Idiot-Proof Sideways Scarf!

I came up with this pattern while I was perusing ravelry on a quest to find a scarf that was suited to self-striping fingering weight yarn. The only ones I could find were knitted from top to bottom, meaning that the colors appeared in thick blocks rather than the thin lines I was envisioning. I decided to write my own pattern for a side to side scarf, and went through my giant stack of stitch guides. This is the result.

There are two sizes. The smaller measures 60 x 15 inches, and the larger [in brackets] measures [72 x 15 inches].


Materials:

One skein Knitpicks Chroma Fingering [396 yards], (One skein Zauberball Sock [462 yards])
*note: If you'd like to make the larger scarf with Chroma, you'll need a second ball.
Size US #7 needle
Optional: blocking wires, pins, and wool wash.

Gauge:


3 stitches per inch. I strongly recommend making and blocking a gauge swatch for this project. If you don't, you could wind up with a scarf that's nine feet wide and six inches thick (okay, that's extreme, but if you want the proportions to be right, making a swatch and doing the math is necessary).

Directions:

Cast on 180 [220] stitches using a stretchy (I like long-tail) cast-on. Knit set-up rows. Work pattern rows 14 times. Work ending row. Bind off loosely (I prefer the sewn bind-off). Wash with wool wash and wet block using wires.

Set-Up Rows:
Row 1: k across
Row 2: p across

Pattern:
Row 1: k3, [k2tog, yo] to last three stitches, k3.
Row 2: p across
Row 3: k3, [yo, k2tog] to last three stitches, k3
Row 4: p across
Row 5: p across
Row 6: k across

Ending Row:
Row 1: p across