Switching from hats to scarfs again, this week I am talking about the Pumpkin Reversible Scarf.
The main body of the original cowl is worked in the round a simple knitted 2×2 ribbing pattern. It is made out of a bulky merino yarn in a bright orange color. The knitted fabric has significant elasticity and the fit is regular – relaxed.
As soon as I saw this piece, I knew I wanted to work embroidery on it. This is because the simple ribbing pattern is a perfect geometric base for various stitches. Therefore, my first task was to hunt for some yarns from the leftover pile. In the picture below, you will see the very first selection. I did not end up using all of them, and used some others instead.
I tested each yarn thoroughly, but had to dismiss several of them. Some due to the color not matching and some due to the yarn being too thin. In the end, I geared towards thicker yarns that would work well in blending in with the original. The three yarns I used from sport, to aran, and bulky weight, feature a variety of fibers: merino wool, mohair, silk, cotton and rayon/viscose.
After testing the yarns, I started experimenting with various embroidery stitches. I knew I wanted to achieve an allover pattern, around the whole piece, but still wanted to maintain some balance in texture and color. This was a long process. I tried complicated stitches and simpler ones. Somehow, the more complicated ones didn’t work at all. Either the tension of the fabric would be too affected (loss of elasticity for example), or the stitch just wouldn’t look nice.
I ended up using only two basic stitches: a stem stitch and a cross stitch.
I worked the stem stitch with a brown yarn in the middle section between two knit stitches (see every other knit column with the right side facing).
I worked the cross stitch with a bright green yarn across two purl stitches (see purl columns with the right side facing).
It took considerable time to work every column of either knit or purl stitches around the whole scarf. I believe that so far, this piece has required the most embroidery work.
I was also slow while working on these stitches. I wanted to make sure that the stitches were done nicely on both sides. My ultimate goal was to create a reversible scarf. In order to achieve this, I had to find a way to manage all of the yarn ends. Per stitch line, there were two ends. There’s a lot of lines, so that’s plenty of yarn ends to weave in! If using the usual method of weaving in the ends, I would end up with one side “unusable” as these sections would be visible due to the color contrast with the original orange yarn.
This is were crochet came to the rescue! I figured, that if I added some simple crochet borders on both the scarf openings, I would effectively create a “channel” where I could hide all the yarn ends in. And it worked!
On the bottom edge, I worked one round of single crochet through the back loop. On the top edge, I started the same way, with one round of single crochet through the back loop and continued for two more rounds with back post single crochet stitches. This method creates a look of horizontal V-stitches, looking almost like an icord is attached to the edge.
When I finished all the stitching and hiding all the yarn ends, I washed the cowl once more. I wanted to make sure there is no color bleeding (not expected, but just in case) and that the new stitches would “set” in place. Afterwards, I ironed it and prepared it for some nice pictures.
I am very pleased with the end result! There is no loss of elasticity in the final piece. The overall drape works in a similar way as in the original scarf. I love the color combination and how the stitches compliment each other. I think the final look looks very different from the original, but without being too loud or too decorated. This piece is definitely one of my absolute favorites so far. I am so tempted to keep it for myself and not add it to the shop! xD
But alas, the Pumpkin Reversible Scarf is now available for purchase in my e-shop. 
