The Interweave Community Scarf: Knitting and Crocheting Together

At Yarn Fest Loveland 2022, we cast on a project that is near and dear to my heart—the Interweave Community Scarf. Here, I’m excited to share the inspiration behind this project, my hopes for continuing to add to it, and how you can leave your mark.

Interweave Community Scarf Inspiration

In 2018, I went on a Grand Shetland Adventure with knitwear designers Gudrun Johnston and Mary Jane Mucklestone. It was 10 amazing days of knitting, sheep, hiking, visiting museums, and learning about the rich history of fiber arts in Scotland’s northernmost islands.

Click the arrows to left and right below to see some of Kerry’s Shetland adventures.

While I have many memories from the trip, one of the experiences that left the biggest impression with visiting the Shetland Textile Museum. There, I learned about Da Muckle Gravit, a community scarf started in 2004. Jane Moncrieff, the originator of the idea, worked with Shetland’s Arts and Crafts Association and used the scarf to promote how fun knitting can be. Hazel Tindall cast on the first stitches on October 1^st, 2004.

In the nearly 20 years since, countless knitters have added their rows. When I worked on it, it was more than 40 meters (131 feet) long. It was an amazing kaleidoscope of colors, yarns, and stitches that I will never forget.

Casting On at Yarn Fest Loveland 2022

As the Interweave team made plans to bring the fiber community back together after the lockdown years of the pandemic, I was reminded of Da Muckle Gravit. I suggested that we start the Interweave Community Scarf to celebrate coming together again.

Click on the arrows to left and right below to see the Interweave Community Scarf at Yarn Fest 2022. 

With the support of Plymouth Yarns and their donation of dozens of skeins of yarn, we cast on April 20^th, 2022, as we kicked off Yarn Fest. As attendees curiously walked by, team members shared what the scarf is all about.

Over the 4 days that Yarn Fest ran, the Interweave Community Scarf grew to more than 5 feet long. Several people learned to knit and worked their first stitches, too.

More About the Community Scarf: Watch Now

Future of the Scarf

Yarn Fest Loveland 2023 is right around the corner. You can bet the scarf will be there with plenty of yarn for attendees to enjoy. We’ve also added new events to the Yarn Fest lineup! So, if you can’t make it to Colorado, join us in Milwaukee, WI, or Lancaster, PA. The Interweave Community Scarf will be there, too.

Years from now, I hope that makers revisit the project and say “hey, I knit that row!” I hope too that it grows to be wildly colorful, and that it continues to be always welcoming and never-ending—just like our wonderful fiber community.

Did you stitch on the Interweave Community Scarf at Yarn Fest? Share your experience in the comments below!

Serial yarn sniffer Kerry Bogert loves to spend her time knitting when she’s not collaborating with the team at Interweave or editing Interweave Knits magazine. Her passion for making things with her hands is only matched by her love for her children and a well-attenuated stout. Kerry endeavors to never stop learning, buying yarn, or collecting beads. Read her latest articles at Interweave.com.