Mega Braided Scarf

October 21, 2011 in Ella Rae, Scarves

For those of you who prefer your scarves on a grand scale, may I present the Mega Braided Scarf!

A big, cozy scarf.

I knit this scarf using three skeins of Ella Rae Mega in colors #12-Lilac, #14-Fuschia, and #26-Timberwolf Gray. There are 27 colors from which to select so you have many options. Match your wardrobe, or make it in team colors, or tame it down by using a single color.

This pattern is suitable for a beginner who knows both the knit and purl stitch.

Mega Braided Scarf

Materials: Ella Rae Mega, 3 skeins (Fiber: 100% Wool–Yardage: 137–Stitches: 2–Needle size: 15–Ball weight: 250g)

Needles: US 15 (or size needed to obtain gauge)

Gauge: 8 sts = 2″ in K1,P1 rib. / 2.5 rows = 1″

Size: about 5″ wide by 8′ long (excluding fringe) after being braided

NOTE: Before starting cut 12 16″ long strands from each color for fringe. (36 strands total)

Pattern:

First Strip:

Cast On 8 sts using one ball of yarn.

Row 1: K1, P1 across

Row 2: K1, P1 across

Continue in ribbing as established until you run out of yarn or reach desired length.

Knit two more strips in the same manner using the other two balls of yarn.

NOTE: If you don’t like the idea of knitting three consecutive strips you can knit them simultaneously:

Using the first ball of yarn Cast On 8 sts. Place a marker. Using the second ball of yarn and the same needle, Cast On 8 sts. Place a marker. Using the third ball of yarn and the same needle, Cast On 8 sts.

The markers will remind you to drop one color and pick up the next. When I was knitting my scarf the other strips slid to the end of my needle, which was another reminder to switch colors.

There are a few advantage to working the strips at the same time: you know your gauge will be consistent; they will be the same length; and they will be done at the same time.

Once all three strips are knit, braid them together in a traditional 3-strand braid. I laid my strips on the bed to braid them and rolled them each into a ball to make them easier to manage.

Divide your fringe into two equal piles, 6 strands of each color in each pile. Attach fringe as desired to ends of scarf.

To secure the ends of the scarf I held the ends so the center strip overlapped the two side strips a little. Then I made sure at least one fringe on each side of the center strip went through the double layer of fabric. I tied those anchor fringes first then tied the other fringes.

Variations

It would be easy for an experienced crocheter to make a similar scarf. Using a P hook and double crochet make strips 2″ wide.
Instead of a scarf you can seam the ends together to make a big, loopy cowl.
The finished knit strips are so long you might be able to get away with working a shorter, one color scarf. I didn’t try that so you’ll have to experiment. I’d suggest dividing the ball in thirds before casting on to ensure your strips are the same length.
You can make a shorter scarf by stopping before you run out of yarn. Keep in mind the strips get shorter when braided so you’ll want to test the length by braiding your version before you cast off.
When I was about half way through the scarf, around 4′ long, the ladies in the knitting group I attend thought it would make a cute, short scarf secured by a big button or shawl stick. They also liked the idea of making a chunky cowl by seaming the ends together.

Mega Book #112

But don’t limit yourself to making scarves and shrugs from this 100% wool yarn. The Mega book has eight patterns including sweaters and accessories.

Chunky hat and moss stitch scarf.

This cute hat takes one skein of Mega. (The moss stitch scarf takes two.) You can work the hat in a solid color as shown in the book, or you can work a striped version to go with your Braided Scarf. In that case, I’d suggest making the hat first then making the scarf with the remaining yarn. Once you run out of yarn, the scarf is done!

Pom poms are always fun.

These warm mittens also take only one skein. They would be another candidate for a striped version paired with the Braided Scarf. Depending on how much yarn was used in the mittens, you can make a cowl version of the scarf instead. Three color pom poms would tie everything together.

A cozy cover up.

This cute sweater is one of the four included in the book. It takes three or four balls, depending on the size you make. It looks so cozy, especially with the nice kangaroo pocket for keeping your hands warm.

