INTRODUCTION

Alysa

by Kate Atherley

A twist on the classic striped scarf, and a fabulous way to learn or practice your two-color brioche skills. Although unintentional, we couldn't help but notice the echoes of Olympic gold medallist Alysa Liu's trademark hair in this striking scarf, and so it's named in her honor. Does someone want to tell her that her hair reminds us of syncopated brioche?

The core patterning is easily memorized, but you might find you need to pay careful attention to the edge stitches.

model: Roxy Contin of Hammer City Roller Derby

photos: Amy Sadler

SIZE

One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

As written, scarf measures 7 inches/ 18 cm wide and approximately 68 inches/ 173 cm long.

See Pattern Notes for tips on customizing width and length.

MATERIALS

Yarn
Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted [100% superwash wool, 219 yds/ 200 m per 100 g ball]
[MC] color 190, Raisin; 1 ball
[CC] color 102, Soft Cream; 1 ball

Yarn Characteristics
Rowan Pure Wool Superwash is a perfectly plain and smooth solid-colored easy care wool. It’s soft but with a bit of structure. This design looks best worked with a smooth yarn, in two strongly contrasting solid or nearly-solid colors.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #7/ 4.5 mm circular needle, 16-20 inches/ 40-50 cm long

Notions
1 removable stitch marker or safety pin, to mark the RS of the fabric
yarn needle

GAUGE

Approximately 15 sts/17 rows = 4 inches/ 10 cm in two-color brioche

Note: Gauge is not critical for this project but working at a different gauge will affect finished size and yardage required. Gauge is a challenging thing in brioche. Stitch gauge is hard to measure as it's effectively ribbing, and there's a lot of lateral give in the fabric; and row gauge is weird because there's confusion about how to count the rows – do the A and B pass count as one row, or two? In this case, I've counted the vs of stitches in a knit column – making the A and B pass as a single row.

PATTERN NOTES

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

Construction method: Worked in one piece, short edge to short edge. Although it’s worked flat, you do need a circular needle for the two-pass two-color brioche.

Adjusting size:

• WIDTH: To widen, add a second ball of each color. Simply cast on more stitches, making sure you have an odd number.
• LENGTH: To lengthen, weigh your yarn after you've worked the initial Two-Color section (before you start the Syncopated Stripes section) and make note of how much yarn you used; work syncopated stripes to the length you want, ending with Stripe 1, making sure that you've left yourself sufficient yarn to work the matching two-color section at the end.

Yarn usage: Sample uses almost all of both balls; to make the scarf longer or wider, you will need a 2nd ball of each color.

Techniques

• Sl1yo: Make sure the yarn is in front; slip the next stitch purlwise; move the yarn over the needle into position for the next stitch. Between knit stitches, bring the yarn to the front, slip the next stitch purlwise, and leave the yarn at the front so that when you knit/brk the next stitch, the yarn drapes over the needle to complete the yarnover. Between purl stitches, leave the yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, and then take the yarn over the needle from the front and all the way around to the front again, into position for the next stitch.
• Brk1: knit the stitch together with its yarnover-wrap.
• Brp1: purl the stitch together with its yarnover-wrap.
• Sl1p: slip the stitch purlwise; that is, put the needle into the stitch as if you are going to purl it.
• Sl1k: slip the stitch knitwise; that is, put the needle into the stitch as if you are going to knit it.
• Wyib: with yarn held to back of work.
• Wyif: with yarn held to front of work.

DIRECTIONS

SCARF
Using MC and Long Tail method, cast on 27 sts.

Setup row (WS, MC): Sl1k, (sl1yo, k1) to end.

Join CC by loosely tying it around the working strand of MC. You won't use it immediately, but just let it hang. When working Row 1A for the first time, you can ignore the instruction to twist the yarns.

Two-Color Section
Row 1A (RS, MC): Sl1p wyif, take yarn to the back and twist the two strands around each other to trap the CC, (brk1, sl1yo) to last 2 sts, brk1, p1. DO NOT TURN; slide sts to other end of needle.
Row 1B (RS, CC): Sl1p wyib, (sl1yo, brp1) to last 2 sts, sl1yo, leave yarn in front, Sl1p. TURN.

Row 2A (WS, MC): Sl1k wyib, twist yarns around each other at the back to trap CC then bring yarn to front, (brp1, sl1yo) to last 2 sts, brp1, k1. DO NOT TURN; slide sts to other end of needle.
Row 2B (WS, CC): Sl1p wyib, (sl1yo, brk1) to last 2 sts, sl1yo, bring yarn to front, Sl1p. TURN.

Work Rows 1A-B and 2A-B a total of 16 times, until you have worked 32 rows.

Tip on counting rows: Count the MC knit stitches on the RS; each one of those represents two passes, a completed pair of A and B instructions.

Syncopated Stripe Section

Stripe 1
Row 3A (RS, MC): Sl1p wyif, take yarn to the back and twist the two strands around each other to trap the CC, then bring yarn to front, (brp1, sl1yo) to last 2 sts, brp1, p1. DO NOT TURN; slide sts to other end of needle.
Row 3B (RS, CC): Sl1p wyib, (sl1yo, brk1) to last 2 sts, sl1yo, bring yarn to front, Sl1p. TURN.

Row 4A (WS, MC): Sl1k wyib, twist yarns around each other to trap CC, (brk1, sl1yo) to last 2 sts, brk1, k1. DO NOT TURN; slide sts to other end of needle.
Row 4B (WS, CC): Sl 1 pwise wyib, (sl1yo, brp1) to last 2 sts, sl1yo, bring yarn to front, sl1p. TURN.

Work Rows 3A-B and 4A-B a total of 3 times, until you have worked 6 rows.

Stripe 2
Work Rows 1A-B and 2A-B of the Two-Color Section a total of 3 times, until you have worked 6 rows.

Work Stripe 1 followed by Stripe 2 until you have 16 stripes total, and then work Stripe 1 once more.
Work the Two-Color Section again.

Cut CC.

Final row (RS, MC/dark): Sl1p wyif, (brk1, sl1yo) to last 2 sts, brk1, p1. TURN.

Bind off on WS as follows: K1, *p1, slip 2 sts back to left needle and k2tog-tbl, brk1, slip 2 sts back to left needle and k2tog-tbl; rep from * until 2 sts remain on left needle, p1, slip 2 sts back to left needle and k2tog-tbl, k1, slip 2 sts back to left needle and k2tog-tbl. Cut yarn and pull through final st to secure.

FINISHING

Wash, according to washing instructions for yarn. Lay flat to dry. Do not stretch or pin. Once dry, weave in all ends.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Kate Atherley is Knitty's Managing Technical Editor and a knitting author and teacher. The combination of her university degree in mathematics, professional experience in software development and usability, and training in garment and fashion design give her a unique perspective. Her latest book about Math for Knitters continues to sell out.

You can see more of her work at kateatherley.com, and on Ravelry.

Pattern © 2026 Kate Atherley; Images © 2026 Amy Sadler