Self-Striping Scarf

I love variegated yarn. There are so many lovely color combinations out there and there's something extra appealing about the concept of multiple colors in one piece without have to weave in yarn ends (can I get an amen?). But when I crochet with this type of yarn, I often find that the amount of yarn it takes to form stitches just turns the color changes into a mess. Maybe it's just me, but it sure seems like unless the skein has extra long color changes, most crochet patterns just don't work with variegated yarn. 

This particular scarf began its life as a pair of crocheted mittens. After being frustrated with the wonky color changes, I decided that I would try to highlight to self-striping quality of the skein by knitting with it instead. So the mittens got frogged and I grabbed a pair of needles.

The poor scarf then proceeded to get frogged approximately a million times. Okay, so it was only 4 times. But still. 

I started with a straight stockinette stitch, only to learn the hard way that it curls terribly, turning my lovely scarf into a weird tube. Then I tried adding some different width ribbing, but hated it. So I decided to be smart and research stitches that work well for scarves, only to find that I missed the clean look of the stockinette. Then I went back to square one and tried adding a garter stitch border. Nope. Still a curly mess. I finally settled on squares of stockinette stitch, surrounded by garter stitch. It still curls a bit, but is so much better than the original version without sacrificing the look I wanted. 

Made with chunky yarn and thick needles, this scarf works up quickly and is great for beginners. I wanted a shorter scarf, so I only used 1 skein, but you can easily keep going to make the scarf as long as you'd like and show off that lovely variegated yarn! 

Self-Striping Scarf Pattern

Materials:
-Bulky yarn (I used 1 skein of I Love This Chunky! Yarn in Tiger Eyes)
-Size 15 (10.00 mm) knitting needles
-Tapestry needle

Cast on 16
Rows 1-4: knit across 
Row 5: knit across 
Row 6: knit 3, purl 10, knit 3
Rows 7-16: repeat rows 5 and 6
Rows 17-20: knit across
Repeat rows 5-20 until scarf is desired length
Cast off. Weave in ends with a tapestry needle. Block if needed. 

I hope that you enjoy this super simple scarf. I'd love to hear what you think of it! As always, you can reach me in the comments section below or on social media. 

***You're welcome to do whatever you'd like to with finished products made from this pattern but if you do sell them, I ask that you link back to my page. You may not copy this pattern, repost it anywhere (either altered or in its original form), or claim it as your own. You may not use any photos on this site for your own use. ***