Double Thistle Scarf Pattern & Tutorial

Here's a new scarf design for ... dare I say it ... autumn. Yes, summer is almost gone. (There, I've admitted it. But what a sad sentence it is, which contains the words "summer" and "gone".) However, let us look ahead to cool nights and crocheted Christmas gifts and, of course, keeping one's neck warm.

Double Thistle is an expanded version of the Thistle Belt. The stitch design grew out of an attempt to crochet a star from the outside in - a goal I've yet to accomplish - but along the way I found that one can crochet a very pretty lacy flower-like shape from the outside in. The petals and trim are stitched in one pass, then gathered with a 5-double crochet decrease into the flower shape.

Double Thistle, about 70" long, was made with a size K hook using 1 entire skein of Stitch Nation Full o'Sheep (bought at Michael's), a wonderfully stable 100% wool yarn. I didn't even have to block the finished scarf. I can also recommend NaturallyCaron Country, which was used to develop the pattern, and which yielded a beautifully soft and drapey sample. Both Full o'Sheep and Country offer outstanding stitch definition.

You may use any yarn you like, with the appropriate size hook.

As usual, we'll start with the charted pattern, follow it up with the crochet shorthand pattern, and finish with the photo tutorial and instructions in plain English.

(I must apologize for the colour variations in the photos. This yarn is a very saturated, grapey magenta hue, and my camera would NOT capture it accurately! For a better representation of the yarn's true colour, try this link which, at least on my computer screen, looks much more like the real thing.)

Charted Pattern:

Crochet Shorthand Pattern:

Special Stitch #1: Petal Cluster - (always preceded by ch 4). *Yo and insert hook into indicated stitch or space. Yo, draw up loop, yo, draw through 2 loops on hook. Repeat from *. Yo and draw through all loops on hook. Petal cluster made.

Special Stitch #2: Connecting leaf - Ch 4. *Yo 2 times, insert hook into dc sp. Yo, draw up loop. Yo, draw through 2 loops on hook (2 times). Repeat from *. Yo and draw through all loops on hook. Sc in ch-4 sp of opposite thistle's last petal.

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Starting Thistle: Ch 4, make petal cluster (see special stitches, above) in 1st ch. Ch 4, make petal cluster in space of previous petal cluster (4 times) = 5 petals. Make 5-dc dec (one dc in each cluster sp). Tug on yarn to tighten. Thistle made. (Note: when making petal cluster in space of previous cluster, be sure to insert hook BELOW the strand of yarn which crosses the cluster space. See tutorial photos for clarification.)

Ch 2, sc in cluster sp of first petal. Ch 1, sc in ch-4 sp of first petal.

Regular Thistle: Ch 4, TURN. Make petal cluster in sc at base of ch-4. First petal made. *Ch 4, make petal cluster in space of previous cluster (4 times) = 5 petals. Make 5-dc dec (one dc in each cluster sp). Tug on yarn to tighten. Thistle made.

Dc in ch-2 sp of starting thistle. Make connecting leaf (see special stitches, above).

**Make regular thistle as above. Dc in ch-4 sp of previous connecting leaf. Make connecting leaf as above. Repeat from ** until scarf is desired length.

To finish: Make final regular thistle. Sc in ch-4 sp of previous connecting leaf. Ch 2, sc in ch-4 sp of opposite thistle's last petal. Ch 1, TURN, sl st in ch-4 sp of final thistle's last petal.

Cut yarn and weave in ends. Block if desired.

Photo Tutorial with Instructions in Plain English:

Starting Thistle:

Chain 4.

Make petal cluster. The petal cluster is essentially 2 partial double crochets, joined together at the top with the chain 4. Sometimes the petal cluster will be made in a single crochet at the base of a chain 4. Sometimes it will be made in the space of a previous stitch.

Your first petal cluster will be made in the 1st chain of the chain 4. Here's how it's done:

Petal Cluster:
*Yarn over, insert hook in indicated stitch,
draw up a loop,
yarn over,
and draw through 2 loops.

Now you'll have 2 loops on your hook.

Repeat from *. Now you'll have 3 loops on your hook.

Yarn over and draw through all the loops on your hook. Your first petal is made!

