18. The Heritage Fringe Tartan Scarf
Introduction
A faux-woven plaid scarf where horizontal knitted stripes are crossed by vertical stripes woven in using a tapestry needle.
What This Idea Means
Combines knitting and simple weaving to create authentic multi-color tartan patterns without managing multi-strand intarsia.
How to Make It
- Yarn & Needles: DK weight wool in 3 colors (e.g., forest green, navy, mustard) on 4.5 mm (US 7) needles.
- Base Pattern: Knit horizontal color stripes in a mesh-like sequence of
[K1, yo, k2tog]to leave open eyelet vertical columns. - Weaving: Thread lengths of yarn through a tapestry needle and weave vertically up through the eyelet columns in complementary shades.
- Finishing: Knot the warp and weft yarn ends together along both short edges to form fringe tassels.
Tips and Variations
- Use an odd number of vertical columns for symmetric grid layouts.
- Keep vertical weaving tension loose to match the knitted fabric’s natural stretch.