Delve Swatch Scarf - finished

When I started making my scarf, I wrote exactly what I did, so I could put the pattern on my blog. The general plan was to use the Delve stitch pattern for the ends, with a stocking stitch section in the middle. The only reason it wouldn't be perfectly symmetrical was because the chart pattern would continue in the same order.

The reality was different. Somehow the two ends ended up being sufficiently different they would be suitable for a spot-the-difference competition.


There are 3 stitches of garter stitch at the sides, to stop stocking stitch curl. Due to the limited quantity of yarn available, I wanted pointed ends: squared off ends can look rather chunky.

Here are selected notes from my pattern file: more a recipe for adaption then a pattern.

Delve Swatch Scarf: Extended recipe:

Triangular end of scarf

Put a loop on your needle and knit into the front and back of it to have two stitches. (Fudge this however you like.)

Kfb, K1
Kfb, K2
Kfb, K to end of row
Repeat this row until you have 7 stitches on your needle. This is the equavalent of a 3-stitch border, a pattern area (currently one stitch) and another 3 stitch border. However in one row a stitch from each border is 'borrowed' to form part of a K2tog stitch.

Next row - wrong side
Kfb K1 P2 K3
Kfb K1 K3 K3
Kfb K1 P4 K3

(Row 11 of Delve chart) Kfb K1 K1 YO K3tog YO K1 K3

Carry on increasing at the beginning of each row while simultaneously including more of the chart stitches, until you have 29 stitches in total.
(If I was making it again, I'd stick to 27 stitches, with several rows borrowing from the border.)

Keep going until you have used about two thirds of the skein. At this point change the pattern to go into a stocking stitch section: keep the side diamonds, but have the central section in plain stocking stitch.

Around here, I made a section with 5 yarn-over holes, so that I'd know later that I used 5mm needles. This is the first time I've tried this technique: using purl bumps isn't effective.

Stocking Stitch to the end of the skein, plus a little bit further.

The start of the next section was where I got muddled. I knew what I wanted to do: make the stocking-stitch-to-pattern section as a mirror image of the pattern-to-stocking-stitch section, but continue with the chart in the same direction. In my mind it was straightforward, but in actuality I couldn't do it: my mind doesn't work that way. I can picture most of it, it was just translating from what the pattern showed to the actual knitting. After I had got part way through, I had the right number of stitches, and it looked OK, but it wasn't a mirror image. So I decided to leave it as it was.

I carried on with the Delve part until I got to the place where I had to start decreasing at the sides. This section ended one pattern repeat shorter then the other side.

The end section:

starting with a row 7:
K2tog K2tog YO K5
K1 K2tog P22 K3

Decrease one stitch at the start of each row, continuing with the pattern
until you have 8 stitches left.

Final section:

K1 K2tog P3 K3
K2tog K6
K1 K2tog P1 K3
K1 K2tog K3
K1 K2tog K2
K1 K2tog K1
K3tog
Finish off remaining stitch (by passing thread through it).

Sew in ends.
Wear scarf.