It should look like this:

Time to make the rest of the petals. But before you do, stop and pull apart the petal cluster you just made. Look at the space between the 2 partial double crochets. See that yarn strand going across the middle? Your next petal cluster will be made in the space BELOW that yarn strand. Make sure your hook goes in the right place.

Chain 4.

Make petal cluster in space of previous cluster:

(*Yarn over, insert hook in space between the 2 partial double crochets of previous cluster, draw up a loop,

yarn over and draw through 2 loops.

Repeat from *.

Yarn over and draw through all the loops on your hook.)

Remember to insert the hook BELOW the yarn strand that crosses the previous cluster space.

Your second petal is made!

Make 3 more petals (chain 4, petal cluster) each in the space of the cluster before it, to equal 5 petals total.

Your petals should look like this. The arrows are pointing to the cluster spaces, which you'll be using to gather the petals into a flower.

You'll do this using a 5-double crochet decrease, which means you'll be making 5 partial double crochets, one in each cluster space, then gathering them all up to make the blossom.

Here we go.

5-double crochet decrease:

Yarn over and insert hook into nearest empty cluster space.

Draw loop through.

Yarn over, and draw through 2 loops.

Now you should have 2 loops on your hook.

Repeat this process 4 more times, once in each cluster space:

(Yarn over and insert hook into next empty cluster space.

Draw loop through.

Yarn over, and draw through 2 loops.)

Now you should have 6 loops on your hook, like this:

Ready to finish the thistle?

Yarn over, and carefully draw through ALL the loops on the hook. Tug on yarn to tighten.

There it is! Your starting thistle is done. (The rest will go much more quickly.)

Chain 2.

Single crochet in cluster space of first petal made.

Chain 1.

Single crochet in chain-4 space of first petal.

Now it's time to make the next thistle.

Regular Thistle:

Chain 4, TURN.

Make a petal cluster in the single crochet at base of chain-4.

First petal made! Time to make the rest:

*Chain 4, make petal cluster in space of previous cluster.

Do this 4 times total. You should now have 5 petals, curving out like this:

Make 5-double crochet decrease just like you did in the starting thistle.

Tug on yarn to tighten. First regular thistle made! All the rest of the thistles will be made like this one.

Double crochet in the chain-2 space of the starting thistle.

Now it's time to learn the next special stitch, the Connecting Leaf. This is basically a chain 4 plus 2 partial triple crochets, all connected at the top . (Kind of a taller version of the petal cluster.)

Connecting Leaf:

Chain 4.

Make 2 partial triple crochets in the double crochet space:

*Yarn over 2 times.

Insert hook UNDER the double crochet you just made.
Draw up a loop.

Yarn over, draw yarn through 2 loops,
then yarn over and draw yarn through 2 loops again.

Now you should have 2 loops on your hook, like this:

Repeat from *. Now you should have 3 loops on your hook.

Yarn over, and draw through all loops on hook.

Single crochet in chain-4 space of opposite thistle's last petal:

Your connecting leaf is done!

Now you know the basic steps for this scarf: the regular thistle, and the connecting leaf.

Make your next regular thistle (chain 4, TURN, petal cluster in single crochet at base of chain 4, then chain 4 and make petal cluster in previous cluster space, 4 more times, to equal 5 petals; make 5-double crochet decrease to draw petals into a flower).

Make a double crochet in the chain-4 space of the previous connecting leaf.

Make your connecting leaf (chain 4, make 2 partial triple crochets in double crochet space, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook. Then connect to opposite blossom by making single crochet in chain-4 space of opposite blossom's last petal).

Your scarf is growing!

Keep following these steps...

1. Regular thistle
2. Double crochet in chain-4 space of previous leaf
3. Connecting leaf

...until your scarf is as long as you like. Don't forget to TURN at the beginning of each thistle.

To finish: Make final regular thistle.

Single crochet in chain-4 space of previous connecting leaf.

Chain 2.

Single crochet in chain-4 space of opposite thistle's last petal.

Chain 1.

TURN.

Slip stitch in chain-4 space of final thistle's last petal.

Cut yarn and weave in ends. Whoop and holler and try on your new scarf.

Block if desired, and enjoy! Or share the enjoyment by giving it away.

You may do whatever you like with the items you make from this pattern, but you may not sell the pattern.

If you have any questions or find any mistakes in the pattern, please leave a comment or contact me in Ravelry and I'll be happy to help if I can.

Happy crocheting!

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