Oregon Hiking Scarf

This is my design for an Oregon Hiking Scarf (initially inspired by the Irish Hiking Scarf).

Yarn: About 400 yards of worsted weight yarn. I used 2 skeins of Plymouth Encore Worsted in a heathered pink color.

Gauge: About 5 stitches per inch.

Needles: US Size 8 needles, one cable needle or DPN for cables. Large crochet hook is useful for attaching tassels.

Key:
C4F: Place 2 st. on cable needle and hold in front of work. K2, then K2 st. off cable needle.
C4B: Place 2 st. on cable needle and hold in back of work. K2, then K2 st. off cable needle.

Cable Pattern:
Row 1 (RS): K4, P2, K4, P2, K2, P2, K8, P2, K2, P2, K4, P2, K4
Row 2 (WS): K2, P2, K2, P4, K2, P2, K2, P8, K2, P2, K2, P4, K2, P2, K2
Row 3 (RS): K4, P2, C4B, P2, K2, P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K2, P2, C4F, P2, K4
Row 4 (WS): Repeat Row 2

Knitting Instructions:
1. Cast on 40 stitches.
2. Beginning with RS row, knit Row 1 and Row 2 of Cable Pattern. Continue knitting Rows 1 and 2 until work measures 2 inches, ending with WS row.
3. Begin Cable Pattern, starting with Row 3. Continue knitting Rows 1 - 4 of Cable Pattern until scarf measures between 5 and 6 feet (depending on yarn supply; be sure to leave enough yarn for the tassels). End with WS row.
4. Finish scarf by knitting Rows 1 and 2 for 2 more inches, ending with WS row.
5. Cast off loosely.
6. Sew in ends and block.

Tassel Instructions:
There are a total of 8 tassels on this scarf, attached to the ends of the 4 ribs that border the cable patterns. Each tassel is composed of 10 strands of yarn.

Create 80 strands of yarn of the same length. Begin by wrapping yarn lengthwise around a DVD case or book at a very loose tension (avoid stretching the yarn). Cut through all strands of yarn in the loop, creating a handful of strands of yarn of the same length. Repeat this process until you have 80 individual strands of yarn.

To create one tassel, take 10 strands of yarn and fold them in half. Push the crochet hook through the end of the scarf at the desired location and pull the yarn loops halfway through the scarf. Remove the hook, pull the yarn tails through the loop, and tighten the tassel.

Repeat these steps until you have 4 tassels on each end of the scarf. Trim all tassels to the same length.