Webfoot Shawl and Scarf

Webfoot Shawl and Scarf by Michele Bernstein

Project Overview

The Webfoot Shawl and Scarf collection by Michele Bernstein features a coordinated set of knitted accessories inspired by Oregon Ducks football culture. Both designs showcase a distinctive stitch pattern featuring golden diamonds of moss stitch that resemble duck feet, with decorative O's cleverly interspersed between the diamond motifs. These advanced-level knitting projects begin with an identical border construction, with the primary difference lying in the crescent shaping created through strategic short-row techniques.

Design Variations

Webfoot Scarf: This design creates a very wide, shallow crescent shape that is ideally suited for bandana-style wearing. The scarf construction prioritizes width over depth, making it a versatile accessory piece.

Webfoot Shawl (Large): The shawl versions feature more substantial depth at the center back with a deeper curve compared to the scarf. This additional shaping provides fuller coverage and a more traditional shawlette silhouette.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

These projects employ several key knitting techniques suitable for advanced crafters:

• Moss Stitch: The primary decorative stitch creating the golden diamond pattern and duck-foot motifs throughout the design
• Stockinette Stitch: Used as the foundation fabric, worked to a gauge of 23 stitches over 4 inches before blocking
• Short Rows: Simple short-row shaping creates the characteristic crescent curves that differentiate the scarf from the shawl variations
• Border Construction: A shared border pattern serves as the starting point for all design variations

Yarn and Materials

Webfoot Scarf Specifications: This design requires 360 yards of fingering-weight yarn. The pattern is shown worked in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock (composition: 90% superwash merino, 10% nylon; yardage: 400 yards per 120 grams/4.23 ounces) in the Hoppy Blond colorway.

Large Webfoot Shawl Specifications: The larger shawl version requires 380 to 400 yards of fingering-weight yarn. The pattern features Hazel Knits Entice (composition: 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon; yardage: 400 yards per 120 grams/4.23 ounces), also shown in the Hoppy Blond colorway.

Needles: US-sized needles are specified for these projects, with the exact needle size supporting the 23 stitches per 4 inches gauge in stockinette stitch before blocking.

Skill Level and Blocking

These patterns are classified as advanced difficulty, reflecting the complexity of coordinating stitch patterns with short-row shaping techniques. Blocking is an essential finishing step, as the gauge measurement is taken from blocked stockinette stitch, indicating that proper blocking will significantly impact the final dimensions and drape of the finished pieces.