Title: Modular Flower Scarf
Fandom: The Mikado, by Gilbert and Sullivan
Rating: G
Content notes: none
Summary: A scarf knit in stages, inspired by the first stage production I was ever involved in.


INTRODUCTION AND DESIGNER'S NOTES
The concept of "stages" instantly brought to mind the concept of modular knitting. This scarf is knit in individual squares, but each square is built on top of the previous one (by picking up stitches off of the side), instead of knitting each square as a separate piece and sewing them together at the end. To add interest, the squares are knit from two sides to the corner; thus the stitches in the square appear to be going two different directions.

I had the wonderful opportunity while in college to be rehearsal pianist for many operas and musical theater shows. But The Mikado will always have a special place in my heart, because it is the first stage production I was ever involved in: the first time I ever experienced the magic of seeing a show all the way through from nobody knowing their lines to a polished conglomerate of music, staging, costumes, and all.

I played around with several ideas of how I might base this design on The Mikado—I even charted and knit a block based on "Three Little Maids"—but I finally decided on a simple flower pattern, for the song "The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring". In this song, the hero Nanki-Poo celebrates his impending marriage to Yum-Yum, singing happily about how "The flowers that bloom in the spring, Tra la, Breathe promise of merry sunshine." While the thwarted Ko-Ko, who wanted to marry Yum-Yum but has been tricked into marrying the evil Katisha, sings, "The flowers that bloom in the spring, Tra la, Have nothing to do with the case. I've got to take under my wing, Tra la, A most unattractive old thing..." It's corny, but oh so fun.

Thanks to my sister yaviiniia for modeling the scarf.


PATTERN

Finished size:
7” wide; 91” long if you work till your yarn’s all gone; shorter if you don’t want a 7.5-foot scarf.

Supplies:
9 oz (256 g) worsted weight yarn (I used 2 skeins of Loops & Threads Impeccable, from Michael’s, in color 01436 Cherry.)
Size 8 US / 5mm knitting needles (Straights or circulars are both fine; if you use straights I would recommend the shorter “scarf length” needles, which are both cheaper and will stay out of your way better when the rows get really short.)
Needle for weaving in tails

Gauge:
Plain Block and Flower Block both measure 7 inches square.
Gauge is not really important in this pattern as long as you’re happy with the size of your scarf.

Abbreviations used:
DD: double decrease—slip the next stitch as if to knit; k2tog; pass the slipped stitch over. Three stitches are thus reduced to one.
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were one stitch.
p: purl
rs: right side of work
ssk: slip each of the next two stitches in turn to the right needle as if to knit; reinsert left needle through both stitches and knit them together.
st(s): stitch(es)
ws: wrong side of work
yo: yarn over


Scarf:

Cast on 53 sts.

Work Flower Block.

*If changing color, cut yarn, pull through rem st; with wrong side facing, pick up 27 sts. Otherwise, do not cut yarn, pick up 26 sts in addition to stitch already on needle: 27 sts total.

Cast on 26 sts using backwards loop cast on.

Work Plain Block. [Alternate option: Work Flower Block; this results in a scarf where every single block is patterned the same and there are no plain spacer blocks.]

If changing color, cut yarn, pull through rem st; with wrong side facing, pick up 27 sts. Otherwise, do not cut yarn, pick up 26 sts in addition to stitch already on needle: 27 sts total.

Cast on 26 sts using backwards loop cast on.

Repeat from * until scarf is desired length, ending with Flower Block. (I ended up with 13 blocks.) Cut yarn and draw through last st; weave in tails. Block lightly if desired.

Plain Block (worked over 53 sts, reducing to 1 st):
Row 1 (RS): K across.
Row 2 (WS): Slip first stitch, k24, DD, k25.
Row 3 (RS): Slip first stitch, k across.
Odd-numbered RS rows 5–51: Repeat row 3.
Row 4 (WS): Slip first stitch, k23, DD, k24.
Even-numbered WS rows 6–48: Repeat row 4, reducing the italicized sections by one fewer stitch each time as shown. (Thus, the double decrease is always centered over the same stitches.)
Row 50 (WS): Slip first stitch, DD, k1.
Row 52 (WS): DD. 1 stitch remains; block is finished.

