Instructions on how to knit a Tom Baker scarf

While rummaging thru an old box of photos, cards and clippings, I found the instructions on how to knit a Tom Baker scarf.

Modeling the finished scarf, circa Halloween 2004

Sometime during the mid 1980's, I wrote to my local PBS station (KETC Channel 9 in St. Louis) which was offering the instructions for free during a pledge drive. My mom and I bought all the yarn, and my mom hired someone to knit the scarf. I still own the scarf today and still wear it, especially as we're about to be experiencing temperatures as low as -50 degrees next week.

So as a public service, below is a transcription of the knitting instructions...

Salutations,

So, you wanted to know the official BBC instructions for knitting a Doctor Who scarf, did you? Well, here it is (they are).

MATERIALS

Size 10 American knitting needles
8 skeins (3 or 3.5 oz each) worsted wool; or polyester, blended acrylic or orion/dacron yarn in the following colors:

1 Dark Rust (rust)
1 Deep Tap Gold or Gold (yellow)
1 Dark Oxford (grey)
1 Burgundy (purple)
1 Cinnamon (bronze)
1 Olive (green)
2 Camel (light beige)

DIRECTIONS

Using the purple yarn, cast on 60 stitches. In plain knitting (a/k/a garter stitch) knit rows in the following order
(1 row means from one side to the other, NOT to one side and back again):

8 purple
52 camel
16 bronze
10 yellow
22 rust
8 purple
20 green
8 yellow
28 camel
14 rust
8 bronze
10 purple
42 green
8 yellow
16 grey
8 rust

54 camel
10 purple
12 green
8 yellow
18 rust
8 purple
38 bronze
10 camel
8 grey
40 rust
14 yellow
20 green
8 purple
42 camel
12 bronze
20 grey

8 rust
12 purple
6 camel
16 yellow
54 green
16 rust
12 grey
8 yellow
20 bronze
10 purple
12 camel
32 grey
10 rust
16 yellow

The tassels are made of 1-foot lengths of all colors of yarn (producing 6-inch tassels). 8 tassels for each end.

The BBC, which licenses all Doctor Who merchandise, warns that the finished scarf is to be WORN, NOT SOLD.

Allow at least 4 weeks for a completed scarf (assuming that you or the person who makes it will sleep, eat and go to work/school).

Good Luck,
Laura

"Laura" being Laura Cairo, who usually hosted the PBS pledge drives during Doctor Who and who usually wore a Tom Baker or Colin Baker costume (including a variation of Colin's costume made from Hawaiian shirt material).

The instructions were courtesy of the St. Louis Celestial Intervention Agency.