A few years ago at Thanksgiving, my aunt taught me how to knit. Just a simple stitch, but it spurred a series of scarves and a few blankets. Over the past two years, I have attempted several different knit and pearl combinations and patterns, but all to no avail. As simple as it may seem, I couldn’t get the hang of a knit and pearl stitch in the same row; I seemed to be missing a simple technique or step that no plethora of crafting books were able to solve. Fortunately, I was on a retreat with a friend last winter and she uncovered the secret for me: switch the string of yarn from the back to the front when going from knit to pearl! So simple, and yet it eluded me all these years. All of that to say, that with the help of my husband’s logically-wired mind (in contrast to my abstractly-wired mind), I deciphered and started a diamond pattern with some warm, green, wool yarn. The pattern consists of the following (K=knit, P=pearl):
17 stitches per row
Row 1: K4, P1, K7, P1, K4
Row 2: P3, K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P1, K1, P3
Row 3: K2, P1, K3, P1, K3, P1, K3, P1, K2
Row 4: P1, K1, P5, K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P1
Row 5: P1, K7, P1, K7, P1
Row 6: P1, K1, P5, K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P1
Row 7: K2, P1, K3, P1, K3, P1, K3, P1, K2
Row 8: P3, K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P1, K1, P3
Repeat until scarf is desired length.
The finished product? A warm, medium-width scarf that is perfect for the chilly fall and winter winds! This pattern can really be used with any yarn, but the pattern shows best with a simple, monochromatic yarn, without frills, bells, or whistles.