Sidekick Scarf Tips

On this page you’ll find tips and tutorials for making your own Sidekick scarf! I cover the following topics:

Featured Yarn

The yarn featured in this pattern is the beautiful Flora by Loop Yarn. I designed this piece specifically for this yarn, in collaboration with Loop Yarn Shop in Philadelphia (it’s their own, in-house yarn line!). It’s a gorgeous worsted-weight superwash merino yarn that is perfect for accessories like Sidekick because it feels so soft against the skin. The other thing I love about this yarn is the color palette – it’s full of bright, saturated colors that will add some ‘pop’ to any outfit in the winter months (but don’t worry – if neutral colors are more your thing they have those too!).

One thing to note about this yarn and with the stitch pattern featured in Sidekick – if you measure your gauge, you’ll notice it’s likely much tighter than a typical worsted-weight gauge. And that’s to be expected – it’s due to the slip stitch patterning. And the other thing to keep in mind is that your gauge will loosen up after blocking. My pre-blocked stitch gauge was closer to 24 sts = 4″ but after blocking it was 22 sts = 4″. So the wingspan (measurement “A” in the schematic) measured closer to 36 (56)”, whereas the finished, post-blocked length is approx 40 (62)”.

Adjusting for a different weight

The great thing with this piece is that it really can work for any type of yarn, at any weight! So if you prefer a lighter-weight yarn, you can definitely use it for Sidekick as well! Just use the suggested needle size listed on the yarn label and work the pattern until you almost run out of yarn! The pattern also provides a depth measurement for each of the 2 sizes before bind-off, so you can also use this as a reference (see below for what this measurement is).

Needle size tips

In the pattern I specify using a US 8 with worsted-weight yarn. But you can adjust this based upon your yarn choice. If you chose a worsted-weight but as you start to knit your Sidekick it feels like the stitch pattern is too loose or too tight for your preference, then you can just go down to a US 7 (to make it tighter) or a US 9 (to make it looser). If you chose a DK yarn, I’d suggest looking at the yarn label for your chosen yarn and see what needle size they suggest using for that yarn. For example, for DK yarns this will likely be a US 6 or 7, for Sport it will likely be US 4 or 5.

In terms of the length of circular, the pattern specifies to cast-on and start on a 24″ as I personally found that to be the most comfortable for a bulk of the scarf. However, if all you have is a 32″ than that is fine to start with (and some people may prefer this anyway)! Also, you may find that as you grow the scarf out, that the stitches feel too crowded on the 24″ length. If this feels uncomfortable to you, simply switch to a 32″ length. To do this, just start working with the 32″ length at the beginning of the row, and then once you reach the end of the row, all of your stitches are now on the 32″ and you can put the 24″ aside.

Working the stitch pattern

For a video demonstration of how to work all the stitches involved in both RS and WS rows, check out my quick demonstration on YouTube by clicking here.

Measuring depth

In the pattern, you’re instructed to repeat rows 1-4 until you just have 2-4 yds of yarn remaining, or the depth measures a particular amount. Below is a visual that shows how to measure the depth when you have stitches on the needles – as you can see, the key is that you’re measuring straight down from the apex of the scarf…

So in the above visual, I’m measuring straight down from the tallest point and this is the maximum depth. So in this particular piece, I’m at about 9″ (and as you can see, I only have a little bit of yarn leftover of my 1st skein), so if I’m making the small size, I’d be ready to bind-off on my next WS row (so long as my last row worked was a row 3).

Working the bind-off

For a video demonstration of how to work the p1, k1 bind-off, check out my quick demonstration on YouTube by clicking here.

After binding-off, you’ll weave in your ends and block. I blocked my Sidekick’s the same way I do my garments (soaking in cool water, then laying flat to dry on blocking mats). For a tutorial on how I like to wet block (whether it’s garments or accessories), click here to watch my video lesson.

How to wear it (and more pictures!)

The small version can be worn as a regular little scarf, or you can tie the ends together and wear it like a kerchief. You can even wrap it around your neck a couple of times and then tie it for a closer-fitting kerchief style. Check out my photos below for a visual:

The longer version can be worn like a regular scarf, or wrapped around the neck like a large kerchief. Or wear it like a shawl drapped around your shoulders. Check out my photos below for a visual: