Cozy Bathrobe Scarf

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Pattern: Cozy Bathrobe Scarf (see below)
Yarn: Elann Cuzco, 3 balls
Needles: 9mm (US13)

Mmm.... a cozy bathrobe. That's what I had in my mind the entire time I was knitting with Elann Cuzco, a cozy soft alpaca yarn. This yarn is SO SOFT!!! I love how it is very light and warm. I had no idea how the finished scarf would come out since it went through several incarnations. Now that it is done, I find myself petting the scarf a lot. :-)

Cuzco, with it's unique qualities and heavier weight, is an unusual yarn for me to work with. I knew instantly that cable patterns would not do. I had to come up with some way to knit this up that did not involve cabling because there wouldn't be enough stitch definition with the "fluffiness" of this yarn. What to do? The quick and easy thing to do is to just cast on and knit every row until I run out of yarn. I should have done that, but I had to scratch an itch of mine to try out this and that...

At first, I envisioned a plain scarf with ruffling at the ends. It looked fine the way I envisioned it in my mind. However it didn't work out as I thought it would after trying it three different ways and not being happy with any of the results. Poor ball of Cuzco, it was completely terrorized during this process. The yarn is not terribly fun to frog when you have a bunch of K2Togs to pull apart.

I didn't want to do any fancy stitches because it would just get lost in the "fluff" of this yarn and I wanted to try something more interesting than garter stitch, so I picked out the Double Broken Rib pattern from Barbara Walker #1 pg12 thinking it might be a decent enough alternative. I know you can't see the pattern very well from the photos, due to the "fluff" factor of the yarn and my inability to take photos of any red colored knitting. So click on that link (2 sentences back) to get a better look at what the pattern is like. I know there are people who hate non-reversible stitch patterns. The Double Broken Rib stitch is not reversible, however lack of reversibility never stops me from using a stitch. It just doesn't bother me that much. This pattern is very easy to memorize so it makes for great mindless knitting. I do like the 2-stitch wide columns of knit stitches that run the length of the scarf, however the "broken rib" columns really get lost in the Cuzco fuzz. As a result, you notice that there is some sort of texture to the scarf pattern however it is difficult to see what it is clearly. Thus I do not think this stitch pattern is an ideal match for the the Cuzco.

I did not bother with a pretty chain selvedge on this scarf, thinking that it wouldn't get noticed under the "fluff" of this yarn. I think I will give it a try though, on my next Cuzco scarf. The yarn is a little difficult to work with at first, but then you get used to it and it's easy knitting.

OK, now I have one leftover ball of red Cuzco. What can I make with it???

Stitches used in this scarf include:
Double Broken Rib, BW1 pg 12

Here's how I made the scarf...

I used 3 balls of Elann Cuzco, all of it. So if you want a longer scarf, you will definitely need a 4th ball. I knit very loosely using 9mm (US13) needles. I suppose I could have used 10mm (US15) needles too, however I might have needed to use a 4th ball if I did this. My scarf came out to about 6.5 inches wide and 66 inches long (17 cm x 168 cm).

Cozy Bathrobe Scarf

Yarn: Elann Cuzco, 3 or 4 balls
Needles: 9mm (US13)

LOOSELY cast on 14 stitches.

Row 1 (WS): Purl
Row 2 (RS): Knit
Row 3: K2 * P2, K2 *
Row 4: P2 * K2, P2 *

Repeat rows 1 to 4 for pattern, knit until scarf is desired length, ending with row 2. LOOSELY bind off.

To make a Cozy Bathrobe Keyhole Scarf using 2 balls of Elann Cuzco:

LOOSELY cast on 14 stitches. Work rows 1 to 4, five or six times. (Or when scarf reaches around 7 to 9 inches or so long)

Make keyhole: Working row 1 of pattern, work 4 stitches, bind off center 6 stitches, work remaining 4 stitches.
Close up keyhole: Working row 2 of pattern, work 4 stitches, cast on 6 stitches over the gap, work remaining 4 stitches.

Continue with pattern from row 3. Knit scarf until scarf is around 28 to 30 inches long or until desired length, ending with row 1. LOOSELY bind off.

Now wrap the scarf around your neck and you will never want to take it off. Oh.... did I mention that you should LOOSELY cast on and cast off? ;-)

Elann Cuzco info:
Fibre Content: 100% Brushed Fine Grade Alpaca
Made In: Peru
Care: Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Gauge: 8 st/4 inches on 9.0 mm (US 13)
Yardage: 40 m (43 yards)
Size: 50g (1.75 oz) ball
Price: $4.60 USD

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