Mondrian Plaid Brioche Scarf

Free Scarf Knitting Pattern

This scarf was inspired by the artwork of Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian. Brioche stitch means that it is fully reversible.

Skills required:

To knit this scarf, you need to know how to knit 2-color brioche stitch.

Size: length 80” (200 cm), width 9” (22 cm)

Materials:
Fingering weight 100% wool yarn 440 m (480 yds)/100 gr, color Black (DC)
Fingering weight 100% wool yarn 400 m (440 yds)/100 gr, color Light Grey (LC)
Small amounts of yarn of the same weight in blue, red and yellow colors.

The scarf can be knitted in sport or DK weight yarn as well.

Needles: US #2 (2.75 mm) double-pointed needles or circular needles.

Gauge
20 sts x 48 rows = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm) In 2-color garter st:

Pattern Notes

Abbreviations

Please note that I use Nancy Marchant terminology for brioche stitch. I highly recommend her books Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch and Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two-Color Twists & Turns, as well as her lessons on craftsy.com.
yf - yarn forward: bring the yarn to the front, between the tips of the needles.
yb - yarn back: take the yarn to the back, between the tips of the needles.
sl1yof - slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front: with working yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch, then bring yarn back around to the front, ready to purl the following stitch.
yfsl1yo - yarn forward, slip 1, yarn over: bring the working yarn between the tips of the needles to front of work, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch. Leave yarn in back, ready to knit the next stitch.
brk - brioche knit: knit the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brp - brioche purl: purl the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
LC – light color
DC- dark color
k – knit
p – purl
sl1 – slip 1 (knitwise for the 1st stitch in a row).

Chain Selvedge:

When working the selvedge stitches - the first and the last sts of the row, at the start of the LC rows, always bring LC under the DC.


Short Overview of the pattern

The scarf is knitted in a combination of 2-color brioche stitch, 2-color garter stitch and 1-color brioche st. The plaid effect is achieved by working 4 rows of one-color brioche stitch between the wide stripes of 2-color brioche st and 2-color garter st. In some random wide stripes the LC yarn is replaced with a bright one (red, blue, yellow).

SCARF

Using double strands of DC yarn cast on 43 sts. Continue with one strand of DC yarn.

Rows 1-3: sl1, knit to the last st, p1. Turn.

Row 4 (WS, DC): sl, (p1, yf sl1yo) 2 times, p1, [k7, (p1, yf sl1yo) 2 times, p1] 3 times, p1. 43 sts.
Row 4 (WS, LC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, [p7, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo] 3 times, p1.

Row 5 (RS, DC): sl, [(brk, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brk, p7] 3 times, (brk, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brk, p1. 43 sts.
Row 5 (RS, LC): sl, [(yf sl1yo, brp) 2 times, yf sl1yo, k7] 3 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 2 times, yf sl1yo, p1.

Row 6 (WS, DC): sl, (brp, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brp, [k7, (brp, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brp] 3 times, p1.
Row 6 (WS, LC): sl, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, [p7, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo] 3 times, p1.

Rows 7 - 16: repeat rows 5 - 6.

With DC yarn only (one-color brioche)
Row 17 (RS): sl, [(brk, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brk, p7] 3 times, (brk, yf sl1yo) 2 times, brk, p1. 43 sts.

Row 18 (WS): sl wyif, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, [p7, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo] 3 times, p1.

Row 19 (RS): repeat row 17.

Row 20 (WS): repeat row 18.

Repeat rows 5-20 twenty eight (28) more times or to desired length.

With DC yarn work 6 rows of garter st: all rows knit.

Bind off.

Finishing

Weave in yarn ends. Block.

Have fun!