Lichen Stone ribbed scarf knitting pattern

Lichen Stone is a simple textured scarf, with a slight twist added by slanted ends that come to a gentle point for a parallelogram shape. Perfect for wrapping around to keep the wind out from around your collar whilst walking.

The Lichen Stone scarf is knit entirely in broken rib, making for a relaxing, mindful sofa knit. Short rows at either end form gentle points, and the sides are all neatly finished, with a tubular cast-on and cast-off at the ends, and slipped selvedges along the edges. 

I've written this knitting pattern to make it easy to modify the length and width of your hand-knit scarf. You could even make it really wide and reduce the length of the central section for an unusual parallelogram-shaped shawl. It also makes it easy to adapt the pattern and knit the scarf with different weights of yarn (although if you do, remember to compensate for the difference in gauge).

My Westcountry collection of knitting patterns

This knit design is part of From This Land, a capsule collection of 5 knitting patterns, using undyed yarns from local farms in the South-West of England. Each design is inspired by a visit to the farm the yarn is from. 

For the Lichen Stone Scarf, I collaborated with Anton of Raw Wool Company in Cornwall, who curates a collection of British wool from his own rare breed coloured Wensleydale sheep alongside fleeces from nearby shepherds. The scarf is knit in Rum & Raisin, a rich, dark brown yarn blending Wensleydale longwool with Zwartbles fleece sourced from Sarah’s flock in West Cornwall.

Design inspiration

The inspiration for this knitting pattern came from the rich, dark hue of the Rum & Raisin yarn, which encouraged me to focus on texture rather than intricate details that would be lost in the dark brown. During my visit to Sarah’s flock, I noticed the sheep gathered around a lichen-covered stone in the middle of their field. The short-row shaping at the ends of the scarf reflects the angled shape of the stone, while the broken rib stitch mimics the texture of the lichen clinging to its surface.

About the collection

Thanks to South-West England Fibreshed for partially funding the development of this collection, which also includes a stranded colourwork tank top, a cabled cardigan, a felted hat and colourwork mittens.