With a knit gauge of 2 sts per inch, projects in this lovely yarn work up fairly quickly. Have fun playing with the colors for the Braided Scarf. And if you do make one of these projects, share a picture with us on Facebook either on our Ella Rae page or our KFI page.

Edited to add: You can locate stores in your area that carry Ella Rae yarn by using the “find a store” feature on our main website. You can filter based on your zip code and brand.

Tags: bulky, scarf, womens
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We Love Scarves

October 19, 2011 in Araucania, Euro Yarns, Filati FF, Free, Katia, Louisa Harding, OnLine, Scarves

The Craft Yarn Council had declared this past Friday, Oct. 14, to be “I Love Yarn Day.”

On one hand, it was sort of like celebrating Valentine’s Day with your spouse since we’re always together and expressing our love. On the other hand, it was fun to have an excuse to make even more noise about our affection for yarn.

We took the opportunity to decorate the office.

It's fun to spruce up the office for a holiday.

And to decorate ourselves.

Everyone loves scarves!

We posted the original version of this picture (without identifications) on Facebook and everyone started asking about the scarves and what yarn was used.

Well, of course you all would ask that! Silly me for not anticipating those questions. But we’ve tracked the scarves down and identified them all for your enjoyment. (You can click on the picture to see a bigger version.)

Starting with the Front Row on the left

The dark pink scarf is the “Titania” pattern from the new Louisa Harding Nerissa book knit in color #7-Cherry.

The variegated fringed scarf in red tones is knit in Euro Yarn Prancer in color #109 – Grey, Magenta, Salmon. You can download the free pattern for this simple cabled scarf from our website.

The sparkly mohair scarf in the middle is knit in Louisa Harding’s new yarn Simonetta. You can download the free Cosimo Scarf pattern, which takes one ball of Simonetta, from our website.

Cosimo Scarf by Louisa Harding

The ruffled green scarf, which generated the most interest on Facebook, is knit in Euro Yarns Sparkle. That green color is sold out, but there are 12 other lovely colors available. Once you select one, download the free Sparkle Scarf pattern and cast on.

If you had your heart set on a green scarf, you should consider Triana Lux from Katia, which comes in 14 colors including a lime green one. This fun yarn is a souped up version of Triana, the difference being the Lux version has metallic threads for some sparkle. Both yarns will create fun ruffled scarves following the free Triana Scarf pattern.

Back to the staff picture, the chunky blue scarf on the end takes one skein of Euro Yarns Quick Thick Merino, which comes in 10 colors. The free pattern features an elongated stitch, which shows off the texture of the yarn nicely.

Second row starting from the left

The first green scarf is in Sparkle, again.

The next scarf, which is just peeking out, is Euro Yarns Tinseltown. This fun yarn has ruffles and sparkles and works up quickly using the free scarf pattern. Currently there are 10 colors of Tinseltown available, but we’re expecting new colors to arrive in a few weeks…just in time for finishing up your holiday gift knitting!

More colors of Tinseltown will be available soon.

The puffy white scarf in the middle is On Line Zico. This fun novelty yarn comes in 8 colors and works up quickly on US size 19 needles. Two balls are needed for the free scarf pattern, which really shows off the texture of the yarn.

The ruffled black and silver scarf is Euro Yarns Broadway, a new yarn that should be in stores by Thanksgiving.

Finally, the multicolored orange “hat” is actually a sampler strip knit from various shades of Araucania Patagonia meant to show off the different colors. It would have worked just as well for a scarf and is a good option if you can’t decide which of the 40 colorways available is your favorite.

The red vest is knit in the ribbon yarn Kristha from Filati FF. This yarn has limited availability so you’ll want to be sure to call your local yarn store to ensure they have it.

You can search for stores that carry Filati FF, and all the brands we represent, using the “find a store” feature on our main website.

As you can see, we had fun on “I Love Yarn Day.” We hope you did, too, and that you enjoy keeping the celebration going with some of these scarves.

Tags: scarves
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Spotlight: Euro Yarns Blitzen

October 17, 2011 in Euro Yarns, Free, Scarves, Uncategorized

As any knitter or crocheter knows, chunky yarns paired with big needles or hook, make for fast-to-finish projects.

