When DHG asked me to work with the new yarns I immediately fell in love with the Vintage one. I like it because alpaca and cotton go together perfectly, making this yarn suitable for pretty much any season. It’s also for this reason that I decided to use it to make a keffiyeh which is also an accessory suitable for any season and positively unisex. The mix between male and female wardrobes are already a daily occurrence and I like to think that a garment can be worn by both a man and a woman.
What can I say? I had so many good reasons to get to work and create a special garment.
MATERIALS
Vintage yarn (2 ply) – col. Horizon 700 g / 24.6 oz
Knitting needle n° 12 EU / 17 US
KNIT STITCHES USED
Rib stitch of stockinette stitch with slip stitches 1 by 1.
Use the rib stitch 1 by 1, work with purl stitch going ahead without doing a knit stitch but moving the thread.
Stockinette stitch
This is done by alternating a knit row on the even rows and a purl row on the odd rows.
Slip knit pass stitch
Leave the thread at the back of the work. Pick up the loop as if to purl it (to find it in the right position on the next row) and pass it onto the right needle without working it.
Easy decreasing
Knit 2 loops together.
Useful tips:
for the stockinette stitch never work the first loop, it only passes to the right needle, and always knit the last loop. This will result in a neat and consistent selvedge (hem).
SIZE
Final size of keffiyeh: 140x140x185 cm / 55x55x71"
METHOD
Cast on 142 stitches.
Note: On the knit rows always work the slip stitches in the same position. So you will find yourselves passing once the odd loops, while on the next row knit stitch you will pass the even loops. Always work the purl stitch rows normally and like this you will get a sort of rib look.
Row 1: purl stitch – work all the loops apart from the 1st which isn’t worked and the last which is knit stitched
row 2: knit stitch - work together the 2nd and the 3rd loop (take in), work the 4th normally, pass the 5th loop (slip knit pass) and then work the 6th loop normally. Continue like this. Slip all the odd loops and knit stitch the even loops normally. Work together the third to last and the second to last loop (take in) and then work the last loop
row 3: Purl stitch – work all the loops, apart from the first which isn’t worked and the last which is always knit stitched
row 4: knit stitch - work together the 2nd and the 3rd loop (take in), work the 4th slip knit pass, knit stitch the 5th loop, the 6th slip and knit stitch the 7th. Work together the third to last and the second to last loop (take in) and then work the last loop
row 5: Purl stitch – work all the loops, apart from the first which isn’t worked and the last which is always knit stitched
row 6: knit stitch – work together the 2nd and the 3rd loop (take in), work the 4th normally, pass the 5th loop (slip), knit stitch the 6th and slip The 7th. Work together the third to last and the second to last loop (take in) and then work the last loop
row 7: Purl stitch – work all the loops, apart from the first which isn’t worked and the last which is always knit stitched.
Work in this way for another 132 rows until you find yourselves with 3 loops in progress.
Row 139: Purl stitch – bind off the last 3 loops.
Proceed with the trimming that consists of applying fringes on the 2 slanting sides of the triangle which has been made. The selvedge will appear linear with little knots that you will need to be able to distribute the fringe uniformly.
The fringes are a typical feature of a keffiyeh and decorations that I find suitable also for many other types of work. Therefore I’ll explain how to make them. Once you have learnt this easy technique, you can make knotted fringes and put them into any projects you want.
Wrap the yarn around a piece of card 25cm/9.8” high and then cut the threads from one end to get an equal length of threads measuring 50cm/19.6”.
Divide them into groups of 2 yarns each, fold them in half and attach them onto the slanted side of the keffiyeh in correspondence with the small knots that have been formed on the selvedge.
Insert the crochet hook into the loop, grab the bunch of threads and pass through it, pull and tighten.
In this way tie all the bunches spacing them out on every other knot.
Comb it with your fingers.
Tie half of a bunch (so 2) with half of the bunch next to it. Before tightening the knot, adjust the height (I placed it at 3cm/1.2”) and then tighten it firmly.
Make the threads the same length with scissors.
The keffiyeh is ready. As I told you it really is a versatile piece and suitable for both men and women.
PS just to let you know that if you like the look in this photo, I’ve also prepared tutorials for the cardigan worn by our model Giuditta and the poncho/plaid worn by Damiano.
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