FREE Knitting Patterns, Yarn Reviews, Tutorials, Magazines

Home » Yarns » Double-knitted pockets add functionality to a knit scarf

Double-knitted pockets add functionality to a knit scarf

by Cynthia MacDougall

In this series of posts, I’m working with Hue + Me yarn by Lion Brand. In my first post, I talk about the yarn itself. The second post contains a primer on a few basic stitch patterns, and my previous post offers a simple selvage for garments that show raw edges.

Three balls of yarn with a white ball band rest on a green tablecloth A soft gray yarn (haze) is in the foreground with rosewater (a soft peach) behind it, and agave, a soft medium green almost the color of blue spruce, leaning against the ball of rosewater.

From top to bottom: agave, rosewater, and haze shades of Hue + Me.

So far, the border (seed stitch) and selvage (chain) have been decided. It’s time to finish the planning.

I designed this piece with a knitted-in pocket using a fairly advanced knitting technique known as double-knitting, where the knitter makes two layers of fabric at the same time. These days, we can always use another place to stash a mask, and this scarf gives us two.

Note: The term double knitting has several applications in knitting: 1. A yarn that has a knitting tension of 24 sts to 4” [10cm] on 4mm needles; 2. A term for knitting color stranded work used in some areas, notably the Eastern seaboard; 3. When hyphenated, a reference to two layers of knitting made simultaneously.

Let’s look at the schematic:

The base length of the scarf is the wingspan of the wearer – the measurement from fingertip to fingertip with arms outstretched. There is no point in making this scarf any longer, otherwise the wearer can’t reach the bottom of the pockets. The bottom and top borders and the depth to the bottom of the pocket is 3½” [9cm], so the finished length is wingspan + (3½ x 2), or wingspan + 7” [18cm]. Generally speaking, one’s wingspan is the same length as one’s height.

The schematic shows the pocket placement and a measurement called wingspan.

The scarf widens out above the pocket on both sides to form a collar that rolls back to keep out drafts.

There are several ways to cast on to make a double-knitting piece but as this pocket starts above the cast on, it’s actually very easy to create the bottom of the pocket: kfb (knit front and back) for every stitch.

I designed the pocket in a different color so a beginning knitter can see the stitches. An advanced knitter may choose to do everything in one color.

The bottom edge of a gray scarf shown from the back. It has a seed stitch border and the beginning of a pocket made in a peach yarn. The background is a teal green woven fabric; Hue + Me

The first row of the pocket has kfb in each of the pocket’s 21 sts. The peach CC makes a patch of color on the back.

Hue + Me Pocket Scarf

Any size

finished measurements

Wingspan + 7” [18cm]

materials

yarn

  • Lion Brand Hue + Me, 125g skeins
  • 5 balls main color (MC) (more if the wearer is taller than 5’4”)
  • 1 ball contrasting color (CC)

needles

  • US 10.5 [6.5mm]
  • US 10 [6mm] needles

or size needed to obtain gauge

gauge

12 sts to 4” [10cm] using larger needles

abbreviations

Sl 1 – slip stitch purlwise with yarn in front

Inc in first/ last st: k into the front and back of the st

Scarf

With MC and larger needles, cast on 39 sts.

Row 1: Sl 1, *p1, k1; rep from * to end.

Rows 2 – 7: Rep Row 1.

Row 8: Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, k to last 5 sts, (k1, p1) twice, k1.

Row 9: Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, p to last 5sts, (k1, p1) twice, k1.

Rows 10 – 15: Rep Rows 8 and 9 3 times.

Row 16: Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, k4, work kfb in next 21 sts, k5, (p1, k1) twice. 60 sts

Row 17: Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, p4, join CC at front, (ytb, k1CC, ytf, p1MC) 21 times, twist yarns and with MC, p4, (k1, p1) twice, k1. (39 MC sts, 21 CC sts)

Row 18: Sl1, (p1, k1) twice, k4, twist yarns at back of work, (k1MC, ytf, p1CC, ytb) 21 times, twist yarns, with MC, k5, (p1, k1) twice.

Row 19: Sl1, (p1, k1) twice, p4, twist yarns, (ytb, k1CC, ytf, p1MC) 21 times, twist yarn, with MC, p4, (k1, p1) twice, k1.

Rep Rows 18 and 19 until pocket measures 6” [15cm]. End with RS facing for next row.

Separate Pocket

Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, k4, bring CC to front and continue with MC: (put next k st on holder, p1) 21 times, k5 (p1, k1) twice (39 sts). This opens the pocket. As long as the yarns were only twisted at the sides of the pocket, the entire cavity should open up. Wind off 12 yards [11m] of CC for the pocket top, and leave the yarn in the pocket.

Continue with MC.

Row 1 (WS): Sl 1, (k1, p1) twice, p to last 5 sts, (k1, p1) twice, k1.

Row 2: Sl 1, (p1, k1) twice, k to last 4 sts, (p1, k1) twice.

Rows 3 – 7: Rep Rows 1 and 2.

Shape Collar

Row 8: Inc in first st, (p1, k1) twice, k30, p1, k1, p1, inc in last st. 41 sts

Row 9: Sl 1, (k1, p1) twice, k1, p29, (k1, p1) twice, k2.

Row 10: Sl 1, (k1, p1) twice, k31 (p1, k1) twice, k1.

Rows 11 – 14: Rep Rows 9 and 10.

Row 15: Rep Row 9.

Row 16: Inc in first st, (k1, p1) twice, k31, (p1, k1) twice, inc in last st. 43 sts

Row 17: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 3 times, p29, (k1, p1) 3 times, k1.

Row 18: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 3 times, k30, (p1, k1) 3 times.

Rows 19 – 22: Rep Rows 17 and 18.

Row 23: Rep Row 17.

Intermediate and Advanced knitters: continue in this manner, keeping continuity of border pattern and inc at the beg and end of every 8th row until the borders each have 15 sts. Pick up again at the instruction “Go to Row 81.”

The following instructions give detail for beginning knitters:

Row 24: Inc in first st, (p1, k1) 3 times, k30, (p1, k1) twice, p1, inc in last st. 45 sts

Row 25: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 4 times, p28, (k1, p1) 3 times, k2.

Row 26: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 3 times, k31, (p1, k1) 3 times, k1.

Rows 27 – 30: Rep Rows 25 and 26.

Row 31: Rep Row 25.

Row 32: Inc in first st, (k1, p1) 3 times, k31, (p1, k1) 3 times, inc in last st. 47 sts

Row 33: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 4 times, p29, (k1, p1) 4 times, k1.

Row 34: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 4 times, k30, (p1, k1) 4 times.

Rows 35 – 38: Rep Rows 33 and 34.

Row 39: Rep Row 33.

Row 40: Inc in first st, (p1, k1) 4 times, k31, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, inc in last st. 49 sts

Row 41: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 5 times, p28, (k1, p1) 4 times, k2.

Row 42: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 4 times, k31, (p1, k1) 4 times, k1.

Rows 43 – 46: Rep Rows 41 and 42.

Row 47: Rep Row 41.

Row 48: Inc in first st, (k1, p1) 4 times, k31, (p1, k1) 4 times, inc in last st. 51 sts

Row 49: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 5 times, p29, (k1, p1) 5 times, k1.

Row 50: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 5 times, k30, (p1, k1) 5 times.

Rows 51 – 54: Rep Rows 49 and 50.

Row 55: Rep Row 49.

Row 56: Inc in first st, (k1, p1) 4 times, k31, (p1, k1) 4 times, k1, inc in last st. 53 sts

Row 57: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 5 times, k1, p29, (k1, p1) 5 times, k2.

Row 58: Sl 1, (k1, p1) 5 times, k31, (p1, k1) 5 times, k1.

Rows 59 – 62: Rep Rows 57 and 58.

Row 63: Rep Row 57.

Row 64: Inc in first st, (k1, p1) 5 times, k31, (p1, k1) 5 times, inc in last st. 55 sts

Row 65: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 6 times, p29, (k1, p1) 6 times, k1.

Row 66: Sl 1 (p1, k1) 6 times, k30, (p1, k1) 6 times.

Rows 67 – 70: Rep Rows 65 and 66.

Row 71: Rep Row 65.

Row 72: Inc. in 1st st, (p1, k1) 6 times, k30, (p1, k1) 5 times, p1, inc in last st. 57 sts

Row 73: Sl 1 (k1, p1) 7 times, p 38, (k1, p1) 6 times, k2.

Row 74: Sl 1 (k1, p1) 6 times, k31, (p1, k1) 6 times, k1.

Rows 75 – 78: Rep Rows 73 and 74.

Row 79: Rep Row 73.

Row 80: Inc in 1st st, (k1, p1) 6 times, k31, (p1, k1) 6 times, inc in last st. 59 sts

Row 81: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 7 times, p29, (k1, p1) 7 times, k1.

Row 82: Sl 1, (p1, k1) 7 times, k30, (p1, k1) 7 times.

Rep Rows 81 and 82 until length from bottom of pocket measures one-half of the wingspan. Place a marker and work the same number of repeats of Rows 81 and 82 to complete the back of the collar. End with RS facing for next row.

Come back for my next post, when I’ll finish the Hue + Me Pocket Scarf.

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: How to knit tidy edges

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.