Making a Doctor Who Scarf

Like a lot of Doctor Who fans out there, I decided to try the marathon that is making a replica of the iconic scarf worn by Tom Baker as Doctor number four back in the seventies. I'm actually on my second of these scarves (I sold the first one on eBay quite easily despite a flaw in the pattern!). It's a straightforward project with the real challenge being endurance - and boredom. But I find it the perfect thing to work on when I want something mindless: I just knit and knit and knit and only worry about row counts. I've actually worked on the scarf in a darkened movie theater.



The definitive source of information about this scarf is, of course, The Doctor Who Scarf, a site put together by a fan. It includes a history of the scarf (and its various permutations), an exhaustive run down of which version appeared in what episode, detailed instructions, yarn suggestions, and more.

I chose the original version from seasons 12 through 14. I'm a fan of Brown Sheep Nature Spun from previous projects and like that it's 100% wool. I used sport weight. Note that the quantity estimates on the web site are generous: I have almost enough left over from the first scarf to make the second one I'm working on! I'll only have to order a few more skeins in specific colors.

Speaking of colors, here's what I used from the Nature Spun Sport line:

• Beige: Ash (720)


• Brown: Bev's Bear (N94)


• Yellow: Sunburst Gold (308)


• Green: Nervous Green (522)


• Purple: Plum Line (N18)


• Red: Red Fox (N46)


• Gray: Charcoal (880)

I ordered my yarn from Paradise Fibers, but Nature Spun is widely available online and brick-and-mortar.

The entire thing is done in garter stitch. Row after row after row of knitting... I highly recommend a row counter, and you will quickly get in the habit of double-checking those counts. Every color block is an even number of rows, so the color changes appear only on one side.

Oh, and I recommend you stop periodically and weave in your ends. You'll easily be changing colors over 50 times, so there's a lot of ends to deal with. Not only is it tedious to do that many ends in one go, all those loose strands get a bit messy to deal with as the scarf gets longer. As you can see below, I need to take some of my own advice.



The tassels are the last thing to add after casting off and before blocking. Make them longer than they should be - and include each of the seven colors - then trim carefully to neaten. I like using my rotary cutter with a straightedge, but some people find that "too" perfect for a handmade item and prefer to hand trim.

Blocking. Well. Lay out several towels end-to-end, doing your best to stay out of traffic areas. I actually have to stretch it from my dining room into my living room. Hope for low humidity so the monster dries fast.

Enjoy!