A Celebration

Today I have something very special for you, my Valentines.

No, it isn't a scarf. Instead, I've changed the price of my crocheted Scrappy Bear to … free!

You should have just enough time to make one for a special someone on the 14th. It works up very quickly using small amounts of yarn.

Click here to download the instructions for "Scrappy Bear".

Redux

Today we're revisiting one of the most popular scarves published on this blog to date: "Purple Peacock" by Angela Boehm.

We're doing this for two reasons. First and foremost, I have surgery Wednesday at (Holy Hospitals Batman!) 6:30 a.m. So Tuesday night I went to bed too early to finish creating the pattern for the scheduled scarf.

The second reason is that so many of you loved the scarf and the photo tutorial for broomstick lace. Doesn't Angela have beautiful hands?

Enjoy.

Click here to download the "Purple Peacock" pattern and instructions by Angela Boehm.

Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez

Forget the beads … you won't be showing them anything but your skills when you strut with the crew wearing "Mardi Gras".

A little ditty, it only takes 130 yards to whip up this scarf.

Despite and snow, this afternoon I trekked around the neighborhood with a pile of scarves around my neck. It was time to shoot some scarves for patterns. You know, I must be getting quite the reputation for being weird because no one stares at me anymore.

Click here to download the instructions for "Mardi Gras".

Head's Up

What? You expected normal? That's just a setting on a dryer.

Over on Ravelry.com I have a group called Year of Scarves. One of the discussions invites people to tell me what kind of scarves they'd like to see, as well as yarn preferences and other details.

I got a request for a scarf with a hood. Tried that. Got bored.

The "Silly Scarf" hat fits most heads.

(And here's what I've learned making and selling hats at the Easton Farmers' Market: adult medium and child medium are the same size.)

The back of the hat has a short row so that there's a bit more warmth at the base of the head. And the ends are long enough to wrap around your neck.

Click here to download the "Silly Scarf" hat pattern and make your own.

Mulling It Over

I had no intention of including a felted crochet scarf in the 2014 collection. While many people do successfully created felted (fulled) crochet, I've been less than satisfied.

Throwing caution to the wind, and avoiding the label of being a crochet bigot (I actually crochet more than I knit), I'm including this scarf, "Felt Like Crochet".

And, for the record, it did felt quite nicely.

The felted piece did, however, sit on my cutting table for over a month as I puzzled over what I could do with it. The stitches are still slightly visible, which means there are tiny weak spots throughout the piece.

I wanted to take advantage of that. Only yesterday I finished a technical edit of a beaded jewelry book. And that got me thinking about beads … then jump rings (the round metal circles that you can open) … and so, here you go.

Click here to download the instructions for "Felt Like Crochet" and see how it's done.

Posts and Gates

You can thank Taff for today's scarf. That's her Ravelry.com name or Ravatar, as it's called over there.  In the Year of Scarves group, she has been pointing out every time I release a crocheted scarf. So here you go. Another one.

I've been crazy for front and back post double crochet stitches ever since Jane Snedden Peever introduced me to Aran crochet. In fact, it was her design submission to a book I was developing, Crocheted Sweaters, that caught my attention and led to two books entire filled with her work: Aran Crocheted Sweaters and More Aran Crocheted Sweaters. (I still have a couple of boxes of first edition Aran Sweaters if you're interested in one. Order from huxley90 at Amazon.com.)

Anyhow, "Gates" doesn't have cables, but it's an excellent way to get used to working front post double crochet and back post double crochet stitches. Because single crochet is worked in the center of many rows you'll really get a handle on the placement of the posts.

Click here to download the "Gates" pattern and learn how it's done.

Do the Wave

I wasn't planning to offer another crocheted chevron scarf so soon after "Zipping Along".

But, well, here it is.

Angela Boehm is so good at creating these—and coming up with fun color combos—that I couldn't resist.

Besides, the stitching is simple enough that you can work on it while watching the game this weekend.

Hmmmm….maybe "Odd Balls" worked up in team colors?

Click here to learn how it's done and download today's pattern.

Say What?

Angela Boehm, who has made a tremendous number of scarves for Chase the Chill, comes up with some really fun ones that I'll be sharing with you throughout the year.

Today's pattern shows two of them. They're the exactly the same, except for the colorways. She tricked me, because it took a bit of scrutiny to figure out that these scarves are based on the granny square technique.

