The Strong as Diamonds scarf is a reminder of your inner strength, though it is knit in a soft yarn that wraps your neck in warmth and comfort, a reminder that strong doesn’t have to mean hard-edged or unpleasant. This pattern accompanies Chapter 6 of Just Keep Knitting.

I knit this from two skeins of lovely royal blue Silky Merino from Malabrigo. The rich bright colour made me feel courageous and strong, and the combined strength and softness of silk and merino are perfect. As soon as I held the skein I could see myself touching the shiny-soft fabric of the scarf for comfort during a stressful court appearance or difficult meeting. About 250-300 m of any yarn of sock weight or slightly heavier is ideal for this project (more if you want it longer). Use needles a little larger than the ball band recommends to give the fabric an easy drape.

The blue scarf is the Silky Merino … the first picture is a closer representation of the colour. The brown sample, knit by Alpacayarns in handspun llama fibre, shows how the pattern becomes more subtle when done completely in garter stitch - i.e. without making the central diamonds in stockinette.

Knitters: If you purchased the electronic version of this book and your eReader is giving you grief with the charts and images, just send a PM and I will provide you with a PDF of the essential information.

Both printed and eBooks are now available … thanks for waiting!