Doctor Who! - Fourth Doctor's Scarf Crochet Pattern

As a HUGE Doctor Who fan, I wanted to make my own version of the iconic scarf worn by Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. My first step in making my pattern was to check out some of the others posted online. The best and , by far, most informative page I came across was Doctor Who Scarf .com The page gives background info on the scarf throughout its run on the show, suggestions for yarn brand and color, and several patterns depending on which version of the scarf you want to make and the type of yarn you want to use.

HOWEVER the patterns are all for the original knit version. Don't get me wrong, I love the look and feel of a knitted scarf. The problem is me. I've been crocheting from a very young age and only started really learning to knit very recently. I can handle a scarf as long as it is all one color. I originally started trying to knit this scarf but (as this was the first time I have been required to change colors when knitting) I didn't like how the edges were looking in the color change rows.

So, using the graph pattern from doctorwhoscarf.com I came up with my own pattern for this scarf in crochet instead.

(This is the semi-finished version of my scarf. This isn't really a good picture of it. The length of the scarf and the low light in my living room made it rather difficult to get a good picture.)

I would recommend checking out their great sight for brand and color suggestions before you start. All the yarn I used is Red Heart brand from Walmart. While I am happy with most of the colors, the red in my scarf is a little off. It needs to be a little brighter and more like the color of rust.

ALSO: When choosing your yarn for this pattern (ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE KNITTING!) It is a good idea to get all your colors from the same type and brand. That said, it is more important to make sure all your yarn is the same texture and thickness. During the brief time I spent trying to knit this scarf, I discovered that the red yarn was a bit more coarse and slightly thicker than the rest of my yarn. This lead to the red parts of the scarf bulging out on the sides even though I used the same size needles.

As you can see in this photo, the strip of red seems to have more stitches in it. It doesn't. The yarn is thicker than the rest of the colors so it bulges out on the sides. Now, this really isn't a huge deal, but I am a perfectionist when crocheting/knitting and really want the sides of my scarf to be even the whole way. To fix this problem in my crochet version, when I crochet the red stripes, I used a hook that was smaller than the one I used for the rest of the colors. If you run into this problem as well, try one or two sizes smaller to get the stitches the same size as the colors before them. I did most of the scarf with an I/9-5.50MM hook and for the red stripes, I changed to a G/6-4.25MM Hook.

Okay, lets talk about the pattern now.This is a link to the knit pattern I worked off of to create my crochet version. The pattern in the link shows the color pattern and the stripe sizes in inches.

For the crochet pattern, I first started to work in Sc but I did not like how stiff it made the scarf and personally I like how it looks more than Sc. If you like the look of Sc, simply swap out the Dc in the pattern for Sc and do twice as many rows than the pattern says.

Below, is the full crochet version of the pattern. I hope you enjoy it.

Pattern:

Hook: I/9-5.50MM

Starting with the plum color, ch 37, dc in 3nd ch from hook and in every ch across. (35sc)

Fasten off

For the rest of the pattern, using the color stated, join in 1st Dc on next row, ch 2, and Dc across for stated number of rows.

Light Tan: 11

Light Caramel: 2

Mustard Yellow: 1

Rust Red: 4

Plum: 1

Charcoal Gray: 8

Army Green: 4

Yellow: 1

Tan: 4

Red: 2

Caramel: 1

Plum: 1

Green: 9

Yellow: 1

Gray: 4

Red: 1

Tan: 11

Plum: 1

Green: 4

Gray: 2

Yellow: 1

Red: 4

Plum: 1

Caramel: 7

Tan: 1

Gray: 1

Red: 8

Yellow: 2

Green: 4

Plum: 1

Tan: 8

Caramel: 1

Gray: 3

Red: 1

Plum: 2

Tan: 1

Yellow: 2

Green: 12

Red: 2

Gray: 2

 Yellow: 1

Caramel: 3

Plum: 1

Tan: 1

Gray: 6

Red: 1

Yellow: 2

Tan: 2

Plum: 1

Caramel: 5

Red: 1

Plum: 6

Fasten off and weave in all loose ends.

It's up to you how many tassels you want to add to the ends. At first, I placed 12 with 2 stitches between each one. I think on one end I had three between the last two but you can't really tell by just looking at the scarf.

To make a tassel, cut a 6" strip of each color of yarn.

Put all the strips together (making sure you line up the ends to make sure they are even) and fold in half.

Insert your hook into the stitch you want the tassel to go through, grab the loop end of the strips and pull through the stitch. (DO NOT PULL ALL THE WAY THROUGH. You want a loop on one side of the scarf and the cut ends on the other.)

Pull the cut ends of the strips through the looped end and pull tight.

*When making more than one tassel, make sure you are inserting your hook into the same side of the scarf so all of the knots end up facing the same way.

While it's not true to the original, I also like the look of smaller tassels. Instead of doing the bunches, I cut 5 strips of each color for each end of the scarf and put one through each stitch. This spreads the tassels across the entire end of the scarf. I like the even look to this type of ending but if you want to be more true to the original, stick with the first type of tassels.

(In the end, I decided to go with the more spread out version. This is what it should look like when you are done. I wouldn't choose yarn colors by this photo, the flash on my camera made them look a little weird)

I modified my finished scarf slightly from this pattern. After adding my tassels, I decided to take advantage of the considerable length and width of this scarf and turn it into a hooded scarf. To do this, I simply folded the scarf in half and stitched a seam about one foot long down one side. I LOVE THIS AS A HOODED SCARF! It looks really beautiful, but I can't get a good enough photo of it in a mirror, so you're going to have to wait to see it until I can get my husband to take a good photo of me wearing it.

This was a project that I really enjoyed working on as it combined two of my favorite things; crocheting and Doctor Who. This is a time consuming project, but it is well worth it in the end. (The time goes by much faster when you re-watch favorite episodes while you work.)

I hope all of you enjoy this project as much as I did!