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Seaman’s Scarves for Matthew by Myrna Stahman

Travelling stitch seaman's scarf Travelling stitch seaman's scarf

Left: “Matthew” Right: “Matt”

In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, tied to a fence, and left for dead. He was unconscious when his limp body was discovered by a passing cyclist the day after this vicious crime. Five days later Matthew died, never regaining consciousness. At Matthew’s funeral his cousin, the Rev. Anne Kitch, asked the world to find in Matthew’s life a lesson that transcends the evil of his death.

Following the directive of Rev. Kitch, Myrna Stahman designed two Seamen’s scarves in memory of Matthew. Permission is granted to copy these patterns for non-commercial purposes and give them to your knitting friends. Each time you use these patterns please take some action to foster the understanding of people who are different from yourself.

Knit an extra scarf and donate it to a worthy cause.

Enjoy the “Matthew” and “Matt” patterns and the scarves you knit from them, remembering Matthew who, in the words of his father, would have been overwhelmed by what his murder has done to the hearts and souls of people around the world. Matthew was the type of person who, if this had happened to another, would have been the first on the scene to offer his help, his hope, and his heart. Please offer your help, your hope, and your heart to make the world a better place for all.

Materials

These scarves can be made from many different types of yarns, as long as the appropriate needle size is selected. Heavier yarns will require larger needles and more yardage, and will result in wider scarves.

Haneke provides three appropriate yarns:
– Haneke Sport Weight: (75% Merino wool, 25% Alpaca; 185 yds [169 m]/2 oz) Two skeins with size 4, 5, or 6 [3.5, 3.75, or 4.0mm] needles.

– Haneke Fingering Weight: (75% Merino wool, 25% Alpaca; 280 yds [256 m]/2 ox) One skein with size 3, 4 or 5 [3.25, 3.5, or 3.75mm] needles.

– Haneke Heaven Sent: (100% baby royal Alpaca; 200yd [183 m]/50g) two

skeins with size 1, 2 or 3 [2.25, 2.75 or 3.25mm] needles.

Provisional Cast-On:
Using cotton waste yarn of a weight a bit heavier than the yarn you use for your scarf, and using a crochet hook larger than the needle you knit with, crochet a chain of about six stitches more than the number of stitches you need to cast on, pulling the last stitch through the loop to fasten it off. Turn the crocheted chain so that the “bumps” (not the chain) are on top and facing you.

Using your knitting needles and the yarn you will knit with, and leaving a tail about 18″ [46cm] long,

*insert needle into the first bump and pick up a stitch; repeat from * until desired number of stitches have been picked up. Properly done, this cast-on is removed by “unzipping” like the top of a sugar or feed sack.

Matt

Using the provisional cast-on method (see above), CO 41sts.

Tail #1:
Work as charted until piece measures about 14″ [35.5 cm] from beg, ending with Row 10 or 20 of chart.
Work seed st across all sts and foll for 8 rows: Sl1 pwise, *k1, p1; rep from *, end k2.
BO all sts in patt.

Neck Ribbing:
Carefully remove the waste yarn from the CO sts and place live sts on needle. (Note that when you remove the first st of the waste yarn, you must pull the end out through the first st of your scarf. Pick up that first st by twisting it as you pick it up, otherwise it will be loose and loopy)

Set-up Row 1: (RS) K6, p4, k4, p4, k5, p4, k4, p4, k6.
Set-up Row 2: Sl1 pwise, p5, k4, p4, k4, p5, k4, p4, k4, p5, k1.
Row 1: Sl1 pwise, k5, p4, k4, p4, k5, p4, k4, p4, k6.
Row 2: Sl1 pwise, p5, k4, p4, k4, p5, k4, p4, k4, p5, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until ribbing measures 12 to 14″ [30.5 to 35.5 cm], or desired length, ending with Row 2.

Tail #2:
Work as for Tail #1.

Finishing

Wash with mild wool soap and lay flat to dry, or insert blocking wires into purl bumps along sides and ends of scarf, gently pull the wires to open the stitch pattern, and allow to dry completely.

Chart for Matt:
(Note from Sarah: Read each right side row from right to left, and each wrong side row from left to right)

Key:
| | = k on RS; p on WS
|x| = p on RS; k on WS
|V| = sl 1 pwise

Matt Scarf knitting chart

Matthew

Using the provisional method (see above), CO 37 sts.

Tail #1:
Set-up row: (WS) Sl1 pwise, [k1, p1] 2 times, k1, pm {transcriber’s note, this marker isn’t used anywhere!}, p25, [k1,p1] 2 times, K2. Beg with Row 1, work as charted until piece measures 14″ [35.5 cm] from beg, ending with Row 12 of chart.

Work seed st across all sts as follows for 8 rows: Sl1 pwise, *k1,p1; rep from *, end k2. BO all sts in patt.

Neck ribbing:
Carefully remove the waste yarn from the CO sts and place live sts on needle. (Note that when you remove the first st of the waste yarn, you must pull the end out through the first st of your scarf. Pick up that first st by twisting it as you pick it up; otherwise it will be loose and loopy)

Set up row: (WS) Sl 1 pwise, p4, k4, p4, k4, p3, k4, p4, k4, p4, k1.

Row 1: (RS) Sl 1 pwise, k4, p4, k4, p4, k3, p4, k4, p4, k5.
Row 2: Sl 1 pwise, p4, k4, p4, k4, p3, k4, p4, k4, p4, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until ribbing measures 10-13″ [25.5 to 33 cm] long, or desired length, ending with Row 1.

Tail #2:
Work as for Tail #1.

Finishing

Wash with mild wool soap and lay flat to dry, or insert blocking wires into purl bumps along sides and ends of scarf, gently pull the wires to open the stitch pattern, and allow to dry completely.

Chart for Matthew:
(Note from Sarah: Read each right side row from right to left, and each wrong side row from left to right)

Key:

| | = k on RS, p on WS

|x| = p on RS, k on WS

|V| = sl 1 pwise

|b| = k1 tbl

|O| = yo

| | = sl 1 pwise, sl 1 kwise, insert left needle into front loops of these 2 sts, and k2tog tbl.

|/| = sl 1 pwise, sl 1 pwise, insert left needle kwise into front of st just slipped (to twist it) and place it back on left needle, sl the first st back to left needle, k2tog.

|^| = sl the next 3 sts pwise, one at a time, insert left needle kwise into front of st just slipped (to twist it) and place it back on left needle, sl the second st back to left needle (without twisting it), k2tog, psso.

Matthew scarf knitting chart


In Memory of Matthew

Copyright Myrna Stahman, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to copy these patterns for non-commercial purposes and give them to your knitting friends. Each time you use these patterns please take some action to foster
the understanding of people who are different from yourself.