Cabled Scarf in Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush - F318

Cabled Scarf in Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush – Pattern F318

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn Company produces a beautifully textured cabled scarf worked in the luxuriously soft Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush yarn. Measuring approximately 6 inches wide by 55 inches long, the finished scarf is a generously sized accessory that showcases a bold, repeating cable design. The pattern is designated F318 and is available free with a yarn purchase, making it an excellent choice for knitters looking to explore cable work without a significant investment in pattern costs.

What Is Being Made

The project is a knitted cable scarf — a classic cold-weather accessory designed to highlight the natural drape and halo of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush. The scarf is worked flat on straight needles from cast-on to bind-off, with a clean garter-stitch selvedge edge running along both long sides to keep the fabric from curling. The finished dimensions of approximately 6" x 55" make it a versatile, wearable length suitable for wrapping or draping.

Materials Used

• Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush — 2 balls, shown in color 202. Baby Alpaca Brush is a lightweight, brushed alpaca-blend yarn known for its exceptionally soft hand, subtle halo, and natural warmth. The brushed finish adds a delicate, airy quality that makes cable textures appear softly defined rather than sharply architectural.
• Needles: US Size 10 straight or circular knitting needles, plus a cable needle for executing the cable crossings.
• Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches over the stitch pattern. Achieving gauge is important for matching the stated finished measurements.

Techniques Used

This pattern is an excellent introduction to cable knitting for knitters who are comfortable with basic knit and purl stitches and are ready to advance their skills. Cables are created by temporarily placing a group of stitches onto a cable needle, knitting the next group of stitches from the left needle, and then knitting the held stitches from the cable needle. The direction in which the cable needle is held — in front or in back of the work — determines whether the cable twists to the left or to the right, creating the characteristic rope-like spiral effect.

• Flat knitting: The scarf is worked back and forth in rows, with right-side (RS) and wrong-side (WS) rows clearly distinguished.
• Garter selvedge: A single knit stitch is worked at each end of every row, forming a neat, stable edge that lies flat without curling.
• Cable crossings: Two distinct cable crosses are used across a 24-row repeat — one with the cable needle held in front (creating a left-leaning cross) and one with the cable needle held in back (creating a right-leaning cross). Each crossing involves moving 9 stitches at a time, resulting in a large, dramatic cable panel.
• Weaving in ends: The pattern concludes with a simple finishing step of weaving in all yarn ends for a tidy result.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K) — the foundational stitch used throughout the right-side rows and selvedge edges.
• Purl stitch (P) — worked across the wrong-side rows to create the reverse stockinette background that sets off the cable.
• Cable cross (front and back) — the defining stitch technique of the pattern, worked on Rows 9 and 21 of the 24-row repeat using a cable needle to cross groups of 9 stitches over one another.
• Loose cast-on — the pattern specifically instructs a loose cast-on of 29 stitches, which is important for maintaining flexibility and drape at the scarf's starting edge.

Pattern Structure and Repeat

The scarf is built on a 24