a 3D intarsia scarf pattern

The Pattern

If we think of knitted fabric just like a sheet of paper, and we can fold sheets of paper into amazing shapes then we can fold knitted fabric too. Garter stitch is such a strong, static fabric with no desire to turn or twist in any particular direction. Stocking stitch columns (vertical and diagonal) want to turn the fabric, and I used this natural inclination to create folds.

The inspiration for this came from the Miura fold which forms a tessellated surface using parallelograms. It was invented by the Japanese astrophysicist, Kōryō Miura, designed to fold solar panels into a compact shape before launch which could unpack in one smooth motion in space.

This pattern uses garter stitch, stocking stitch and twisted stitches to create the fabric. Intarsia is used to manage colours. Difficulty level: advanced.