Blitzen has a textured base and pompoms.

Sometimes you need a quick project for a last minute gift. Other times you need something you can finish fast to “cleanse your palate” from a long term project.

The new yarn “Blitzen” from Euro Yarns can satisfy that need. This 100% wool yarn comes in 110 yard hanks and has a suggested gauge of 1 to 2 stitches per inch on US15 – US 17 needles. I used a P hook for my crochet swatch. The yarn comes in six colors. I used color #4-Red, Violet for my swatches.

The yarn is a tonal colored pencil roving with a tight yarn binder, which gives it a rippled texture. This is interspersed with chenille like tufts creating elongated pompoms.

The pompoms don't interfer with knitting.

The pompoms are very soft and flexible so they hardly impede the ability to knit. They wrap right around the needle and the loose gauge on the large needles allows them to slide through the stitches easily.

The free pattern on our website requires one skein of Blitzen yarn and will make a scarf about 8″ wide by 68″ long. A very generous size for wrapping up against the winter wind! The scarf is knit in an elongated stitch created by working yarn overs which are dropped on the next row. It should be easy for a beginner knitter to tackle and a breeze for an experienced knitter.

One skein makes this generous scarf.

The pompoms also did not interfere with crocheting. When working a double crochet stitch I was able to incorporate the pompom right into the stitch. However, I thought that squished them down a bit and ruined the fun of the yarn. But that did depend on which side of the fabric you were looking at.

Then I tried working a mesh pattern by chaining 5, skipping 5 dc, and single crocheting in the next dc. On the next row I chained 5 and single crocheted into the ch 5 space of the previous row.

Double crochet and mesh stitch both work.

I found this gave me more flexibility in dealing with the pompoms. I could either work them into the chain stitch OR I could fold the pompom in half and skip to the smooth yarn on the other side to make my stitch. This was a little smoother to work and made the pompoms stand up in a very perky manner.

I’m sure one skein of Blitzen will make a generous sized crocheted scarf worked in either method.

Tags: Blitzen, crochet, scarf
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Gift Knitting Ideas

October 10, 2011 in Araucania, Cowls, Elsebeth Lavold, Gloves, Hats, Mirasol, Noro, Scarves, Uncategorized

Malin by Elsebeth Lavold

The middle of October is here and you know what that means.

Time to start thinking about your holiday gift knitting (and crocheting) if you haven’t begun already.

Including today, there are 73 days to December 21, the first day of Chanukah, and 76 days to December 24, Christmas Eve.

Have you ever timed your knitting? Not your stitch per minute speed, but how long it takes you to complete a project. For instance, I know a pair of socks usually takes me two weeks. A sweater for myself (an adult small), if it’s the only thing I work on, takes about a month. While a sweater for my husband, a men’s large, takes about two months.

If you are a member of Ravelry you already know that it is a great place for tracking how long a project takes, which is all important when planning your gift knitting time.

To maximize gift knitting time many people stick with simple or small projects, which makes accessories a great choice.

We have a number of books focused on accessories and other small projects that might help get your gift knitting juices flowing.

Elsebeth Lavold

The Small Things Matter Collection (Book #17) by Elsebeth Lavold is a good place to start. This book features around 20 projects ranging from hats and gloves to shawls and bags. There are even a pair of cute decorative boxes.

Most of the projects are knit in Silky Wool, which adds eight new colors this season so it will be easy to match your recipient’s tastes.

Matching the recipient’s tastes is an important first step to make sure your gift is used and not relegated to the bottom of a closet. Don’t select flashy colors for someone who likes neutrals and don’t select a complicated stitch pattern for someone who would prefer a smooth stockinette.

For your gift to be a success you need to spend some time thinking about what the person you give it to will enjoy wearing rather than what you’ll enjoy knitting. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a project that satisfies both of you.

The Malin smoke ring, shown at the top of this post, could be such a project. It calls for just two skeins of Silky Wool and features an easy lace pattern with shaping accomplished by changing needle sizes.

With the continuing popularity of cowls, your gift with be both cozy and stylish as well as fun to knit.

