Basketweave Scarf Pattern: A Textured Knit and Purl Scarf

Basketweave looks like strips of fabric woven over and under each other, but nothing is woven and nothing is crossed. It is made from small squares of knit stitches set beside squares of purl stitches, and after a few rows the squares trade places. If you can knit, purl and count to four, you can knit this scarf.

How the texture works

A square of stitches that are smooth on the side facing you sits slightly forward. A square of purl bumps sits slightly back. Put them next to each other and the smooth squares appear to pass over the bumpy ones. Swap them every few rows and you get the checkerboard that gives the stitch its name.

In this pattern each block is 4 stitches wide and 4 rows tall. Two blocks side by side, plus the two blocks above them, make one full repeat of 8 stitches and 8 rows. The back of the fabric shows the same pattern with the blocks reversed, so the scarf has no wrong side to hide. And because knit and purl areas are balanced, the fabric lies flat instead of rolling the way plain stockinette does.

The chart shows one repeat as it looks from the right side. In the lower four rows a block of four empty squares sits next to a block of four dots. In the upper four rows the two blocks have changed sides.

Materials and finished size

The yardage is an estimate; textured stitches use somewhat more yarn than garter. Yarn choice matters more here than in most scarves, because the pattern depends on light and shadow. Dark, fuzzy or multicolored yarn hides the blocks. A smooth plied yarn in a pale or mid-tone shade, such as oatmeal, shows them best. See the guide to the best yarn for scarves for fiber options.

The stitch count: a multiple of 8 plus 4

One repeat is 8 stitches: a knit block of 4 and a purl block of 4. An exact multiple of 8 would start each row with one kind of block and end with the other, and the two side edges would not match. Adding 4 more stitches gives one extra block, so every row begins and ends with the same kind.

For this scarf, 8 x 4 = 32, plus 4 = 36 stitches, which makes 9 blocks across. Other counts that fit the rule:

• 28 stitches (8 x 3 + 4): 7 blocks, about 6 in (15 cm) wide
• 36 stitches (8 x 4 + 4): 9 blocks, the pattern as written
• 44 stitches (8 x 5 + 4): 11 blocks, about 9 in (23 cm) wide

These widths assume roughly 4.75 stitches per inch, which is typical for this stitch in worsted yarn on US 8 (5 mm) needles: 36 divided by 4.75 is about 7.5 in. Your gauge may differ, and the gauge swatch guide shows how to measure it.

The pattern

Abbreviations: CO (cast on), BO (bind off), k (knit), p (purl), st(s) (stitch or stitches), RS (right side), WS (wrong side). Instructions between asterisks are repeated to the end of the row.

CO 36 sts.

1. Row 1 (RS): k4, *p4, k4*.
2. Row 2 (WS): p4, *k4, p4*.
3. Row 3 (RS): k4, *p4, k4*.
4. Row 4 (WS): p4, *k4, p4*.
5. Row 5 (RS): p4, *k4, p4*.
6. Row 6 (WS): k4, *p4, k4*.
7. Row 7 (RS): p4, *k4, p4*.
8. Row 8 (WS): k4, *p4, k4*.

Repeat Rows 1-8 until the scarf measures about 65 in (165 cm), ending after Row 4 or Row 8 so the last set of blocks is complete. BO in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches as you go, and keep the bind-off loose. You need a strand about four times the scarf width to bind off.

With 36 stitches, Rows 1-4 have 5 knit blocks and 4 purl blocks as seen from the right side, and Rows 5-8 have 5 purl blocks and 4 knit blocks. Rows 1 and 3 are the same as Rows 6 and 8 in wording, and Rows 2 and 4 match Rows 5 and 7. The only thing that changes is which side is facing you.

Keeping your place

The pattern is easy to read from the fabric once the first set of blocks is done.

• Within a set of four rows, knit the knits and purl the purls. A knit stitch shows a small V below the needle and a purl stitch shows a bump. Rows 2, 3 and 4 just repeat what Row 1 set up, and the same goes for Rows 6, 7 and 8 after Row 5.
• On Rows 1 and 5, do the opposite of what you see: purl over the Vs and knit over the bumps. These are the two rows where the blocks swap.
• To check how many rows a block has, count the Vs stacked in one column of a smooth block. Four Vs means the block is finished and the next row is a swap row.

If you count 37 stitches instead of 36, the yarn has probably gone over the needle when you moved it between a knit block and a purl block. Bring the yarn between the needle tips each time: to the back before knitting, to the front before purling.

Edges, finishing and blocking

The side edges of this scarf follow the blocks, so they alternate between smooth and bumpy every four rows. Some knitters like that; it can also look slightly scalloped. For a straighter edge, add 2 garter stitches at each side: CO 40 sts and knit the first 2 and last 2 sts of every row, working the 8-row pattern over the 36 sts between them. Other options are covered in the guide to neat scarf edges.

Leave tails of at least 6 in (15 cm) and weave them in along the boundary between two blocks, where the change in texture hides them. The method is in how to weave in ends.

Pinning and drying are explained in how to block a knitted scarf.

Variations

• Bigger blocks: blocks of 6 stitches and 6 rows need a multiple of 12 plus 6, for example 42 sts. Work k6, *p6, k6* and p6, *k6, p6* in sets of six rows.
• Bulky yarn: in bulky (#5) yarn on US 10 (6 mm) needles, 20 sts (8 x 2 + 4) gives five blocks and a quicker, thicker scarf.
• Softer drape: go up one needle size. The blocks will be less sharply defined and the fabric more fluid.