Chain Chain Chain

I had forgotten about these lovely, quick scarves that I made a couple of years ago. However we recently traveled to the East Coast, and I needed some quick, instant gratification projects to keep me sane. Also, I was on a plane for almost 6 hours each way. Did someone say perfect knitting time? Oh yeah! I pulled out my huge size N crochet needles, grabbed a few (ok a lot) skeins of my super-bulky lovies, and went to town.

I didn’t do anything different from the previous chain scarves I had made. In fact, I made one in my favorite color combination, Thunder and Grassy Green (I’ve probably made about 5 in this combo).

I also tried a Sea Blue-Grassy Green combo, and I love how it turned out. So very pretty, and very similar to the Thunder/Lime scarf above. Green and blue (in all different shades) look so good together!

I tried turning up the heat on the chain scarves by working with 3 colors instead of 2, in one of the scarves (it’s getting hot in here!). I quite like the effect. I think the two shades of pink and white play very nicely together.

Now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop. I’m thinking of these color combos next.

           

  

 

                                                    

And here's the whole color palette that I have available to work with!

What colors do you think I should make for my next chain scarves? Let me know in the comments below. If I create your suggested color combination, I will send you a 30% off coupon to use in my Etsy shop!

Have a lovely week!

Evelyne....again

One of the first designs I came up with (if you can call it a design), was a simple lace scarf for my MIL. At that time I hadn't yet discovered bulky and superbulky yarn, so I swooned at the thought of all things lace! I still love lace, but the "bulkies" give me such awesome instant gratification that I keep forgetting my first love. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few pictures of this sample of my Evelyne scarf, handknit by my friend Sara (a friend I made in college in 2001!).

   

As always, I'm so grateful for my partnership with my fellow small business owner and photographer extraordinaire, Kwaku of Nkadu Photography, and my ready-for-whatever go-getter model Lilia!

I hope you enjoyed the photos, and see you next week!

Throwback Thursday - Colliding Stars Scarf pattern

A year or two ago, my friend Melissa of Colliding Stars (who just got two adorable baby hats that I wrote about here), asked me to knit a lacy scarf for her. At the time, I had just lucked into a huge stash of Classic Elite Waterlily yarn, and quickly whipped up this lacy scarf for her using a diagonal lace stitch I had fallen in love with recently.    

Now that the temperatures are heating up and we are very clearly heading into summer, I thought I’d pull it out so you could also whip up your own Colliding Stars scarf.

   

I'm thinking this pattern would look great in cotton yarn (I have some Classic Elite Sprout yarn that would work perfectly for this! ).

With this scarf, you can stay cool when out in the sun, and wrap up all comfy-cosy when indoors in air-conditioning. Check out the pattern instructions below, or easily download the pattern PDF from Ravely here: Colliding Stars Scarf.

See you next week!

Colliding Stars Scarf

Finished Dimensions

8in x 80in

Yarn

Classic Elite Yarns Waterlily (100% extra fine merino; 100 yd [91m] /50g): #1919 Petunia, 2 skeins

Needles US #13 (9mm) straight needles

Notions Crochet Hook E/4 3.50mm Tapestry Needle for weaving in ends

Gauge Not important

Notions 2 stitch markers

Abbreviations k2tog - knit 2 stitches together wyif - with yarn in front yo - yarn over

Pattern Instructions Cast on 21 stitches (or a multiple of 5+2 stitches, and 4 edge stitches)

Setup

Knit 2 rows, keeping 2 edge stitches on each side separated by the stitch markers. Knit the first stitch on each row and the slip the last stitch purlwise on every row to create a selvedge.

Diagonal Ridges Pattern (Edge stitches not shown)

Row 1: K2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 5 sts, k5. Row 2: P2, *K3, p2; rep from * to end. Row 3: K4, k2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last st, k1. Row 4: K1, *p2, k3; rep from * to last st, p1. Row 5: *K3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2. Row 6: K2, *p2, k3; rep from * to end. Row 7: K2, *k2tog, yo, k3; rep from * to end. Row 8: *K3, p2; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2. Row 9: K1, k2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. Row 10: P1, *k3, p2; rep from * to last st, k1.

Repeat pattern until scarf is as long as you would like. Knit 2 more rows and bind off all stitches (or until there’s one stitch left on needle if you want to work the optional crochet edging).

Optional Crochet edging 1. Switch to crochet hook, chain 4 stitches, and sc to first selvedge stitch on the side. 2. Sc into next stitch, chain 3, and sc into same stitch. Repeat row 2 all along one side of scarf and cast off.

Finishing Instructions Weave in all ends. Soak/wet scarf and block to desired dimensions, making sure to open up eyelets so the scarf is light and airy.

Gifts Ahoy!

