Incredibly soft and speckled with color, the Bird Seed Scarf combines a classic knitting stitch and some spontanaeous embroidery.  I was inspired by a little terra cotta bird whistle I found at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.  It reminded me of the ancient South American clay whistles at the Met here in New York, that picture all kinds of small woodland creatures that twitter and talk. 

The seed stitch texture is lightly felted to encourage the lofty fibers to open up. Then it is embellished with all kinds of embroidered birds. 

I wanted my new fall scarf to be covered in embroidered song birds, but you could choose any favorite animals or objects to decorate your next scarf!  -- Isabelle

FINISHED SIZE
The Bird Seed Scarf measures 6 inches wide and 60 inches long. 

MATERIALS
one skein Pear Tree 4-ply yarn in a 100 gram skein OR two skeins Pear Tree 4-ply yarn in 50 gram skeins OR about 300 yards of sport weight yarn

assorted sport weight yarn for embroidery (optional:  I just used the rest of my Pear Tree skein for a more subtle decoration) 

US size 8 needles 

yarn needle 

GAUGE

Approximately 5 stitches per inch in Seed Stitch. 

NOTES
Here are some quick tutorials we put together to help with this project:

Swatch Tutorial

Not Too Tight Tutorial 

Embroidery Tutorial 

Blocking Tutorial

Cast on 30 stitches.

Row 1:  *Knit 1, purl 1; repeat to end of row.

Row 2:  *Purl 1, knit 1; repeat to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until the scarf is about 60 inches long, or desired length.  

Bind off loosely. 

This step is optional, but I recommend trying it.  Lightly felting the scarf brings out some of the lovely fibers and compliments the beautiful texture of Seed Stitch. 

1. Block the scarf by gently stretching it along its width and length to even out the overall stitches.
2. Spray the scarf evenly with warm or hot water, or rinse it briefly under the tap (don't soak it, just get it damp). 
3. Rub the scarf, folding it against itself and rolling it around in your hands until the fibers are fuzzy and fluffy, but not matted.  Try not to twist, pull, or stress the fabric of the scarf during this process.  
   
4. When the scarf is felted to your liking, spread it out flat to dry.
   

I recommend sketching out the animals or other motifs before you start embroidering.

Thread your tapestry needle with a 24-inch length of yarn. Beginning at one end of the scarf, use chain stitch to create your embroidered lines.  You might also like the look of an exaggerated back stitch on top of the seed stitch texture. (Check out our Embroidery Tutorial for these stitches and more!)

Weave in your ends.  

Enjoy!