688 Marguerite Scarf - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Leyden

688 Marguerite Scarf – Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Leyden

The 688 Marguerite Scarf, designed by Kirsten Hipsky for Valley Yarns, is a beautifully simple yet visually striking knitted scarf that proves an elegant, lacy fabric does not have to be complicated. By pairing a thin, 4-ply yarn with oversized needles, the pattern produces an airy, open texture that looks far more intricate than the single repeating row required to create it. This is an ideal project for beginner knitters who want a finished object with real visual impact, as well as for experienced knitters seeking a relaxing, meditative make.

What Is Being Made

The finished scarf measures approximately 7 inches wide and 60 inches long, making it a generous, wearable accessory suitable for wrapping, draping, or tying. Its length and width give it versatility across seasons and styling preferences. The open, lace-like fabric keeps it lightweight despite its generous dimensions.

Design Highlights

What makes the Marguerite Scarf particularly appealing is the clever interplay between technique and materials. As the pattern notes, a simple brioche stitch gets surprisingly lacy with large needles and thin yarn. The use of Valley Yarns Leyden in a variegated colorway adds an additional layer of visual interest, creating subtle, organic color shifts throughout the fabric without any deliberate color-change technique on the part of the knitter. The pattern calls for color 13, which contributes soft tonal variation that highlights the texture of the stitch pattern beautifully.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat: The scarf is knitted back and forth in rows on straight or circular needles, making it accessible to knitters at all levels.
• Lace effect through needle sizing: Rather than using traditional yarn-over lace techniques, the open, airy quality of this fabric is achieved by working a thin yarn on a significantly larger needle than standard gauge would suggest — a technique that creates natural drape and transparency in the fabric.
• Brioche-style knit-below stitch: The core technique of this pattern involves knitting into the stitch in the row below, which is the defining characteristic of brioche knitting. This creates a gathered, dimensional fabric with a soft ribbed appearance that, when worked loosely, reads as lace.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k): The foundational stitch of the pattern, used throughout.
• Knit 1 below: The signature stitch of this design — inserting the needle into the stitch one row below the current stitch on the needle and knitting it. This elongates the stitch and creates the characteristic brioche texture and lacy openness.
• Slip 1 (sl1): At the beginning of each row, one stitch is slipped as if to knit with the yarn held in back, creating a neat, tidy selvedge edge along both long sides of the scarf.
• Loose bind-off: The pattern specifically instructs knitters to bind off all stitches loosely, which is important for maintaining the drape and stretch of the open fabric at the cast-off edge.

The stitch repeat is elegantly simple: after casting on 28 stitches and working one plain knit row, the entire scarf is worked in a single repeating row — sl1, k1, * knit 1 stitch in the row below, k1; repeat from * — until the piece reaches the desired length of 60 inches. This makes the pattern extremely easy to memorize and ideal for knitting on the go or while watching television.

Materials

• Yarn: 1 skein of Valley Yarns Leyden — a 4-ply weight yarn composed of 75% Superwash Merino Wool and 25% Nylon, available in 100g/437-yard skeins. The superwash treatment makes the finished scarf easy to care for, while the nylon content adds durability and a subtle sheen. The variegated nature of Leyden means each skein produces a unique, one-of-a-kind color effect.
• Needles: US size 10.5 (6.50mm)