Flower Block (worked over 53 sts, reducing to 1 st):
Row 1 (RS): K53.
Row 2 (WS): Sl 1, k24, DD, k25.
Row 3: Sl 1, k50.
Row 4: Sl 1, k23, DD, k24.
Row 5: Sl 1, k48.
Row 6: Sl 1, k22, DD, k23.
Row 7: Sl 1, k1, [k2tog, yo] twice, k6, k2tog, yo, k6, [k2tog, yo] twice, k1, [yo, ssk, k6] twice, [yo, ssk] twice, k2
Row 8: Sl 1, k18, ssk, k5, k2tog, k19
Row 9: Sl 1, k4, k2tog, yo, k4, [k2tog, yo] twice, k4, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k4, [yo, ssk] twice, k4, yo, ssk, k5
Row 10: Sl 1, k20, DD, k21
Row 11: Sl 1, k1, [k2tog, yo, k2] 5 times, k1, [yo, ssk, k2] 5 times
Row 12: Sl 1, k19, DD, k20
Row 13: Sl 1, k2, k2tog, yo, k2, [k2tog, yo] twice, k4, [k2tog, yo] twice, k3, [yo, ssk] twice, k4, [yo, ssk] twice, k2, yo, ssk, k3
Row 14: Sl 1, k18, DD, k19
Row 15: Sl 1, k3, k2tog, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k6, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k6, yo, ssk, k2, yo, ssk, k4
Row 16: Sl 1, k17, DD, k18
Row 17: Sl 1, k4, k2tog, yo, k23, yo, ssk, k5
Row 18: Sl 1, k16, DD, k17
Row 19: Sl 1, k5, k2tog, yo, k19, yo, ssk, k6
Row 20: Sl 1, k15, DD, k16
Row 21: Sl 1, k4, k2tog, yo, k19, yo, ssk, k5
Row 22: Sl 1, k14, DD, k15
Row 23: Sl 1, k3, k2tog, yo, k19, yo, ssk, k4
Row 24: Sl 1, k13, DD, k14
Row 25: Sl 1, k2, k2tog, yo, k6, [k2tog, yo] twice, k1, yo, ssk, k6, yo, ssk, k3
Row 26: Sl 1, k9, ssk, k5, k2tog, k10
Row 27: Sl 1, k1, k2tog, yo, k9, yo, ssk, k8, yo, ssk, k2
Row 28: Sl 1, k10, ssk, k1, k2tog, k11
Row 29: Sl 1, k2, k2tog, yo, k6, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k3
Row 30: Sl 1, k9, ssk, k1, k2tog, k10
Row 31: Sl 1, k3, k2tog, yo, k11, yo, ssk, k4
Row 32: Sl 1, k9, DD, k10
Row 33: Sl 1, k4, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k5
Row 34: Sl 1, k8, DD, k9
Row 35: Sl 1, k5, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k6
Row 36: Sl 1, k7, DD, k8
Row 37: Sl 1, k4, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k5
Row 38: Sl 1, k6, DD, k7
Row 39: Sl 1, k3, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k4
Row 40: Sl 1, k5, DD, k6
Row 41: Sl 1, k2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k3
Row 42: Sl 1, k4, DD, k5
Row 43: Sl 1, k1, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k2
Row 44: Sl 1, k3, DD, k4
Row 45: Sl 1, k8
Row 46: Sl 1, k2, DD, k3
Row 47: Sl 1, k1, k2tog, yo, k3
Row 48: Sl 1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1
Row 49: Sl 1, k4
Row 50: Sl 1, DD, k1
Row 51: Sl 1, k2
Row 52: DD. 1 stitch remains; block is finished.