Make a Drop Stitch Scarf with a Circular Knitting Machine

When you first get a circular knitting machine there are a few classic projects that everyone seems to make, and one of them is a dropped stitch scarf.

It’s easy to see why, because this is a really simple project that’s quick to make and it’s fun to see how the scarf grows as you deliberately drop stitches after the knitting is done.

The reason this works is that dropping the stitches loosens the stitches around them, making the stitches that remain elongate, thus making the scarf longer.

I experimented with a couple of different lengths on a couple of different machines, and I came up with what I would probably consider a child or teen size scarf and one that’s more adult sized or for people who like a more drapey look.

The smaller one can be wrapped around the neck twice and is relatively snug, perfect for cooler weather, while the longer one can wrap three times, or twice with a longer section draping down. It just gives you more options and is a style I’d probably wear more in different seasons.

Dropping all those stitches also makes for a lightweight and breathable scarf that you can wear even when it’s not that cool outside. I didn’t make one on a little 22 stitch machine, but I’ll bet if you did you’d come up with something more like a necklace than a scarf.

You can grab the pattern and read about my experiments over at Our Daily Craft. If you’ve made one of these I’d love to hear how long you made it.

Also, if you’re not a circular knitting machine person, you can do this exact thing with knitting needles. Just cast on 40-48 stitches, work in the round for however long you like, and before you bind off drop every other stitch off the needle. Then you can drop those stitches back to the cast on edge and sew it into a loop or not as you like!

Circular Knitting Machine Hat Knitting Patterns

A Shawl to Knit to Get through the Current Calamity

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

Have you read?