Knit a Ruffle Scarf

 Knitted ruffle scarves are all the fashion craze right now. Have yourself some fun and knit one of these scarves. Even a beginner knitter like me can make a really cool looking scarf. And if I can do it, you can too!

I'm showing  three different scarves that I knitted by simply casting on a few stitches and then knitting every row until I ran out of yarn. Do save enough yarn to bind off.

This scarf was knitted using Red Heart's new Ribbon Boutique yarn. This is a new  yarn for Red Heart. The ribbon has just a touch of metallic and you can knit this great scarf with just one skein of yarn. They even have a video on their website to show you how. Learn to Knit with Ribbon Yarn

 

Red Heart Ribbon Boutique




This next scarf was knitted using Yarn Bee, Chrysalis yarn which is available through your local Hobby Lobby store. I love the colorway. It is called Mexican Blue. Again, one skein will make a very generous scarf. I didn't use the entire skein when I made this one. The instructions are printed on the label.



Yarn Bee - Chrysalis



The final scarf was knitted using Crystal Palace Yarn, Tu Tu, which you can probably find at your LYS or an online yarn store.  I purchased mine from my LYS in Omaha Nebraska, called Personal Threads.  Here is their website if you would like to visit the store. Personal Threads.

The owner suggested that one skein was sufficient to make a scarf/boa, but as you can see it may be just a tad short for some.  If I use this yarn again, I will definitely buy two skeins.

Anyone of these scarves can be made for about $7.  All of them are suitable for a beginner knitter. There are plenty of how to videos on the Internet.  If you have seen these types of novelty yarns, but have been a bit intimidated to give it a try, just go for it.

I have shown all three of these scarves to my local knit and crochet group and the one that gets the highest raves has been the one made with the Red Heart Boutique Ribbon yarn.

Enjoy





Electronic Gadget Cover - Knit

I just finished this gadget cover. The design is by Amy Polcyn for Premier yarns. The yarn is Serenity from the Deborah Norville collection.

My gauge is pretty close to the gauge suggested in the pattern. I thought I was knitting a cover for my kindle, but turns out it actually fits my IPad better. The pattern information does say “stretches to fit a variety of e-readers, tablet computers and netbooks”

I would like to knit this again but scale the length back a bit to better fit the Kindle or Nook reader and use smaller needles so that the over all size is smaller.

As you know, I’m still just a beginner at knitting. In this pattern I learned ssk which means to slip slip knit, followed by k2tog, knit 2 together. This combination of stitches created the lovely chevron pattern.

If you are a beginner knitter too, try this fun free pattern. http://premieryarns.com/patterns.php?id=169

Chevron Cowl

The Chevron Cowl from the winter 2010 issue of knit simple is final complete.  And I love it. The pattern is a simple chevron stitch. The designer is Jeannie Chin. The yarn is Red Heart’s Ecoway, which I had not worked with before. http://www.redheart.com/yarn/eco-ways. It is hard to believe that yarn made from “30% recycled polyester from plastics found in soda and water bottles” could be this soft. I love the sheen of this yarn.  The colorway is sand and mushroom. The yarn is listed as a 4 weight, but I found it to be just a tad bit finer than other 4 weight yarns in my stash.

The pattern suggested a size I hook, but after making the gauge swatch, I found that I needed to go down a size to a size H hook.

I did find an error in the pattern. In rounds 2 and 3 you will find instructions that that say to “skip 2 ch”; it should read skip 2 dc, so don’t let that throw you off.

Here is my beautiful niece Amanda modeling the cowl for me.  This picture was taken at Amanda’s bridal shower. She is dressed for the shower and not for modeling the cowl per se, but none the less, she was gracious enough to model the cowl so that I could show you the finished object.

Teach a Young Person How to Crochet

On March 28^th, seven members of the Missouri Valley Needle Arts Group volunteered to help 23 members of the third, fourth and fifth grade elementary school learn to crochet. This was done in honor of National Crochet Month.  Our lesson was two and a half hours long, and students were able to come and go, however, most students showed up at the beginning and stayed until the end. We had four learning objectives for our beginner crochet artists:

·        hold the hook

·        hold the yarn

·        make a chain

·        fun

I’m happy to say that we accomplished all of our objectives and several students asked when the next lesson was going to be.  It is amazing what you can make with a simple chain. Students crocheted: hair ties, necklaces, bracelets, bookmarks, belts, and shoelaces.  A couple of students tried to see who could make the longest chain.

If you are interested in doing something similar, my advice is to keep it simple and keep it fun. One adult volunteer to three students is about the right ratio. Use large hooks, H I or J, and bright worsted weight yarn. Variegated colors were popular with the students.  Our group furnished the hooks and the yarn, and there was no charge to the students. We worked with our local library on space and advertising. One of our volunteers bought extra hooks and yarn so that every student that wanted to take home a hook and a skein of yarn home could. It was not my original intent to provide a free hook and yarn for every student to take home, and I know that many groups may not have the resources to do this. But I can tell you the kids were very excited about leaving with their own hook and yarn and several were seen leaving with more than one skein of yarn.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures of our crochet event. If you have any questions about hosting something similar, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

National Crochet Month

As all of you crochet fanatics know, March is National Crochet Month. And in honor of National Crochet Month, the Missouri Valley Needle Arts Group is going to
 promote crochet.  On March 28th we are hosting third through fifth graders to a come and go crochet class which is set up as an after school event.

Our plan is to show these young people the very basics like how to hold the yarn, and the hook, and make a chain. The chain can be used to form a friendship bracelet or shoe laces or a bookmark, and knowing young people, they can probably think of other uses too.

After the event is over, I'll  post a follow up as to the success (hopefully) of our endeavors, and may have some tips to share in the event that you like this idea and want to plan a similar event.

Yarning Away

The postman came yesterday, actually it was the postwoman. She brought me a package of yarn. YEA.  I just love it when I get yarn in the mail.

I’m going to crochet this Chevron Cowl. which is pictured on the right. It was designed by Jeannie Chin.  The pattern appears in  the winter 2010/11 issue of Knitsimple Magazine which is shown on the left.

 The yarn is Red Heart Eco-Ways which is a recycled blend. The yarn itself is quite soft and has a nice sheen to it.

I’ve been looking at and admiring this cowl for a full year, and I’m excited to start it.

I’ve been musing about a project for the Premier Yarn. It is a chunky weight. This particular color is called Red Bayou. It is Serenity from the Deborah Norville collection.

I’m not ready to share my plans for this yarn just yet.  The project  is still in the “thinking” stage.  If I can get it from thinking to doing, I’ll let you know and I'll publish the results.

Potato Chip Scarf

Here is as picture of my second effort at the Potato Chip Scarf.  On my second attempt I incorporated the wrap and turn technique. The result was much better, there are no little holes showing from working the short rows.

Here are the instructions incorporating the wrap and turn technique

Cast on 20 stitches

Knit 8 sts, wrap and turn, then knit back

Knit 6 sts, wrap and turn, then knit back

Knit 4 sts, wrap and turn, then knit back

Knit across

Repeat the series until the scarf is the desired length then bind off

I used yarn from Hobby Lobby, called, I Love this wool, and size 13 needles.