scarves

The past week I've been working on scarves from the yarn I got last weekend.

The first was made with Bernat Blanket Taupe super bulky yarn - 10.5 oz skein. Because it looked like such a huge ball I thought I'd be safe to make it wide. I was incorrect. LOL It is 10 1/2" wide but I ran out of yarn at 54". Because of the type of yarn it is, a chenille like yarn, it is not advisable to rip it back. 

If I did another with this yarn, I would make it less wide, maybe 6" and get the intended length. I could get another ball to increase the length, of course, but there is the dye lot factor. I could buy another skein and find it doesn't match what I've already done. Then I would also have part of a skein which would not be enough for another scarf. *sigh* Newbie mistake. This yarn was not cheap as well. I just can't justify it in my mind. Perhaps it will do for a young boy.

It is quite warm, like a blanket as the yarn says. I can double it over and wrap it around my neck and be quite cozy. It is also soft, rated a 10 out of 12 on the Knitting Warehouse softness scale.

Being a super bulky (#6) yarn, it requires a large hook. The label says L. I used one of my Henry hooks and they are not labeled, but I believe it was an M. Although it wasn't difficult to make, I couldn't work on this scarf for too long in one sitting as the motion hurts my hands after a while. I ordinarily use a pencil hold but when working with large or long hooks and thick yarn I use the knife hold. The pattern is straight dc. I usually border my scarves but because of lack of yarn, did not do so on either of these.

The next scarf was made with Loops & Threads Charisma Charcoal yarn. In the first picture it looks blueish but it is not. The second picture is more true to color. Different lighting. 

It's a bulky (#5) acrylic yarn. Suggested hook for this yarn was also an L.I used an L. The finished size is 7 1/2" x 70". I bought 3 3.5 oz skeins. According to my postal scale, I had 1.4 ozs left. 

I just made up the pattern. I started with 10 rows of dc, then went to 20 rows of sc and alternated that, ending with the dc rows. There are 5 sections of dc and 4 of sc. 

Next up on my hooks, soldier hats.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Filet cross shawl

The Filet Cross shawl pattern is up at Crochet Cabana on the shawl pattern page. I made a second one and a friend tested the pattern. She said she enjoyed it and it went quickly. Yay! 

Once you get going on a pattern and see how it goes, experienced crocheters just move along and don't pay close attention to instructions. I am guilty as charged! LOL I miss things just because I know how it goes. I put extra notes on this pattern because it is a little tricky to get those repeats, but you will see as you go what comes next. After all, it has to look like a cross, eh?

Both shawls I made are exactly the same. Same pattern, same yarn (Vanna's Choice Colonial Blue). I used an I hook and approximately 4 skeins of yarn (14 ozs). After I made the first one, I started with the leftover yarn and ran out. I had to rip the tiny one I had made with the puff stitches to finish this one. I'm pretty sure I had purchased 8 skeins. So I made two scarves from the yarn I had purchased with a little left over. If you want to be absolutely sure I'd get 5.  

The finished size is approx 15" x 65".

I may work on the pattern for a puff stitch one, but I'm not too keen on the slow moving single crochet so something of this length. LOL I also don't have multiple skeins in the same color yarn so I'll have to fiddle with that. We'll see where it goes. :-)

Hope 2015 is being good to all of you!

Happy crocheting!
Sandie