Bramble & Fleece Thirsk Scarf - Knitting Kit
Designed by Bramble & Fleece
A herringbone Fair Isle scarf worked in two shades of Bramble & Fleece Sheepsoft 4 Ply. A classic motif handled cleanly, with lightweight warmth and sharp stitch definition.
The scarf begins and ends with a folded stocking-stitch hem, and the long side edges are finished with picked-up edgings worked on a circular needle, so every edge is neat and nothing curls. The herringbone motif is a 12-stitch chart repeat worked six times across the row.
Sheepsoft 4 Ply blends soft British Bluefaced Leicester with hardier Masham. The Masham goes in undyed and the Bluefaced Leicester dyed, which gives every shade its heathered depth rather than a flat tone. Fleece, scouring, spinning and dyeing all happen within fifty miles of each other in West Yorkshire.
Skill Level: Intermediate ★★★ (3 out of 5)
The motif is a single 12-stitch repeat, but it is worked back and forth rather than in the round, so carrying two colours evenly on the wrong-side rows takes some practice.
Size: One size.
Width: 23 cm / 9¾ in, including the edgings.
Length: 140 cm / 55 in.
Gauge: 32 stitches and 32 rows = 10 x 10 cm in colourwork stocking stitch on 3.25 mm needles.
The Kit Includes
- Bramble & Fleece Sheepsoft 4 Ply in your chosen pairing, 2 x 50g of each shade
- The printed Thirsk Scarf pattern in English
You'll Also Need
- 3.25 mm needles (UK 10 / US 3)
- A 3.25 mm circular needle, at least 100 cm / 40 in long, for the side edgings
Choosing your colours
Herringbone at this gauge needs the two shades to differ in depth, not just in hue, or the motif blurs. Every pairing here is built around a light shade against a darker one for that reason. Aysgarth and Bishopdale is the pairing the scarf was photographed in.
Techniques used
- Stranded Fair Isle colourwork from a chart
- A folded hem knitted into the cast-on edge
- Increases distributed across a row
- Picking up stitches along a side edge
Why You'll Love It
- A proper piece of colourwork without committing to a whole garment.
- Fully traceable British wool, fleece to finished yarn inside fifty miles.
- Every edge finished, so nothing curls and nothing needs blocking into submission.
- Seven pairings chosen for contrast, so the herringbone actually reads.
- A good step up if you have done a little colourwork and want something more considered.
Yarn Usage
Sheepsoft 4 Ply is 50 g / 220 m per ball. Every pairing takes the same quantity: 2 balls of shade A and 2 balls of shade B, 200 g and 880 m in total.
Your own usage will vary with your gauge and with any change you make to the length. Sheepsoft 4 Ply is sold separately on the site should you need a top up, though we cannot guarantee a dye lot match once a kit has shipped.