Catherine Wheel Crochet Scarf

Welcome to Scarf Week!  For those of you who regularly read my blog, I tend to write very late in the evening, Mountain Standard Time.  That means that my posts may appear to be every other day.  Don't worry though, there will be at least 5 different scarfs during Scarf Week.  On to our first scarf!

  

A Catherine Wheel stitch is a great crochet stitch which makes a beginner crocheter an intermediate crocheter (which is where I think I'm firmly planted).  It also makes an amazing scarf and pretty much anything else you want to crochet.  I first used this stitch in an afghan with triple crochet stitches.  This scarf uses double crochet stitches which seems to fit the scale of a scarf better.

You can make this scarf as wide and long as you want.  Mine was 10" wide and 45" long.  I used a H size hook, but you can use a smaller hook if you want a scarf with smaller stitches (so the width will be slightly less).  As you can guess, there is no gauge, which is the way I like to do most of my projects.  You can use any kind of yarn; for this scarf I used a worsted weight yarn.  This scarf looks good in a single color, variegated yarn or two colors (see my Catherine Wheel Afghan for the look of two colors).
Here's the pattern:

SC=single crochet; DC=double crochet  CH=chain YO=yarn over (wrap around hook) 

DC5tog over = Work a DC in each of the 4 DC from the previous row, pulling the loop through only once, leaving the last loop on the hook for each DC.  You will have 5 loops on the hook.  Yo over and pull loop through all 5 loops at once.  YO again and pull through to secure.  A DC5tog over makes a 1/4 wheel for the beginning and end of each row. 

DC9tog over = Just like a DC5tog over except you work 4 DC, SC, 4 DC, leaving the last loop on each stitch.  You will have 9 loops on the hook.  Yo over and pull loop through all 9 loops at once.  YO again and pull through to secure.  A DC9tog over makes a 1/2 wheel.  This is what a DC9tog over looks like (actually this example is in triple crochet, but you get the idea).  Having a hard time figuring out how to do this?  You can see very detailed pictures of each step of a DC9tog over (just ignore the fact that the stitches are triple crochet), check out this post for the Catherine Wheel Afghan.

Ready?  Crochet!

Chain 33 (32 + 1) Turn

Base Row:  Ch. 1.  *SC in second CH, skip 3 CHs, 9 DCs in next CH, skip 3 CHs*  Repeat from * to * across, ending with SC.

Row 1:  Ch 2.  DC5tog over *ch 3, SC in next DC, ch 3, DC9tog over*  Repeat from * to * across, ending with a DC5tog over, skip turning CH. Turn

Row 2:  Ch 2.  5 DCs in the DC5tog in the previous row *skip 3 CH, sc in sc, skip 3 CH, 9 DC in the DC9tog in the previous row*  Repeat from * to * across, ending with 5 DCs in DC5tog in the previous row, skip turning CH.  Turn.

Row 3:  Ch 1.  *SC in DC from previous row, ch 3, DC9tog over, ch 3*  Repeat from * to * across, ending with SC in last DC from previous row.  Skip turning CH.  Turn

Row 4:  Ch 1 *SC in SC from previous row, skip 3 CH, 9 DC in DC9tog in previous row, skip 3 CH*  Repeat from * to * across, ending with SC in SC from previous row.  Skip turning CH.  Turn

Continue until you get the desired length, ending with a Row 4.  Do not turn at the end of the last Row 4.  The last Row 4 is the first side of your border, so you will continue around in the same direction.  You will work the remainder as a border around the remaining 3 sides of the scarf.

Work edging around the other three sides as follows:  *9 DCs in center of half circle, SC in SC*  Repeat from * to * along each side.  The corners will have only 1 SC in each of them.

Cut end, pull through last loop and weave in.  Done!

Photos courtesy of Kate Eschbach Photography

cindy