My travel project needs the following criteria: simple to knit but interesting; easy enough to put down/pick up without losing my place but not so easy that I’m overwhelmed by boredom; small enough to fit in my purse but not so small that I’ll run out of project before the trip is over.

DFW fits the bill: during a four-hour delay in the Dallas airport, I hit my stride with this garter stripe scarf. Strategic placements of a simple increase and a simple decrease add up to bias knitting with a hint of chevron. The back side is as interesting as the front side, to boot.

The finished scarf measures 8” wide x 60” long.

You will need approximately 350 yards each of two colors of fingering weight yarn and US size 4 (3.5mm) needles.

The skills you need are cast on, knit, yarn over, knit 2 together, and bind off. This is a great project for the Advanced Beginner to learn simple stripes and increase/decrease.

The sample is shown in Hawthorne Fingering by KnitPicks, Blackbird Kettle Dye (Color A, dark) and Graffiti Speckle (Color B, light). This would also work well with a gradient or self-striping yarn.

Have fun, and please, no four-hour delays in the airport or train station!