by Lisa Bogart

That's my scarf! And my phone can prove it. No one was more surprised than me to discover a smartphone could scan this knitted scarf to reveal a secret message. I took up the challenge one weekend when the geeks at my house were playing around on a website generating QRcodes.

"What are you guys making?" I asked.

"You know, mom, those square barcodes you see everywhere. They send you to a website or a give you a message of text."

"Really." I smiled and went back to my knitting.

"Hey Mom! You could knit a barcode."

"Yeah. Right." I laughed, but we all got intrigued by the idea. Soon I was knitting in black and white. My first swatch worked! I knit the QR code for my website. I was hooked. Let's try something else.

My son, Zach, (the geek who started it all) wanted a new scarf for his second winter at Boston University. Here in California there's not much call for extra woolies. But Zach discovered when a nor-easter blows he wanted to be able to bundle up. I was happy to oblige.

This scarf is knit in the round to be extra toasty. The construction means all the intarsia floats are hidden inside and won't snag. The QR codes embedded in this knitting scan to reveal: My Scarf! (Chart A) and Love Mom (Chart B). (You will need a scanner app for your phone like Red Laser.)

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
9 inches wide x 60 inches long

MATERIALS
Yarn
Cascade 220 [100% wool; 220yds/200m per 100gm skein];
[MC] White #8505, 1 skein
[CC1] Black # 8555, 1 skein
[CC2] # 7813 Jade, 1 skein
[CC3] # 8914 Granny Smith, 1 skein
[CC4] # 9430 Highland Green, 1 skein
[CC5] # 9486 Shamrock, 1 skein
[CC6] # 9487 Puget Sound, 1 skein
[CC7] # 8229 Country Green, 1 skein
Any worsted-weight wool or wool/acrylic yarn that can be knitted to the gauge given can be used.
Approx. 900-1,000yd/850-950m will be needed, in a combination of colors to vary the stripes as you please.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 16-inch US 6/45 mm circular needle (for body of scarf)
2 US 6/4 mm DPNs or one more circular needles for three needle bind off

Notions
Stitch markers
Yarn needle

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

To create a custom QR code go here. Change the default setting from URL to text, then type in an 11 character piece of text (Knit Joy! / I Love You / Call Home / Hands Off / Whatever). Hit generate. Now you have a chart to customize your scarf. Each block represents four stitches. Since knit stitches are not square, one stitch will not be easily scannable, therefore a 2-stitch by 2-stitch block makes the code work.

DIRECTIONS

Knit one round and place stitch marker at the beginning of the round. Knit 12 more rounds with MC

Continue in stripes as follows -- or as desired -- until piece measures 5.5 inches from cast-on.

3 rounds CC2
2 rounds MC
2 rounds CC3
6 rounds MC
1 rounds CC4
1 rounds MC
6 rounds CC4
1 rounds CC3
2 rounds CC4
4 rounds CC5

Using MC, knit 5 rounds.

Join CC1.

Next round: K4 MC, work Chart A across next 42 sts, k8 MC, work chart B across next 42 sts, k4.

Work as set until the charts are complete.

Using MC only, knit 5 rounds.

Continue in stripes as follows or as desired until piece measures 60 inches from cast-on:

3 rounds CC6
1 round CC2
2 rounds CC6
3 rounds CC2
1 round MC
3 rounds CC2
6 rounds MC
2 rounds CC3
3 rounds MC
13 rounds CC5
8 rounds CC7
2 rounds MC
4 rounds CC7
16 rounds CC6
14 rounds CC4
6 rounds CC2
2 rounds MC
4 rounds CC2

Use a three-needle BO to close the scarf. Block.

Lisa Bogart is the author of Knit With Love, Stories to Warm a Knitters Heart. When not writing or knitting, she works at Piedmont Yarn in Oakland, CA.

She is adjusting to an empty nest by sending her son, Zach, lots of care packages. So far his favorite items are hand-knit socks and orange muffins.