Pleated Scarf in Schachenmayr Universa - S6927 - Downloadable PDF

Pleated Scarf in Schachenmayr Universa – S6927 Pattern Summary

This free downloadable knitting pattern (S6927) from Schachenmayr guides you through creating a beautifully structured pleated scarf — known in German as a Plisseeschal — with a finished width of approximately 35 cm and a length of approximately 165 cm. The design is characterized by its elegant, accordion-like pleated texture, achieved through a combination of increases and decreases worked in a repeating chart pattern. The result is a scarf with genuine dimensional depth and a refined, fashion-forward appearance.

What Is Being Made

The project is a single, long pleated scarf suitable for adults. Its generous length and structured pleating make it a versatile accessory that can be draped, wrapped, or worn loosely. The pleats are built directly into the knitted fabric rather than being folded and sewn after the fact, giving the finished piece a cohesive, professional look.

Construction and Techniques

The scarf is worked flat, back and forth in rows, beginning with a cross cast-on (Kreuzanschlag), a traditional German cast-on method worked using both a single and a doubled strand of yarn simultaneously. The doubled strand must be at least twice as long as the intended cast-on edge width. This cast-on creates a firm, elastic foundation well suited to a structured stitch pattern.

• The scarf begins with 75 stitches cast on using the cross cast-on method.
• After an initial purl return row, work proceeds in the pleating pattern (Plisseemuster), which is charted and based on a 18-stitch repeat, worked four times across, plus edge stitches and one additional pattern stitch.
• The pleating effect is created by a structured sequence of decreases worked over rows 9–32 of the chart, reducing the stitch count progressively from 75 stitches down to 43 stitches over multiple repeats of the 24-row section.
• At approximately 120 cm in height, the pattern reverses: increases replace each charted decrease, with each increase worked as a twisted stitch from the horizontal thread (1 M rechts verschränkt aus dem Querfaden), adding 2 increases per repeat every 24 rows. This section is repeated four times to restore the stitch count to 75 stitches.
• A further 48 straight rows are worked to mirror the cast-on end, bringing the total length to approximately 165 cm.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

• Pleating pattern (Plisseemuster): The central design element, worked from a chart with an 18-stitch repeat. It combines columns of stockinette (smooth knit) and reverse stockinette (smooth purl) sections, separated by garter stitch (kraus rechts) ribs of 4 stitches, which define the fold lines of each pleat.
• Stockinette stitch (glatt rechts): Used within the pleating pattern panels to create smooth, receding or advancing surfaces.
• Garter stitch (kraus rechts): Used between the smooth panels to form the structural ridges that anchor the pleats.
• Edge stitches (Randmaschen): Worked at both sides throughout to keep the selvedges neat and even.
• Crab stitch (Krebsmaschen): A crochet finishing technique — reverse single crochet — worked along both long edges of the completed scarf to create a tidy, decorative border.
• Picot bind-off preparation: Before the final bind-off, a special two-strand row is worked alternating purled and slipped stitches (with yarn held in front or behind as directed), creating a decorative, slightly gathered edge before the stitches are bound off knitwise.

Gauge

The stated gauge is