My hobbit gift to you all is yet another scarf! But wait, it gets better since you can easily expand this idea to create a shawl or an afghan. And you can use just about any yarn you like. I'd recommend a sports, DK, or worsted weight. Gauge isn't all that important either since this is a very stretchy pattern stitch; I've given you my gauges for this pattern stitch for both sports and worsted weight yarns as a guide.

The pattern stitch I've used comes from Jane Neighbors' Reversible Two-Color Knitting. (If you ever see a copy of this book, which I think may be out-of-print, grab it. It fits very nicely on your shelf of knitting books, between Barbara Walker's 3-vol. treasury of patterns and Beverly Royce's Notes on Double Knitting.) It is a thermal stitch (i.e. has little built-in pockets to trap the air), which Ms. Neighbors calls "Shadow Boxing" and is an "opposite reversible" pattern. That is, one color/yarn will dominate one side of the fabric; the other color/yarn, the other side. The result is a lightweight, warm, truly reversible fabric. The key to this stitch is to use large needles, much larger than you would normally use for the given yarn you've selected.

You will need two yarns (identified as A & B.) As for what yarn to use, anything goes so long as both yarns are the same weight. Suggestions: For a bold look, use two strongly contrasting colors; a sophisticated, elegant look is created by using shades of the same color. I think it's equally fun to mix textures. Try a "smooth" yarn (silk, merino or alpaca, for example) with a "hairy" yarn (mohair or angora). A boucle or chenille might work well as one of the yarns, too. You don't have to work with expensive yarns, such as my above examples, either; I did my swatches with an acrylic sports weight "smooth" yarn and an acrylic sport weight "faux" angora. Double the fun by mixing color and texture! My favorite swatch so far has been the above-mentioned acrylic yarns, one cream and the other white. Have fun! :-)

Materials:

• Yarn:1 2-oz. skein each of 2 yarns of the same weight. (This should be enough for a scarf approximately 4 feet long; if you want a longer scarf or want to add fringe, you will need more of each yarn.)
• Needles:1 circular needle, or 2 double-pointed needles, several sizes larger than you would normally use for your chosen yarn. (This pattern stitch cannot easily be knit on single-pointed needles.)

My gauges:

• 43 sts = about 8"; 6 rows = about 1" (sports weight yarn & size 8 American needles)
• 43 sts = about 9"; 7 rows = about 1" (worsted weight yarn & size 10 American needles)
• Don't worry if yours don't match mine exactly. Strive for a gauge that will show off the pattern stitch; it should be on the loose side, allowing the boxes to open after a little stretching during blocking. Also, you may decide to use a triple wrap in rows 2 & 4.

Abbreviations & Terms:

• slide -- slide stitches to the opposite end of the circular or double-pointed needles because this is where you will find the desired yarn for the next row.
• turn -- knitting should be turned around in order to work back in the direction you just came from (the "normal way of proceeding).
• yib -- yarn in back
• yif -- yarn in front

Pattern Stitch:

Instructions:

Variations:

• Use worsted weight yarn and make an blanket-sized (60 x 80") afghan with 287 sts and 560 rows. Scaled down with baby yarn but same number of sts and rows gives you a cuddly baby blanket.
• You can make a 24 x 60" (approx.) rectangular shawl, worsted weight yarn, with either 287 sts and 168 rows, or 127 sts and 420 rows. The boxes will be oriented differently in each, creating subtly different looks.
• You can substitute sports or DK weight for the afghan or shawl; just use your gauge to determine the necessary number of stitches and rows to use.)