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Following 2008/2009 color design. If you are making this after 2010, the color sequencing has been modified. Yardage may vary from mine in that case, especially. There are color recommendations using Cascade 220 Superwash… which I would use if I were going to make another.

SnL mcw BD 2009
SECOND Dr Who scarf made for MCW’s friend, Anthony. Finished May 10, 2010. That’s TWO Dr Who Season 12 scarves in less than six months, people! (Because I frogged, cast on, and started again late Oct.) The second scarf, I used 5.5 mm needles and cast on 45 sts. (11” wide; full length)

He loved his so much, I couldn’t resist when he offered to buy the yarn if I would be willing to knit a second one for his even-bigger-Dr-Who-fan friend. I’d swore I’d never do that again and here I was… two in six months! LOL!
~~~

This is a “practical” reproduction of the first scarf worn by Tom Baker for his portrayal of Doctor Who (BBC) from “Robot” in season 12 through “The Seeds of Doom” in season 13, and in scenes from “The Masque of Mandragora,” “The Hand of Fear,” and “The Deadly Assassin” in season 14. See links below for more information on this project.

To be truly authentic, the scarf should be made from wool. However, because the blessed thing is so incredibly L-O-N-G, I chose to use the Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice acrylic… a teeny bit cooler, much easier to wash, and overall, given its dimensions, more durable. I will never make another like this. (Never say “never.” Less than six months later, I made a second for his friend… cuz he was so nuts for his, I just couldn’t tell him “no.”) :-) It is just completely impractical. If I made another, it would be one of the shorter versions from a later season… one of the “indoor shooting” versions. I would only cast on 20-25 stitches, and make a length such that the intended recipient could drape it around their neck and have it fall to about knee length, max.

Critical note: If you are following ANY instructions from this site, please make this construction note: the author does not use common knitting language, imo. Rather than simply state, “knit 4 rows across in garter stitch,” you are instructed, basically, to “make 8 ribs” which you are supposed to understand as “four ‘ribs’ on the front, four ‘ribs’ on the back.” If you fail to catch this, you will need to buy twice as much yarn and will construct a scarf twice as long as intended!!! (Ask me how I figured this out… fortunately, before I got too far into the project!)

SO, when it says “8 yellow” it means FOUR ROWS OF GARTER stitch PATTERN… not “8 rows of garter stitch.” (Knit on RS, Knit on WS = 2 rows of garter stitch = 2 ribs = one row of garter stitch pattern) Either work it realizing the number indicates both right side rows and wrong side rows, or divide by 2 and only count wrong side rows.

The project took a long time to complete. Mostly because I only worked on it, initially, when traveling as a passenger for short errands, and secondly because I frogged the entire thing about “half way through.” This “half way” is from the perspective of making the error warned about above. :-)

I knit on 5.5mm needles and originally cast on 40 stitches. When I started again, I only cast on 30 stitches. The finished scarf is 8.5” wide… the scarf is actually “supposed” to be 11 inches wide. The recipient is only 5’8” tall, however, and I felt that 8-9 inches was proportionally more appropriate. It still looks like a skinny “blanket.”

It makes a great novelty gift for a Dr. Who fan… but is functionally impractical for a “go to” scarf intended to be worn for warmth and comfort. Unless your intended recipient is taller than seven feet. :-) (Don’t underestimate the definition of “practical” for a dedicated Dr Who fan. Apparently, I was completely wrong in my use of the word!)

From frogging to finish actually only took about a 4-5 weeks… and was worked almost entirely while ill (flu then a cold), twice, during the project.

For more information, see:
Original Dr. Who Scarf - Season 12-14
Tale of the Dr. Who Scarf
Dr. Who Scarf History
WittyLittleKnitter

A link to a detailed Blog post, with links, can be found under the “Post” tab, upper right corner of this page.

Mar 21
The first scarf was intended to be a silly gag gift for a difficult-to-shop-for Dr Who fan and I never expected it to be used as the winter scarf for the recipient… but he’s worn it every winter since, to work and everywhere, to my amazement.

As amazing as that is, he asked me to teach him to knit so he could make a different season Dr Who scarf for DD the next year… which he did. He then made a scaled down different season scarf for his then 7 year old daughter the next year. This year he designed and knit a My-Little-Pony-rainbow scarf for same daughter for her 9th birthday, and is currently knitting a full-regulation-size Season 12 Dr Who scarf for his super-fan aunt.

All because I had the crazy idea of knitting a “novelty gift” 12 foot plus scarf for him, and then a friend. Which goes to show: you never know the impact Dr Who will have on someone’s life!

Nov 19, 2014
I’m toying with the possibility of making another Doctor Who scarf, perhaps in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. If the colors I’d like to use are still available when I decide to make the leap:
• Red: Firecracker Heather
• Green: Thyme
• Gold: Tumeric
• Tan: Almond
• Brown: Amber Heather
• Purple: Currant
• Gray: Bramble Heather
… maybe I will.