Mini Knits

Jenny Watson has put together “Mini Knits” books for several of the lines for which she designs.

Araucania Book #6 features 16 designs ranging from garments to home decor items.

For a change of pace there is also a cute teddy bear pattern. Just one skein of Itata is needed to make this new friend.

One skein of Araucania Itata is needed for this teddy.

If you enjoy making teddy bears, Debbie Bliss also has a few patterns. There are two sizes in her Booties, Blankets and Bears book that take Cashmerino Baby, which has six new colors this season.

There is also a free pattern for a teddy bear using one ball of Noro Kureyon on our website. Kureyon has eight new colors this season. That’s a lot of variety for your bears!

When making stuffed animals as gifts keep the age of the recipient in mind. Judge whether embroidered on eyes or plastic safety eyes will be better. For stuffing, it is easy to get either fiberfill or plastic beads at a craft store. Some knitters like to put the stuffing in a old panty hose that has been sewn or tied shut to prevent any from sneaking out through the fabric.

While Noro yarns make adorable stuffed animals they are mainly known for eye catching garments.

Jenny Watson’s Noro Mini Knits Two book covers a variety of garments from hats and scarves for both men and women to sweaters and shrugs for women of all ages.

Convertible mitts let you search for change.

One skein of Noro Silk Garden will make these cute flip-top mittens. This style of mitten is great because it keeps your fingers warm but if you need dexterity you can free your fingers without taking off the whole glove. The pattern is also fun to make with the challenge of the fingers to keep your attention.

K'acha scarf and gloves

The men in our lives can be some of the hardest people to knit for. To make it enjoyable for everyone it’s really important to select a style and color they will enjoy wearing. Showing them a selection of pictures of projects and yarns can help them narrow down what they would like. It is especially useful if they don’t “speak yarn” because instead of having to explain what they want they can just point.

This handsome scarf and glove set are from Jenny Watson’s Mirasol Mini Knits book. The set it knit in K’acha, a 60% Merino Wool, 25% Suri Alpaca, 15% Silk blend that comes in 12 jewel tone colors. Surely there will be one to satisfy that fussy man you know. The book also includes a men’s cabled hat and a boy’s vest.

Don’t worry, the book also includes plenty of pretty patterns the women in your life, including a cardigan, cowl, and hats.

If you get a start now, and plan carefully, you’ll be able to meet your gift knitting goals.

Tags: gifts, gloves, hats, mens, scarves, womens
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Spotlight: Louisa Harding Nerissa

October 4, 2011 in Free, Louisa Harding, Scarves

Did you enjoy Louisa’s discussion of her new fall yarns and pattern books?

It is so fun to get a peak inside the designers’ creative process and see what inspires them.

The three new yarns–Grace Hand Beaded, Simonetta, and Nerissa–are all lovely, but I had to stick my needles in Nerissa first. It’s been a while since I worked with chenille and I wanted to see what Louisa had come up with.

Since the free pattern for the Cosimo scarf works with all three new yarns, I thought I’d give it a whirl.

The Cosimo scarf can be knit with all 3 new yarns.

If you used chenille yarn back in the 90s the idea of returning to it probably makes you cringe. Believe me, I remember those days and how tough those old, fuzzy chenille yarns were to work with.

I can honestly assure you Nerissa is not like that.

The short, tight plush slides over itself easily as you knit without any sticking or grabbing.

The yarn is also durable, as I found out when I had to frog my picot cast on at least twice. There are some cast ons that require too much counting to be compatible with a good TV show!

After one repeat you can already see the pattern.

I was feeling rebellious and didn’t bother to do a gauge swatch. This made my scarf swatch a bit wider than the dimensions in the pattern, but it would just give you more scarf to enjoy. It was also wonderfully soft with good drape. Those qualities will translate nicely into the garments in the Nerissa Book, especially something as dramatic as the Ophelia cape.

The Ophelia cape takes advantage of Nerissa's drape.

Having satisfied my knit curiosity I decided to check out Nerissa’s crochet potential.

It seemed even easier to crochet with than to knit. Or maybe it was because there weren’t any picots involved?

My Water Wheel motif.

