Introduction: Nyan Cat Scarf Knitted

My somewhat nerdy friend likes to challenge my creativity by asking me to make him all sorts of nerdy attire and toys. After spending the most minimal time searching for patterns, all I could find were ones for crocheting (something I have not yet mastered). I soon realised I would have to plunge in the deep end and create the pattern myself.

Step 1: What You'll Need

What you'll need:
8 ply wool for scarf and body, in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and grey (i used less than half a ball of each)
black wool for face detail
Embroidery thread in white, and pink
Felt, pink and peach
wadding
pink cotton
knitting needles, 6mm (USA 10, UK 4), 4mm (USA 6, UK 8)

Step 2: First Challenge

The first part of this challenge how do I knit a rainbow scarf? Once again there were no patterns for the type of rainbow scarf I wanted to create on the Internet.
Realising that I might have to knit each strip individually and then sew them together, something which I am personally too lazy to do, I devised a solution.

To knit the scarf you will need the red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple wool and the 6mm (USA 10, UK 4) knitting needles.

Starting with the purple wool,
Cast on 5 stitches, then cast on 1 stitch using both the purple and blue wool.
Cast on 5 stitches using only blue wool, then cast on 1 stitch of both blue and green.
Cast on 5 stitches using only green wool, then cast on 1 stitch of both green and yellow.
Cast on 5 stitches using only yellow wool, then cast on 1 stitch of both yellow and red.
Cast on 5 stitches using only red wool.

Stockinette stitch* until desired length**, knitting or purling the colours together where they join on each row.

* You can just knit (garter stitch) the entire scarf if you prefer, but I like the pattern created by stockinette, although it does roll.
** The length of my scarf was about 1.5 meters, which honestly might have been a bit too long but it did mean you could wrap it around your neck 3 times.

Step 3: Tassels

The tassels I added to the end are 20cm long. I added 2 sets of tassels for every stitch of each colour, and where the colours changed I did one of each.

I added the tassels by cutting 40cm lengths of wool, and using a latch-hook to pull them through the first row.

Step 4: Tail

• Cast on 8 st(s)
• St st 10 rows
• Cast off 2 st(s) -purl 6 st(s)
• St st 4 rows
• Cast on 6 st(s) purlwise
• St st 5 rows
• Cast off 4 st(s) – purl 8
• St st 5 rows
• Cast off

you'll need 2 of these for the front and back

Step 5: Legs

You'll need 2 of each for the 'front; and 'back'

LEG 1
• Cast on 8 st(s)
• St st 6 rows
• Cast on 4 st(s) purlwise
• St st 5 rows
• Cast off 4 st(s)
• St st 5 rows
• Cast off

LEG’S 2 & 3
• Cast on 8 st(s)
• St st 10 rows
• Cast off

LEG 4
• Cast on 12 st(s)
• St st 4 rows
• Cast off 4 st(s) – knit 8
• St st 5 rows
• Cast off

Step 6: Head

• Cast on 32 st(s), leaving approximately a 1m tail
• St st 5 rows, knitting tail into last stich of each row on end closest to it
• Cast on 4 st(s) using tail – transfer them to other needle
• Purl row
• Cast on 4 st(s) purlwise
• St st 4 rows
• Cast on 4 st(s) each end, using tail
• Knit row
• St st 25 rows
• Cast off 4 st(s), knit row, cast off last 4 st(s) using tail
• St st 4 rows
• Purl 14 st(s), cast off 12 st(s), purl 14
Right Ear
• St st 3 rows
• Cast of 3 st, purl row
• St st 3 rows
• Cast of 3 st(s), purl row
• St st 3 rows
• Cast off
Left Ear –using tail
• Transfer stitches to other needle, you may need to tie on the ball of wool
• St st 4 rows
• Cast off 3 st(s), knit row
• St st 3 rows
• Cast off 3 st(s) knit row
• St st 3 rows
• Cast off

Again you'll need 2 for front and back

Step 7: Embroidery

Next i cut the felt to shape for the body and embroidered the dot and the face onto the cat.
I also used my sewing machine to sew the pink and beige layers together but this can be done by hand.

Step 8: Assembly

To assemble the nyan cat scarf i started by tracing each body part onto wadding and cutting out the shapes. I put two layers of wadding in each of the legs and tail, four layers in the body and two layers plus the scraps in the head just to give it a bit more volume. You can do whatever you think looks best.

I then pinned all the layers for the legs, tail, head, and each half of the body together ready for sewing.

Step 9: Assembly Cont. - Sewing

I chose to over-lock the edges of my nyan cat. It was a bit unorthodox and I did break a couple of needles, but I think the finished look was worth it.

If you don't want to or can't over-lock the cat and still want the look you could probably go around the edges with black wool in a blanket stitch or something like that. Otherwise you can just sew it up using colour that would blend in.

*to get the stitches to come out so dark i did have to go around the pieces a few times, but they're not coming apart any time soon.

Step 10: Assembly Cont. - Final Step

Before sewing all the layers together I made sure to thoroughly attach the head to the top layer of the body.

Next I laid out all the pieces to make sure they were in the right position, then pinned them all together and sewed around the edge of the body to secure them all in place.

Step 11: Finished Product

I was pretty happy with what I had come up with, but lets just say my friend was ecstatic

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