Worn pinned over a winter coat or warm sweater, this neck-warmer length scarf is a great introduction to knitting Fairisle
in the round. There are only ever three stitches worked in each shade and the pattern is really simple.

It forms a short, tubular scarf which is very light but also extremely warm, as the yarn is held double, and Fairisle basically doubles the depth of the fabric. The background is colour-washed. I used three toning shades of blue from darkest Turkish Plum to Heavenly, a sky-blue, but you could choose any three toning shades, for example, bronze through to pale gold, for your scarf.

The Fairisle pattern is a continuous spiral and the main shade is used throughout the striped section – I used white. Thisyarn also carries the beads. All that changes is the background shade.

SIZE
103cm x 17cm when laid out flat (34cm circumference at narrowest point)

YARN
Rowan Kidsilk Haze 25g (1 oz)/210m (230 yds) balls
A White 612 2 x 25g balls
B Turkish Plum 660 1 x 25g ball
C Hurricane 632 1 x 25g ball
D Heavenly 592 1 x 25g ball

NEEDLES
4mm (UK 8/US 6) fixed cable circular needle, 40cm (16in) long

OTHER
Approx 800 crystal beads, size 6
Stitch marker

TENSION
26 sts and 30 rounds to 10cm (4in) measured over Fairisle Spiral Pattern, using yarn held double on 4mm needle, knitted in the round.

NOTES

• There are only right-sides when you work in the round, so all the Fairisle is knitted only.
• The yarn is used double throughout and expressed in the pattern as AA, or BB, or BC, etc – this means 2 strands of A, or 2 strands of B, or 1 strand each of B and C – and so on. AA is the main colour and carries the beads.
• When you are using 2 strands from the same ball, try to take an end from the inside and the outside.
• To thread on the beads: thread a fine sewing needle with a length of sewing cotton. Tie the two ends of the cotton together to form a loop. Hang the tail of your yarn through this loop. With the tip of the sewing needle, pick up the beads and slide them down the needle, down the cotton and onto the yarn.
• I knitted this on a fairly short single circular needle for ease of working the beaded Fairisle but you can also knit it on DPNs, by Magic Loop, or on two short circular needles if you prefer.

Pattern contains written instructions
Published April 2016 by Smith & Jones Knits
Technical Editor - Donna Jones