Shared knit pattern

Heritage Cable Scarf for Him

A classic men's scarf in DK-weight yarn featuring two flanking 8-stitch rope cables on a seed-stitch ground, framed by garter borders. Worked flat with advanced techniques: cabling, seed stitch, and a tidy long-tail cast on.

Finished / weight

Approximately 7.25 in (18.5 cm) wide × 65 in (165 cm) long, after blocking

Gauge

22 sts × 30 rows = 4 in (10 cm)

Yarn

DK weight (#3 light worsted), 625–750 yards total. Recommended: a smooth, single-color wool or wool blend; a heathered tweed reads especially handsome. Sample swatched in a charcoal heather merino-alpaca blend.

Needles / hooks

US 6 (4.0 mm) straight or 24-inch circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge. A cable needle (US 5–6 / 3.75–4.0 mm) or short DPN.

Notions

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends. Blocking mats and rust-proof pins recommended.

Abbreviations

CO = cast onBO = bind offK = knitP = purlRS = right sideWS = wrong sideC8B = cable 8 back: slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold at back of work; k4 from the left needle; k4 from the cable needlerep = repeatst(s) = stitch(es)

Cast On & Bottom Border

COUsing a long-tail cast on, CO 40 sts.40 sts

Rows 1–8Knit every stitch (garter-stitch border).40 sts

Body — Pattern Setup

Setup Row (WS)K4, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Body — 8-Row Pattern Repeat

Row 1 (RS — cable row)K4, C8B, [K1, P1] 4 times, C8B, [K1, P1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 2 (WS)K4, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 3 (RS)K4, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 4 (WS)K4, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 5 (RS)K4, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 6 (WS)K4, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 7 (RS)K4, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K8, [K1, P1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Row 8 (WS)K4, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, P8, [P1, K1] 4 times, K4.40 sts

Body — Repeat to Length

RepeatRepeat Rows 1–8 until piece measures approximately 64 in (162 cm) from cast on, ending after a Row 8. You will complete about 60 full 8-row cable repeats.40 sts

Top Border & Bind Off

Rows 1–8Knit every stitch (garter-stitch border to match bottom).40 sts

BOBind off all sts loosely knitwise. Cut yarn leaving a 6 in tail.0 sts

Finishing

Weave in ends along the wrong-side of the cable cells where they'll be hidden. Wet-block by soaking in cool water with a wool wash for 15–20 minutes, gently pressing out water in a towel, and pinning to finished dimensions on a blocking mat. Let dry flat for 24 hours.

Notes

The seed-stitch ground between the cables stays flat and balances the curl cables naturally introduce, so this scarf lies nicely with only light blocking. If your gauge runs tight, consider going up one needle size — wool DK can read stiff at exact gauge. Want it fully reversible (cables that look identical on both sides)? Reply and ask for the reversible-cable variant — happy to redesign.

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AI-assisted pattern shared by a SkeinSmart member. Always swatch and verify stitch counts before casting on.