Sunday, July 29, 2012

Hitchhiker Scarf


If you search for scarf knitting patterns on Ravelry, you will find that the Hitchhiker Scarf by Martina Behm is one of the most popular ones. This is a simple garter stitch scarf, but some interesting edging (that is really easy to memorize) makes it an asymmetric triangle with a scalloped edge. This is great for adding a special piece to a fall of spring outfit.


This is the first time that I knit with KnitPicks Stroll (Tonal) and I was very happy with the wool/nylon blend. The color nevermore tonal (discontinued) has jewel tones of teal, blue, purple and pink in addition to black, making it a perfect colorway for me. The garter stitch nature of Hitchhiker makes it perfect for showcasing variegated yarns, so I was excited to see how the colors did or didn't pool.


I started with 105 g in my ball of yarn. (Finally! Too much yardage rather than not enough! I may have enough for a hexipuff after all.) Normally when I use my ballwinder, I still pull the yarn from the outside of the ball. This time, I decided to take advantage of the fact that I've made a center pull ball. The plus is that the yarn didn't bounce around constantly, and it didn't get too floppy when I neared the end. I may need to do this more often!


After 36 points, I had 12 g of fiber left. I will do one more point (weigh again) and then do the last point as written. 37 points, 8 g left. I decided to end with 38 points. I was knitting with size 4 knitting needles because I liked the density of the fabric. When I cast off, I had 3 g of wool left (consuming 102 g). This pattern is great because I could have easily stopped with 37 points total if I started with a bit less yarn. (And yes, I did have enough yarn for a hexipuff!)


This is my first Hitchhiker, but I already have plans to make more! Since this scarf counts as a shawlette, this project was able to count as one of my 12 in 2012 shawls.