Kathleen Rogers’ neckwarmer—able to be worn several ways—is knit from the top down, first in the round, then switching to back and forth flat knitting. In its luxurious wool-silk fingering yarn held double, the woven cable pattern creates a fabric of undulating Scarlet Letter A’s opening into a split yoke embellished with small beaded A’s and a beaded border band, echoing Hester Prynne’s extravagant and defiant embroidery. The open cables with their two limbs can also be seen to represent the duos in the book (Hester/Pearl, Dimmesdale/Chillingworth, Nature/Society, Hester/Dimmesdale, and others).

Designer: Kathleen Rogers

Finished Measurements
Lower Edge Circumference: 30 inches
Upper Edge Circumference: 16.5 inches, unstretched
Length: 8.75 inches

Materials
The March Hare Wool-Silk Fingering [70% merino wool, 30%silk; 435 yd/398m per 100g skein; 13 WPI]; color: The Scarlet Letter; 1 skein

Note: As worked, the sample required 370yd/338m of fingering weight, held double; 185 yd/169m of worsted weight in a similar base yarn, held single, could be substituted.

Recommended needle size

1 set US #9/5.5mm 16 inch or 24 inch circular needles
1 set US #10.5/6.5mm 16 inch or 24 inch circular needles