That alone makes "Great Granny" and ideal project for beginning crocheters.

Click here to download the instructions for "Great Granny".

You Asked For It...Sort Of

The "Split Personality" two-color cable scarf featured earlier in January was so popular that I've created another fun cable for today, "Aran Braid".

It's easier than the two-color cable. Yes, really.

In fact, with each part a different color, it leads to an intuitive approach to understanding cables and catching onto the color- and row-repeats. I was thankful for this because it's about all I could handle while flat on my back in bed with a cold.

Click here to download the instructions for "Aran Braid".

Texture: This Girl’s Best Friend

I'm a texture girl. Colorwork is wonderful, but given a choice between, say, entrelac and Fair Isle, I'll go with the entrelac every time.

So it's no surprise that I went on a bobbles jag two years ago. Sometimes you just have to get these things out of your system. It wasn't until I entered my 30s that I truly understood that this was the motivation for many artists who create a series of work on a theme or technique.

Anyhow, back to today's scarf. It's a rather simple neck warmer that's just long enough to wrap around your neck and tuck into the front of your coat.

The bobbles add interest, and a knit loop at one corner wraps over a button on the opposite corner to keep the "Drops" scarf from slipping when worn.

The pattern includes a photo tutorial for a bobble.

Click here to download today's pattern, "Drops".

Fast and Furious: The Stitcher Sequel

Have you ever watched a Sheep to Shawl event? It's fun seeing the shearing, yarn preparation, and weaving coalesce as a finished piece in so short a time span.

Participating in one is exhilarating. My experience is with knit and crochet, rather than weaving, and the events have an abbreviated format: We start with clean roving that is ready to be carded and turned into yarn by a team of two or three spinners. As each batch is finished, it's handed to the stitcher. I've been lucky enough to do this at a zoo, near the farm animal exhibit, and at the outdoor Easton Farmers' Market.

Today's scarf, "Enchantment", is a spin-off (nyuk, nyuk) of the shawl pattern I developed for the 2011 event. Spinning started at 9 am, so my sticks were moving by 10. The piece was finished at 2 pm. Yes I’m fast, but the design, worked sideways, is designed for speed, repetition, and visual interest.

Go here for the complete instructions, including a photo tutorial for the one-over-two bind off.

Super Super Bulky Yarn

We're fast approaching the time of year when Polar Fleece goes on sale. These days, though, the material is so popular that unless you're right on the spot when the new price goes up, all you'll see is the well, really weird prints. Really. Weird.

Who in their right mind, for example, though it would be a good idea to print yardage with cartoon-like dancing vegetables? I was gobsmacked when I saw it. And had to buy it. That became my first fleece fabric scarf, knit in simple garter stitch. The colors looked super and the veggies disappeared when I turned the material into yarn.

That scarf went into the first annual Chase the Chill bombing four years ago. And I promptly forgot about it.

Then a friend showed me some examples of arm knitting. How cute and fun.

The really loose gauge, however, doesn't appeal to me. You can double strand two super bulkies. It occurred to me, though, that I could cut polar fleece to any width and use it as the yarn. And thus we have "To Arms".

Which you can download the instructions to by clicking here.

Winter Wonderland

Winter is a wonderful time, filled with snowmen and skiing and crisp, fresh air . . . none of which I enjoy. It's freakin' cold here in the northeast.

The only solution is to bundle up. You can laugh in the face of the chill with this scarf, "Snowballs".

It's a quick crochet project that's worked with a bulky chenille and a join-as-you-go process.

Warm Snowballs. What a concept.

Click here for the instructions for how to crochet "Snowballs".

Damn that Stitch

Back in November of last year I wanted a colorful, spongy scarf with pronounced ribs. Brioche is a perfect match, so I set about teaching myself how to work it.

Overconfident sot that I am, I started with the two-color brioche. In the near future you'll see the instructions for that scarf. But, as I note in that pattern, do not … DO NOT… attempt the two-color brioche until you've worked out the basics with today's one-color version.

In fact, I resorted to the one-color version after a week or so of daily cursing sessions.

The brioche is a simple two-stitch repeat that involves three actions: a slip stitch, yarn over, and knit or purl two together. For brevity, this action is shortened to something like "syo brk1/brp1". I stumbled over these abbreviations.

As I researched, I also found that instructions leave out information that can make the process easier.

