Multi-directional Misnomer

Snow is sticking to cars and trees like a cold wet blanket. Fall looks more like winter today as Wall Street is occupied by protesters who attempt to exorcise the specter of corporate greed, job creation moves at a zombie-like pace, our middle-class is weakened  and more vulnerable to economic plunder, and our nation seems to have taken on extremely opposing political directions... and Halloween is here. This sounds more like the prologue from a movie about the Black Plague, doesn’t it?

On this cold wet night our group is going as a clan of cave people. Actually, we’re all going as our friend Chris who hosts his annual Halloween party dressed as a cave man. Luckily the party is just down the block. I made Stephanie a thick woolly scarf from six balls of of S. Charles “Natasaha” — a bulky luxury yarn made with 38% Wool, 33% acrylic, 24% Alpaca, and 5% Nylon. I got the last seven balls from Stitch Therapy. Who knew a cave woman could have it so good.

The Multi-directional Scarf, as it is called, is more of a misnomer. Much like our American politics it actually only has two directions that oppose each other obliquely. This method complements the character variegated yarns or yarns with varying thickness. It gives “Natasha” the appearance of fine Persian lamb. For a detailed tutorial click here.

Similar in technique to Entrelac, this scarf is knit in sections that meet perpendicularly. You can use any reversible pattern that has an even number of stitches.

A ribbed pattern using the same multi-directional method gives quite a dramatic result — soft elegant waves. By changing the direction in the middle of your work by slipping and wrapping the yarn around a stitch (W&T) increases the specific work area — this is called short row. Combined with a series of increases and decreases it creates a diagonal orientation.

The components of this Multi-direction Scarf are the first and last triangles, and a modular short-row section which is repeated to a desired length.