I worked the Water Wheel motif from “How to Crochet” by Pauline Turner, which zipped along quickly.

I see potential for washcloths paired with a nice soap as gifts for friends.

Or, considering Nerissa comes in 12 colors, a fun scarf or shawl made up of motifs of different colors.

The possibilities, as they say, are endless.

Tags: crochet, lace
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Say Hello to Aloha Yarn

September 12, 2011 in Free, Katia, Patterns, Scarves

This loopy scarf is fun and easy to make.

Aloha is a fun new yarn from Fil Katia that is available in nine colors.

Katia is a Spanish collection of beautifully European novelty yarns for both adults and children. Their yarns range from textured yarns like Aloha, which work up quickly into fun scarves, to smooth yarns suitable for a wide range of garments.

Aloha is a 50% Wool, 45% Acrylic, 5% Nylon blend. The structure is fluffy loops of wool held together by a sewn binder.

The recommended knitting needle size is a US 50, which create large enough stitches to allow you to draw the wool loops through without a struggle.

A binder holds the loops of wool together.

You can also use your hands, which is the option I choose since I didn’t have a pair of US 50 needles handy. Besides, not only did it sound like more fun to just use my fingers, but it gave me more of an opportunity to interact with this soft, squishy yarn.

The free pattern to make this scarf is on the ball band and you can also download it from the KFI website.

If the idea of working with such loopy yarn on such big needles is a little intimidating, fear not! The good folks at Katia have created two YouTube videos demonstrating working with the yarn either with needles or your hands.

Knit Aloha with your hands

Knit Aloha with needles

You don't even need to knit it.

15 Minute Scarf

Actually, if you’re feeling particularly sassy (or lazy!) you don’t even have to knit the yarn to start using it as a scarf right away. You can just open the hank up and loop it around your neck a few times! No one will ever know.

But for more structure, go for the knit scarf.

It took me about 15 minutes, maybe half an hour, to make this scarf using my fingers.

The first thing you do, after snipping the strands taming the hank, is to tie a little knot on both ends to prevent fraying.I made my knots close to the end of the yarn and they blend right in with the scarf body. On both ends of the yarn I had part of the wool that wasn’t captured by the binder, but I just snipped that off.

Although I tried to stay consistent with the size of the stitches I was making, I quickly realized that the loopy structure of the yarn is very forgiving and hides any variations in gauge.

My completed scarf is just over 5 feet long, so there is plenty of length to loop it, fold it, or otherwise arrange it to suit your tastes.

And don’t let the fluffy texture fool you, this scarf gets rather warm after you wear it for a few minutes.

But I think this yarn has potential beyond a fun scarf.

I bet it would make a neat trim for a variety of projects. You could use multiple rows for the brim of a hat or one or two layers for the cuffs and collar of a sweater coat. I’m not sure if it would be better to sew it on or try to knit it on, that would be something to experiment with.

Knitting Aloha gives it more structure.

Another idea would be to use it for the body of a stuffed animal. Can you just see a cute, fluffy, stuffed sheep with Aloha for it’s body? Again, the trick would be in the execution.

This yarn has just hit store shelves and is already popping up in Ravelry projects.

Our friends at Mia Bella, a local yarn store in Illinois, whipped up a scarf using the green Aloha and shared a picture with us on Twitter.

You can locate a store near you that stocks Aloha by using the “find a store” feature on our main website.

Tags: Aloha, free pattern, Katia, scarves
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Nifty Novelties

September 4, 2011 in Euro Yarns, Free, Katia, Patterns, Scarves

Katia Triana Scarf

Sometimes it’s best not to take yourself too seriously, both in knitting and life. Novelty yarns can aid in that goal, especially when you are feeling fun, flirty, or just flamboyant.

Novelty yarns have textures that include eyelash, flags, metallic fibers, and sometimes combinations of all three (or more!). They are only limited by the yarn designer’s imagination. One of the great things about novelty yarns is you can knit in simple garter stitch but have a high impact finished project because the yarn does all the work.