Another problem is the slip stitch. I didn't find any instructions that indicated this should be purlwise. After experimenting I worked this out. Now here's the kicker: Sometimes you need to slip a stitch knitwise.

Gaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Also, end-of-row counts usually count the yarn over and slip stitch as a single stitch. What?!

So. Today's scarf instructions are detailed. Very. Detailed. I hope that you finish "Brioche for All" in record time and wonder, "Why on earth did Susan find this stitch difficult?"

Click here to download the very detailed instructions for "Brioche for All".

Impatient Girl

Unconventional materials have been part of my textile art and retail products for a handful of years. I've worked with VHS tape, electrical wiring, Christmas lights, and the more common t-shirt yarn (tarn).

My husband, B, didn't even blink when I started cutting up some material to stitch.

The inspiration, as is obvious by the scarf's name "So Sari", are the yarns made with sari mill ends. The beautiful fabric scraps are plied with a long-beard conventional yarn, such as mohair or fun fur. It's gorgeous stuff.

I'm not keen on purchasing it when I want to stitch NOW. So I made my own.

Today's instructions explain my complete process, from yardage through to fastening off the knitting.

Click here to download the instructions for "So Sari".

Doing It Right

The January 10 scarf encouraged you to break the rules as you worked with the chenille yarn. You embraced its tendency to worm (loops working free of the finished surface by stitching loosely.

Today, however, I'm offering you a "Cuddle Bug". It's the exact opposite. The snug gauge and the stitch pattern combat worming.



Click here to download the directions to "Cuddle Bug".

Going Round and Round

It’s great when the piece you make is reversible. It’s even better when each side has a different, but just as appealing, look. You get two times the fashion statement with the effort of a making only one cowl. The effect of today’s pattern, "Swirls", does just that.

But those characteristics weren’t the launching point of the quest for a new design. I was playing with the two-color spiral crochet technique, applying it to hats I sell at the Easton Farmers’ Market. Like usual, this stitching led to a “what if” scenario that soon took on a life of its own. (By the way, this exploration pre-dates my I-cord obsession, which I mentioned last week. Coincidence? I think not.)

Click here to download the directions for "Swirls".

Oops...

There's a saying that goes something like this: "They don't know what you don't tell them."

In other words, if your presentation omits a bit of information, the only person who knows is you...unless the missing item is included in the class description or handouts.

I bet you know what I'm going to do now: Tell you what is missing.

A couple of days ago I decided to make my own fabric yarn, like the kind you can purchase that's made from sari material.

The scarf is finished, the how-to photos are finished. The tutorial explaining what—and how much—yardage to buy, as well as how to create continuous lengths of the fabric-yarn . . . they're all finished.

My photographer, Robert Gerheart, even created the most fantastic scarf shots outside in the dark.

The layout? I. Just. Ran. Out. Of. Time.

So today's offering, "Your First Project", is the fall-back plan. If you teach, go ahead and use it for the beginner classes to teach working a color repeat that doesn’t change at the same time as the stitch pattern repeat, as well as stockinette and reverse stockinette stitches, working sideways, and end-of-row color changes.

Click here for the directions to "Your First Project".

Twist and Shout

Do you own a cable needle? Or are you a cable-hater? Sure, the look is gorgeous, but sliding stitches onto the cable needle and then knitting them off after the twist bugs some people. Then there's another gang that avoids cables because they're bulky.

Today's scarf, "No-Cable Cable" overcomes these hurdles, with its two-stitch cable. It is so easy.

Click here for the instructions for the "No-Cable Cable".

Trending...

As a designer, it's important to keep up with trends: colors, textures, hemlines...the whole nine yards. Knowing doesn't mean the stitcher’s work has to be trendy, but it helps to know that, say, a certain color scarf won't appeal because it clashes with the color of winter coats on the rack that season.

After thirty-mumble-mumble years in the home arts, I'm noticing that the stitching and fashion worlds are colliding more often. Have you noticed all the super-bulky knitted cowls appearing on runways these days?

It's a fabulous look. But I'm cold sheep. And there's so little yardage on a ball of super bulky that buying enough can be an issue.

Here's my solution: triple strand. Like double stranding, all you're doing a holding strands together and working them as one. That's what today's featured scarf, "Triple Take", is about.

So, check out how to do it and download today's pattern, "Triple Take" here.