly brilliant! I can’t wait to make one!
Thank you! Right, I’d better finish writing the pattern up, then…
Genius! Rather like a knitted twinnage. 😉 May I trade you a cold howling gale with a hot howling gale? I need to cool down and you might like a little warmth.
You may indeed. I’m sure a week of climate-swap would be good for us both. 🙂
I love those colors! What a clever design. “Scrawl” already has a meaning. How about “sharf”? LOL!
Yes, I was agonising between scrawl and sharf! Thank you for your comment. 🙂
The Scrawl is gorgeous, and I love the name too 🙂
Thank you. The 1×1 ribbing was a tad annoying, though.
Beautiful! What a nice pop of color for the colder months! 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
Oh! I’m so excited for this, it looks lovely and is such a wonderful idea!
Thank you, you’re very kind! 🙂
I love it. Looking forward to the pattern, as I have a whole pile of Bergere yarns what I could put to very good use. 🙂
Right, I’d better finish off writing it then! *scurries off with pen and paper*
🙂 Have fun.
Hmm…I really don’t like 1×1 ribbing…but those colours…but ribbing….but soft smooshy happiness…and the size…and that yarn…ok, I guess I’ll be making one! It looks gorgeous!
I know, I know, ribbing is the most annoying knitting experience ever. I fully accept the hate-mail to start arriving within days. I’m truly sorry for the hours of irritation that I’m inflicting anyone crazy enough to knit this.
I’d say that Scrawl is the perfect name for it! I really like the design, especially that you decided to add the fringe to the edges. And I agree that ribbing is the right choice here, despite it being.. well.. ribbing.
Thank you. 🙂 But it is quite hard to escape from the horror of the fact that it is… ribbing.
It’s beautiful, and so is that picture of you. It suits you so nicely!
Thank you muchly! 🙂
Your scrawl ( Oxford English dictionary take heed, you need to update now ! ) is gorgeous, adore the colours and it looks so snuggly. I love that you will be including two sets of instructions too. The ‘ fudging it ‘ instructions seem very appealling to me. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Aww thank you for such a kind comment. One of my friends actually works on new words for the Oxford English Dictionary, so I shall have to speak to her. 😉 I’m not sure she’ll be convinced – they have quite strict criteria about words appearing in print before they can be considered for inclusion.
Love it – like you I hate “one-sided” scarfs.
Gorgeous and practical, and the photos are just yummy!
Love the scarf! I’m a crocheter by nature, but projects like this almost tempt me back to knitting.
Scrumptious Scrawl… love it! 🙂
This is nothing less than I have come to expect from you. It is fabulous and having been lucky enough to see it finished minus the fringe (great add by the way) know how soft and beautiful it is DESPITE the ribbing. I still think it is really worth making. Just so different to anything out there. X
I really don’t knit–I’m here mostly for the witty repartee and the twinnage. But I love reading about the decision-making and planning that went into this–it’s a very generous gift to the knitters out there!
Gorgeous colours and I love the shape of it, so cozy!
Love it!
Simply stunning! I’ve heard them called a “blarf” ~ a mix of blanket & scarf ~ I kinda like scrawl… 😉
Beautiful. I love the name Scrawl.
Love it! I’m sitting by my mailbox waiting for the one I know you have already knitted for me.
Beautiful – I love the colour combinations and it looks so soft and warm. The 1×1 ribbing is totally worth doing if it ends with something this pretty!
Wow! Note to self: learn how to knit!
What beautiful coloring! How long does it take you to knit one, would you estimate?
Ingenious! What a great idea!
Shiny and rainbow = free. I love it :). I KNEW I loved this blog for a reason…”colour”…my reason for getting out of bed. When a quintessential magpie discovers a delicious shiny thing there is no stopping it until it reaches its fill. I have never reached my colour fill yet so I guess you are stuck with me for the foreseeable future…The results of that Scrawl are magnificent and it’s no wonder you are touching it in a most non-threatening possessive way, I wouldn’t want my hands off that gorgeous soft alpaca texture either. Another reason to love this blog…we get a “fudging it” option? Je T’adore! Knitting and I are strange bedfellows. Adding a “Fudge it” option allows me to actually think that I might be able to at least do a line of this gorgeous, heady, unctuous, addictive Scrawl. In 1 x 1 rib it would take me till next winter to get it made but it’s spring here in the Rockies (well, in Northernmost Sidmouth Tasmania…) so if I do a stitch a day I might be halfway through by winter 2015!
Such lovely shades of colour, they go so well together. As so many others, I like the name “scrawl” and the whole desgin. Thank you for sharing this inspirational piece of knitting. And, dare I say, I quite like ribbing. 🙂
Pretty! I can’t stand knitting scarves, but I love shawls–a scrawl might be just the thing!
I am in awe. Not just because of the scrawl, but also guest blogging for Deramores! Well, probably that has to be since you are the well deserved winner of their award 🙂
I feel a bit proud of myself because i am following since a long time the blog of someone who has become famous (and I knew from almost the beginning 🙂 )
And I am a huge fan of sharfs and scrawls. I have actually tried the opposite in the past: Making triangular neck thingies with elongated ends to get the best of both worlds but it did not come to my mind to just chop off the pointy bit in the middle (the one that I am not sooo keen on ) so Thank you very much for that. That has been quite a revelation actually 🙂
Love the scrawl (name and thing itself). I now know that I’m a persistent scrawl knitter – I think hybrids are more useful that either shawls or scarves. And I love your colours!
Just perfect for me! I’m not a big fan of shawls but scarfs and I do like the look of how shawls wander around ones neck!
Oooh, that is a super-gorgeous scrawl! Nicely done. Can’t wait for the pattern! 🙂
I love the word scrawl! And I want one myself. ? It’s just an excellent idea and your work i fabulous!
Awwwww, thank you muchly. 🙂
Frankly speaking, no one likes cramming acres of thick scarf fabric inside the coat. In addition, laying out the sketch of what you want to make is a great idea.
Oh my, I’m blushing! A friend alerted me to your compliments. Planning a trip to the UK in May 2017 and may be near you. Want to meet up?
i cant find the pattern … i’d love to have it.
thanks,
daisy 🙂
Oh no! I suppose it was four years ago, so Deramores probably deleted it. Sorry. I’ll dig out my old laptop and see whether the pattern is still saved on there. Apologies for the inconvenience.
I would love to have this pattern too!