Stockinette Striped Ombre Scarf

This stockinette striped ombre scarf is a simple, delicate-looking scarf. Stripes in two different hue-changing yarns give it a unique-looking color change.

Back in November, I saw a post on Knit Pick’s Instagram that I jumped all over. Someone was knitting a scarf using two different colored hue-changing yarns. Using a simple stockinette stitch, it was beautiful. It also happened to be exactly the sort of thing one of my sisters-in-law would probably like. She’s way into tie-dye, so anything with a lot of color makes a decent gift for her. 

And I was really excited to see how mine would come out.

So I went to Knit Pick’s website and picked up their Chroma Fingering yarn in Groovy and Pegasus. (Linking to Amazon’s because a 5-pack is about $35 which is amazing. Each skein is about $9+ on Knit Pick’s website, so this is a better deal.) It only took one skein of each color.

I also grabbed a set of US 2 needles (I use circular needles because they’re lighter, but you can use regular needles). 

The scarf was simple. I cast on 39 stitches. For the edges, I used a chain edge described in this video.

I then knitted stockinette, switching colors after every two rows (with A: knit a row, purl a row, switch to B: knit a row, purl a row, etc.), until I was happy with the length.

The problem with this is that the scarf curls and was a HUGE pain. But it has this nice, delicate feel to it. And it’s so long that the curling isn’t a problem for warmth.

If I did this again (which I may do, actually), I would knit in 1×1 ribbing and not block (so like the Noro scarf), OR I would knit in the round and make the scarf double-sided (and also get stockinette without having to purl). Then I’d sew the ends together and add fringe. As is, I decided not to add any fringe because I like it without.

Using either of these techniques, the scarf would be reversible, thick, and have no curling. 

I did get some of the curling out, using various blocking techniques. Mostly, I washed the scarf (since it’s so thin, I put it in a delicate’s bag). Then, I laid it out on the floor and pinned it down using whatever straight, heavy items I had lying around (mostly board games). I let it dry flat that way, then I ironed it. So it’s mostly flat, but not what I was hoping for.

The biggest thing, though, is just how pretty the two types of yarn look together. I LOVE the Groovy yarn. I have mixed feelings about Pegasus. Even though the blues, greens, and purples are the exact same ones found in Groovy (which is more impressive if you happen to start the scarf with both yarns on the same color, then they look like they’re bleeding out away from each other, to meet again every so often), I don’t think I would use that one again. Mostly because the Groovy has so much blue and purple in it and not quite enough orange and yellow. So the next time I do this, I’ll probably go with a different color to complement Groovy. Something like Wildflower, Vermont, or Confetti. 

Anyway, this is her Christmas gift this year, so hopefully she likes it!

And since I don’t have a mannequin, I had to wear it to get a decent idea of what it looked like on:

Despite the changes I’d want to make, I’m pretty happy with it. 🙂

Did you make any of your gifts this year?