Aurora borealis, named for Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind by mountains, can be a humbling sight. A scientific explanation often gives way to a writer’s flight of fancy in the face of a bubble of color glowing on the horizon that becomes rays of light shooting and dancing. While photographs pick up a multitude of colors, the most common naked-eye color is a distinct yellow-green that stands out against the midnight blue sky.

Shaped by short rows, the Northern Lights hooded scarf is knit in one piece. A generous and flatteringly draped moss-stitched hood is accented by two garter-stitched asymmetrical scarf wings with undulating stripes that wrap around from a single point. Note: This sample used almost all of both 512-yard skeins, so be prepared with extra yardage if necessary.

German short rows are used to shape the hood and create the stripes along the length of the scarf. Because of this, stitch counts will indicate stitches “worked” when short rows are used. A photo tutorial for doubling a stitch is included at the end of the pattern. The doubled stitch is a place-marker for each short row, but remember that each it is knit through both legs as a single stitch when reintegrated into the pattern. While you can use the wrap-and-turn method, German double-stitching creates a smoother fabric with this pattern.