FASHION SCARVES FOR THE COMPLETELY UN-CRAFTY
I was recently given the challenge of finding a pattern for something stylish to bring to a group of 10 professional women with an extreme discrepancy in their crafting abilities. Furthermore, the project needed to be a pattern that would appeal to everyone's sense of beauty, and it must be achievable in less than an hour with a glass of wine at the crafter's elbow while chatting with those around them. Some were accomplished knitters and crocheters while others had never touched a ball of yarn in their lives. This pattern fit the bill perfectly. It is guaranteed to be achievable by anyone who can tie a knot and has passed the scissors unit in Kindergarten. Try it at a little girls birthday party!
The results were so beautiful that many of the women were wearing their stunning scarves at breakfast the next morning.
Size: Directions are given for a small "scarf" that goes around the neck once and ties mid chest with tails hanging down (shown above at left). In brackets are quantities required to make the "double scarf" version which is worn doubled around itself with the knot hidden in the back of the neck.
Materials: This is the perfect stash busting project...
3-5m each of at least 5 different fashion yarns. Or as many as you want.
(6-10m each for the "double scarf")
- a very large crochet hook. (optional)
Directions: For those of you who understand crafty terms:
-Cut the lengths of yarn to make the desired size of scarf.
-Hold the ends firmly together and make a slip knot about 6" from one end.
-Using fingers or a large crochet hook, work a series of chain stitches making sure to catch each of the strands on each stitch. Assure a similar tension for each of the stitches.
-Continue until there is about 10" of strands left. Pull all strands through and pull to secure.
-Holding both sets of fringes together, tie them into a secure overhand knot and let them hang down for the simple "scarf" version; or trim close to the knot for the "double scarf" shown on right above. Alternately, make a reef knot (right over left and under; left over right and under) about 6"along the chain and let ends and fringe hang.
Directions: For the un-crafty.
-Cut lengths of yarn as specified under materials for the scarf you wish to make.
-Holding the ends firmly together, fold the group of strands over at about 12 inches from one end and tie a secure loop that is just big enough for your thumb and first 2 fingers to squeeze through.
-Holding the short tail of your scarf in your left hand, gently slip the thumb and first 2 fingers of the right hand through the loop and grasp the long tail of the yarns between them and pull ALL strands through the loop until you have created another loop about the same size as the first one. (This is called making a chain, and not to scare un-crafty among you...you are crocheting.)
-Repeat this action of squeezing your fingers through the last loop and grasping the yarns, pulling them through and creating another loop the same size as the previous one until there is about 10" of strands left.
-On the last pull-through, do not create a loop but keep pulling all of the strands through to their ends and pull tightly.
-Hold the fringe from both ends of the scarf and loop around to tie into a firm single knot and trim ends to 6" for the shorter version as shown on left above, or trim the fringe close to the knot for the "double scarf" version. You could also use a reef knot (right over left and under; left over right and under) about 6 inches along the "chain", above the fringes to create another nice effect.