Right now yarns that produce ruffled scarves are very popular. Our local yarn store partners tell us they can’t keep these yarns on the shelf! That is understandable since these are such fun, fast, projects. Using these yarns can finish a scarf in a few hours.

Triana by Katia

Triana yarn by Katia produces a springy, ruffled scarf. In the ball it looks like a tape yarn. You need to spread the tape out to open the mesh before you knit it. Once you work a few rows you’ll find it very easy to knit with Triana.

Triana is a mesh yarn.

You can download a free scarf pattern from the KFI website for Triana. The pattern is in multiple languages; English is the third one down. I also made a video showing you how to knit with this unique yarn.

To keep the end neat, you can fold the first loop of the end over and knit it together with your first cast on stitch. When you get to the end of the ball, cast off in the normal manner and pull the tail through to secure it. The ruffles will hide your tail if it is short enough.

Tinseltown by Euro Yarns

Tinseltown by Euro Yarns has more firm ruffles and a bit of metallic fiber for extra sparkle.

Tinseltown has shine!

Compared to Triana’s mesh construction Tinseltown has feathery fibers secured between two strands, while a third strand creates open loops along one end. You knit into those open loops.

WEBS, a yarn store in Massachusetts, has made a nice video showing how to knit with ruffly ribbon yarns that have a railroad edge like Tinseltown. You can download a free scarf pattern for Tinseltown from our website. Once again, after a couple hours of easy garter stitch knitting you’ll be rewarded with an eye catching scarf.

If glitter isn’t your style, then check out Rizos by Katia for a similar style yarn without the shine.

Fast and Fun

Triana, Tinseltown, and Rizos and are just a few of the yarns you can use to make fun ruffled scarves. They are also a good choice when you need the satisfaction of finishing a project quickly because you knit a scarf in just a few hours. If you are making gifts for friends you have many color choices, as well as sparkles and plain, from which to select.

If you don’t usually knit with novelty yarns I hope you will give one of these a try. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it!

Tags: Euro Yarns Tinseltown, Katia Rizos, Katia Triana, ruffles, scarves
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Athena Garter Stitch Scarf

November 21, 2010 in Free, Knitting Fever Inc, Scarves, Uncategorized

The fun thing about novelty yarns like Athena (left, red) and Dazzle (right, blue) is you can work a very simple pattern but end up with an eye catching project because the yarn does all the work for you.

You also have a lot of flexibility because the yarn will work nicely with a variety of needle sizes allowing you to make either a dense fabric or an airy one.

To start I wanted a simple scarf pattern that would be suitable for an enthusiastic beginner.

To work the pattern you only need to know how to cast on, work the knit stitch, and cast off. Some people find novelty yarn a little tricky to work with when they first get started because it can be hard to see the individual stitches, so I would suggest you already know how to knit before you plunge in with these yarns.

Athena Garter Stitch Scarf

Size: 3″ wide by 50″ long, including fringe. (Scarf will stretch and get slightly longer with wear.)

Materials:
Yarn: Athena by Knitting Fever (80% Polyester, 20% Nylon. 82 yds/25 g), 1 ball.
A second ball can be used to make a longer scarf.

Needles: US 13

Gauge is not important for this project.

Note: Begin by cutting 44 strands each 11″ long for fringe. Set aside.

The Pattern:
Cast on 15 stitches.

Work in garter stitch (knit every stitch on every row) until almost out of yarn.

Cast off.

Using 2 strands for each fringe, attach at 11 points along each end of the scarf.

If you use only one ball of yarn you might not have to weave in your ends because they will blend in with the fringe. If you use two balls of yarn you’ll have to weave in the ends in the center of the scarf where you changed balls (obviously).

I tied my scarf in a loose knot. You could also wear it untied. A longer scarf will give you more wearing options.

Sally forth and prepare to receive compliments.

No Knit Necklace

Another option for using the yarn is to make this simple necklace.

I laid out 10 loops about 25 inches long which gave me 20 strands. Don’t cut the loops. Carefully pick them up and give them a few twists to give the bundle stability. Clip them together in the back to close the necklace. You should be able to buy necklace clasps at the craft store.

See? Even non-knitters can enjoy this yarn.

Tags: novelty yarn
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