I love gift knitting more than I like knitting for myself. This past holiday season, in the midst of all the crazy hours I pulled to fulfill some of my knitting orders, I was able to squeeze in some gifts for my son's teachers at his former school. They were a great bunch, and the care and love they showed my little poopoola left a lasting impression on me. I wanted each scarf to be a different design for each teacher (since they work in the same school). Armed with my all-time favorite superbulky yarn, Loops & Threads Cozy Wool, I set out to craft individual gifts for these rockstar teachers. Let's take a look.

I knit this first one using the Mid-December Easy Knit Infinity Scarf pattern from A Crafty House in a rich, Forest Green color.

I went with my trusty Procragratification Infinity Scarf pattern in Sapphire Blue for the second scarf (you guys aren't tired of seeing it yet, are you? :P )

For the third scarf, I went with a recently discovered pattern that I've fallen in love with - the Columbia Cowl by Cirilia Rose.

I chose the simple but always stunning Drop Stitch Cowl by Abi Gregorio for the fourth scarf, knit in an alluring Velvet Purple colorway.

And last but not least, the scarf that I knit last, late at night, and which I call the ToNoRi LaNiLaMi...for...Totally Not Original Late Night Night Last Minute scarf. Teeheehee. I originally started out knitting the original cowl version as outlined in the Katy Cowl pattern, but changed my mind halfway through and added buttonholes and large, coconut shell buttons. I fell in love with the finished product, knit in the breathtaking Thunder colorway, and wanted to write up the pattern and share it with other knitters. Then I discovered that I would be reinventing the wheel if I did so, because there's already a gorgeous version of it written up - The Woodland Cowl by Kalurah. I guess great minds think alike? :P I still love the pattern though, and might end up making a few more of them.

So, what do you think? I loved knitting each one of these scarves, and from the reaction of the recipients, I think they liked them too! Which scarf is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a lovely week!

Prepping for the holiday season: A photoshoot teaser

I cannot believe that it's already October! This year really just seems to be galloping along at breakneck speed, and I find myself barely managing to keep up with it. That said, I applied for and got into the Bazaar Bizarre Holiday Fair again this year (woohoo!!), to be held in San Francisco on Dec 7-8. Please save the date so you can come hang out with me, if you are in the Bay Area! I'll have chocolates! :)

In preparing for the fair, I worked with my friend Kwaku of Nkadu Photography to get some update photos of some of my yarny lovelies, and I am so excited to tease you with a couple of these photos!

I write a lot about the Procragratification Infinity Scarf, but I have a secret love affair with it's cousin, the Pompom Hurrah Scarf that I'm happy to reveal today. How beautiful is this scarf on my stunning model?

Now I have a question for you. What other color combinations should I make the Pompom Hurrah scarf in? It's such a pretty scarf design that I want to play around with even wilder color combos! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. And to help, here's the color palette that I currently use for my chunky scarves.

I'm so excited to hear your color combo suggestions, and see how many of them I can actually make! Let's do this! :)

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week.

What am I up to? - February WIP roundup

It's the first week of February, so I thought it would be a great time to take stock and share with you the projects I currently have on my needles.

First up is a remix of the Scrunchable Scarf pattern which I LOVE! I've knit 13 scarves with this pattern. :) These 2 are the newest ones I've been working on. In December I got an order for an infinity scarf with buttons. The person (lovely Karin B.) had seen a similar scarf here (http://psheart.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-buttoned-up-infinity-scarf.html) and wanted me to make one. I did, and got another order for that same scarf.

Someone else saw Karin's scarf and now I have to more orders for them. So cool right? So here they are, one in oatmeal heather and the other in hot pink (squeee!! so pretty). I'm using a chunky weight yarn (Oatmeal is Universal Yarns Classic Chunky and pink is Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky) on US #11(8mm) needles. To make this regular scarf into an infinity scarf, you just need to add a few buttonholes and sew on some buttons. I'll make another post later about how to make the modifications so you have your own DIY handknit infinity scarf.

And how cute are these buttons? I can't wait to finish the scarves and add the buttons.

Some of you may already know that I'm a wee bit addicted to Korean dramas. Well, since it's also winter over there, the dramas I've been watching recently are chock full of awesomely colorful, huge scarves that make me giddily happy each time I see them. I've been wanting to launch a kdrama-inspired accessories line for so long that I finally took the plunge and swatched for one of the scarves. Here's a sneak peek of that scarf.

I absolutely love how the different shades of red play on each other and add a hint of depth to the scarf. I can't wait to be done and outdoor this scarf. :)

If you are a crafter, what are you currently working on? Feel free to share your works in progress and project ideas, and pictures (I love pictures!). And whether you are a crafter or not, I would love to hear your thoughts/ideas on other colors/color combinations I can work these two different scarf patterns in.

Have a wonderful week and see you next week! 

Prepping for the Bizarre Bazaar Fair

Hi everyone, I've been busy fighting off a terrible cold and prepping for my first major holiday fair, the Bizarre Bazaar Fair. It's quite hectic here so I'm just going to leave you with some pretty photos from a photoshoot that my friend Sam Kessie did for Eden's Corner Hair Salon (in Atlanta, GA), using my scarves.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!