Yarn + Make = Love
Earlier this year, the family and I went to the Ann Arbor Fiber Expo. We came across this local yarn dyer called Splash of Color, and my eye was caught by this yarn that had camo colors with fluorescent orange speckles in it. The sample she had swatched of it I really liked. The camo wasn’t overwhelming it, it didn’t look like mud, and the orange had just enough pop to brighten it up. When the girls saw it they loved it so we bought 2 hanks to make two hats.
Recently I have started spinning my own yarn from wool, and of course it looks like beginner yarn. After plying I found that some areas are thick and chunky, while others were thinner than a DK weight yarn. I thought crochet would be a great way to highlight the weight differences and make the item really textural. So, I asked myself what I would like out of wool would be chunky and thick.” A cowl! After living in Michigan for nearly 20 years (originally from Texas) I have finally come to realize that no matter how warm your coat is, if your feet and head/neck are cold it means you are cold. So, a thick and chunky cowl made out of wool would be a great item to have for this winter.
As a knitter and crocheter I am always trying to think of ways to wear what I make during the spring and fall. Something that adds just a little bit of warmth, but not bulky or too heavy for just slightly cool weather. For this project I began with the fiber and yarn choice. I chose a yarn that is one hundred percent cotton so that it would be of natural fibers but not have the warmth of wool. The one I use is from Cindy’s Knitting Room in Minnesota and is three strands of 2/16 weight cone yarn. You can order it with any combination of colors that you would like. The one I used is all of the same gray color, my favorite color. With the color and stitch definition that this yarn gives on a standard knitting machine I thought cables would be a nice design feature. Plus, I love the traditional appearance that cables give, and they can give a little bit of structure to knits which sometimes can look a bit soft. Not to mention, cables are everywhere right now, along with fair isle yoke sweaters.
If you live in the north like us you may have come to appreciate the warmth of wool socks. Over the past few years my appreciation for wool socks have grown exponentially. If my feet are not warm then I am not warm, and wool helps keep the warmth in like no other I have found. There is something so natural and comforting when you wear wool, and having wool socks just makes me cozy and comfortable. I like wearing my hand knit wool socks, but in a drafty farmhouse they still aren’t warm enough in the cold of winter when it is -10F outside. So, for the winter I like to double up socks, and wear something even heavier on the outside. That is wear this pattern is so great. They are thicker than my hand knit socks I wear with shoes so the bootsy socks are warmer. The thickness also adds to their durability, which is always a plus when you put your time into making something. The cuff is made out of Lion Brand Homespun which adds a little bit of extra softness in case it rubs against the calf. The pattern enables you to make them to be tight and fitted like a typical sock, or slightly looser to have them more like a slipped on booty, which is what I prefer for me.
One thing about so many things that are made from yarn is that they tend to be for cooler weather. This super easy and quick machine knit scarf is great to add a little knit softness to any outfit – even in the summer! It can be worn like a necklace, or just draped for a light shawl. Depending on the fiber and yarn thickness you can change what is showcased on this scarf. I have made a light acrylic accessory that has subtle details, but these subtle details are great for projects with art yarn or when you want color work to be the main visual story.
This is a great crochet project to use up some of those single skeins we all have around. It is made with Red Heart Soft (find it here) yarn in Really Red, which makes a great soft fabric out of worsted weight yarn that is comfortable to wear next to the skin. It is 100% acrylic so no itches if you are sensitive to wool. But, if you have something that is thicker or thinner, and you want to do a different material content then use it! Just adjust the hook size accordingly up or down to be able to make your desired scarf. Gauge is not as extremely important on this pattern since you just keep going till you either A) run out of yarn or B) have it as long as you like. Yay – no gauge swatch! Continue reading “Crochet Easy Skinny Ladder Scarf”