Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarves and Cowl

Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarves and Cowl by Michele Bernstein

What Is Being Made

The Ruffle Kerfuffle collection features three distinct knitted accessories: a Short Scarf, a Long Scarf, and a Cowl. All pieces showcase stranded colorwork knitting techniques and are worked in the round, making them excellent projects for knitters looking to develop skills in two-color colorwork patterns. The scarves feature a distinctive ruffle finish created through a steek technique, while the cowl offers a simpler construction without the steek or ruffle element.

Techniques Used

These designs employ several intermediate-level knitting techniques. The primary method is stranded colorwork knitting, where two colors are worked per round to create the pattern. The scarves utilize a steek—a method of cutting knitted fabric to create openings—which is stabilized by crocheted stitches before being cut and finished. This technique allows for the addition of the decorative ruffle element. The cowl takes a more straightforward approach by eliminating the steek entirely, making it accessible for knitters who prefer to avoid cutting their finished work. All pieces are knit in the round, which creates seamless construction and continuous colorwork patterns.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch structure is stockinette stitch, which serves as the base for the colorwork patterns. The gauge is 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch worked over the colorwork pattern using larger needles. The stranded colorwork technique involves carrying yarn colors across the back of the work to create the two-color patterns. Crocheted stitches are used to stabilize the steek on the scarves before the fabric is cut.

Materials and Yarn

These projects call for heavy worsted or Aran weight wool yarn in both semi-solid and variegated options. The sample scarves were created using Malabrigo Worsted Merino, a 100% merino wool yarn with 210 yards per 100 grams. The Short and Long Scarves require 200 yards of main color (MC) in a semi-solid or solid shade and 130 yards of contrast color (CC) in variegated yarn. The sample shown uses Violetas for the main color and Colorinche for the contrast. The Cowl requires less yardage: 125 yards of MC and 90 yards of CC, with the sample shown in Polar Morn and Oceanos colorways. The pattern specifies non-superwash wool yarn for best results.

Design Notes

Michele Bernstein's design cleverly incorporates a variegated contrast color, which creates the visual effect of complex colorwork while the color variation is provided by the yarn itself rather than requiring the knitter to manage multiple color changes. This approach is described as making the knitter "look like a color genius" while simplifying the actual colorwork process. The inclusion of complete steek instructions makes the scarves accessible to intermediate knitters who may be unfamiliar with this technique, while the cowl option provides an alternative for those preferring traditional seamless construction.