The Apple Branch Scarf is knitted in the round using a two-colour stranded technique in natural shades of pure wool, creating a cosy, bouncy fabric with a bold geometric design. The stitch patterns are inspired by an historic engraving of an apple branch viewed under a microscope by the pioneering botanist Nehemiah Grew. In the late 1600s he was one of the first people to record and study the deceptively simple, rhythmic and organised beauty of plant cells. The Apple Branch pattern is designed to reflect those qualities and evoke the squares, circles and lines that he saw. The simple construction teamed with the airy quality of pure wool knitted on a larger than usual needle makes this a rhythmic and deceptively fast-growing knit. The lettering can be achieved through stranded knitting or duplicate stitch. The pattern includes guidance for both techniques.

Suggested Yarn I used three shades of Laxtons undyed 4ply which is a 100% British wool yarn made from a blend of Blue Faced Leicester and fine Masham. Any 4ply would work for this pattern but natural wool suits stranded knitting very well due to its fuzzy quality and tendency for the fibres to mesh into the fabric.

Approximate yardage
Colour A (light grey) about 330m ( 361 yards) Colour B (dark grey) about 420m ( 460 yards) Colour C (cream) about 320m ( 350 yards)