FREE PATTERN: Benetton-inspired chain link scarf

Sometime in the fall of 2006 I was window shopping along the streets of Mannheim, Germany when I came across a display for some knit scarves at Benetton:



















These chain-link scarves were something I had never seen before! I leaned in closer to get a better look and noticed the hefty pricetag. I think one scarf cost around 30 Euros, which teeters awfully close to $50 USD with today's exchange rate. For a scarf??? That's crazy!!

I spent a few more minutes figuring out how the scarf was put together. Then I toodled down to a yarn shop and bought about 300 grams of verigated acrylic yarn and started knitting. And here's what I came up with:



















Yep, with only about 4 Euros invested in yarn, I managed to make my own chain link scarf that was super easy and really turns some heads. I'm serious, every time I wear this scarf I receive compliments. So, since I've been lucky enough to find so many neat patterns for free on the internet, I thought I'd add my own little creation to the mix. Enjoy!

NOTE: This pattern is particularly good for beginner knitters who are interested in practicing casting on, stockinette stitch, and binding off.

It is also a great project for people on the go who like to take their knitting with them. I knit most of this scarf while riding on a train, and I only had to carry a bit of yarn with me at a time since each link in the chain is its own separate piece of knitting.

MATERIALS NEEDED:
-approximately 300 grams of worsted-weight or aran-weight yarn
-size 8 (5mm) knitting needles
-tapestry needle

*PATTERN:
The idea is to knit approximately 20 separate "links," or strips of knitting. You want each link to be about 4 inches wide and about 7 or 8 inches long. With my yarn that meant casting on 18 stitches and since my yarn was verigated (changes color), I knit in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row, etc.) until I got to a new color and then bound off. Although I was not concerned about measuring each piece to make sure all the links were exactly the same length, they ended up all being between 7 and 8 inches long. TIP: You are going to have to sew the links together, so when you bind off on each link, leave about a 10 inch tail of yarn for this step.

When your "links" are all knit, use your tapestry needle to sew the ends of your first link together. You can either use a matress stitch or a simple whip stitch to accomplish this. (Or for you really advanced knitters, you could even use a provisional cast-on for each link and then graft each link together with kitchener stitch.) Then, take your second link and loop it through the first one before you sew it closed. Repeat with each link until all your strips are sewn together to make a long chain.

Due to stockinette stitch's tendency to curl over on itself, the links in your chain scarf will curl in making each link more sturdy. And since I was feeling extra lazy when sewing my scarf together, I just tucked the yarn ends into the curls and forgot about them. Minimal finishing!!

For my scarf I knit 21 "links" and the scarf was almost six feet long after being sewn together and worn a few times.
If you're a really hip trendy Benetton model, you could wear your finished scarf like this. Then you willl definitely turn some heads.
























But if you just want to wear it normally, it should come out looking like this. :) Okay, now go get knitting! And if you make one don't forget to send me a picture by commenting on this post!





















Benetton photos credit: http://www.nitrolicious.com/blog/2006/11/08/limited-edition-benetton-chain-scarf-part-2/

*Hey kids. Feel free to use this pattern for your own personal use. But please don't sell any copies of the pattern or sell the resulting scarves. Unless you are Benetton. Then it's okay. ;)