Treat Yo' Self: Birthday Scarf

This all began with this scarf. The very first post on the blog! I have spent months going back and forth about whether or not I should sell it. Things in my Etsy shop (here) aren't moving very fast.



I figured maybe I should take my products to the streets to advertise! The streets of my white-collar entry level job that is. That helped me make the decision that I should definitely keep this beauty all to myself. Tomorrow is my birthday and every once in a while you have to "treat yo' self!"



Pretty much me exactly as I threw the scarf on. Pre-birthday, scarf advertising, selfie!

I am just as much in love with this scarf as I expected. It is fashionable and soft and warm. Perfect for the semi-chilly weather we have been having in Southern California. I got a bunch of compliments which made me feel very positive and excited to work on more scarves. 

Basketweave Scarf & Hoarding Lessons Learned

As a yarnaholic, life can just be so tough sometimes.

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See? Just so, incredibly, dramatic! Because when you hoard opportunistically buy yarn you don't have the foresight to know which yarns will totally and completely enrapture you. But, I can almost always guarantee it will be a yarn that will, after said enrapture, be discontinued and impossible to find. So thanks a lot, Red Heart Yarns for discontinuing their Fiesta line in Buff. Although the yarn fibers themselves are nothing super soft or spectacular, the colorway is awesome. Like a tweed, but better. It worked nicely for this Basketweave infinity scarf.

The first tutorials I tried didn't work out quite right because the side chains were too long so it didn't lay nice and flat and straight. That was easily fixed by decreasing the chain, as learned in this tutorial from the New Stitch A Day website. 

The texture makes it a perfect every day, unisex scarf. I can't wait to use this new stitch for other projects! Also, if you find Red Heart Fiesta in Buff for sale, please buy all the skeins. 

Zucchini Cable Scarf

I love to give credit where credit is due. Even if I change the pattern a little bit, or a lot a bit. Sometimes patterns are more in-depth and detailed, other times it might just alternate two basic stitches.

This scarf pattern combines two simple stitches but introduces textures. I changed up the pattern a little bit, and used a different cabling technique. You can find the free "Amazing Crochet Textures" Craftsy class here.

What do you think?



I love the deep forest green color and soft and chunky yarn. As I was working on the Etsy listing I was having trouble coming up with a name for it. All my buzzwords had already been "used, thick, cozy, soft, chunky..." so I headed to a professional. Teo. He's always clever, and came up with a name right away.

Kwid's Zucchini Scarf!



I love it! Zucchinis remind me of summer gardens and fall soups and breads. Now the weather is finally cooling off you can wear and enjoy this extra-large, super cozy Zucchini Scarf.



Buy it for yourself, buy it for a loved one, it is unisex so you can even share it.



And thanks again Flamingo Toes blog for the pattern & ideas.

Cube Infinity Scarf

In crochet, it doesn't take long before you are itching to zoom past the basics of single crochet, double crochet, etc. You want to grow your skills and really "wow" people. This free pattern, coincidentally from a blog titled Grow Creative, does just that.

"Cube Infinity Scarf"

Each row is a different pattern but before long you get the hang of it and it is so interesting to see it coming together so fast. The pictures did not turn out great because I cranked out this project as a birthday present for a friend. But the blue color of the scarf is absolutely breathtaking.

Sometimes I see yarn and it "speaks" to me. Well, this yarn immediately reminded me of my good friend from Grenada, maybe because it matches her perfect blue eyes?! 

I hope she enjoys the scarf, and her happy birthday!

Lite Brite Scarf: Faux Broomstick Lace

When I look for patterns online I try to find a balance between challenging and do-able. I had seen and saved this broomstick lace pattern, but it looked a little tricky. Then one day I rolled past a "Faux Broomstick Lace." And since "faux" often = easier, I knew I had to check it out.

Still, I put it off. Then, with trepidation, I approached.

Pattern: Faux Broomstick Lace by: A Southern Lady's Ramblings

I did a double take.
       Only 250 yards?!

Triple take.
            Only 2 rows and second repeats?!

Quadruple take. 
                  ONLY ONE STITCH = single crochet?!

The pattern truly was a simple as it sounds. The trick is to use an over-sized crochet hook (check!). Then you stretch and the loose stitches pull tight so you get the faux lace effect! Pretty neat. You can see my during and after pictures below.



The scarf was about 9" wide and shrunk down to 4" wide while it was only 50" long and stretched out to a whole 90" long!! It was like magic, and an absolutely dreamy way to use this ahh-maazing yarn I got that is softer than a baby cherub's locks.



I have named it the Lite Brite scarf because when I modeled it with my black t-shirt it totally reminds me of afternoons spent playing with the Lite Brite with my siblings.

Because the scarf stretches so nicely you can wear it a few different ways.

Like two loops:



or three!:

Now comes the hardest part.... listing it in my shop! I am having a hard time letting this one go!

Lover's Knot Infinity Scarf

Am I the only one who saw this pin running rampant on Pinterest awhile back?

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And am I the only one who was disappointed when I (finally) opened it up and found it was in some language I can't even identify?

Just means more of a mystery to be solved and another stitch to be conquered!

After some digging I found a great blog with a blogger who felt the same. Turns out she is pretty smart and did all the work to create a perfect tutorial for the Lover's Knot stitch. Thank you Amelia is Rabbit!

I went the Michael's Joann's Lobby, conveniently located in my living room, and found the perfect yarn. Yarn doesn't always speak to me. But this yarn spoke and screamed.

I love this stitch because it looks Celtic, so what better yarn then a bright green yarn with the tiniest hint of glitter (which is difficult to capture in the photos).

It reminds me of Merida from Disney's Brave.

My biggest hesitation was getting each loop exactly the right length. I loved the way it turned out. It is nice and light so it is perfect for us Southern California residents who are still wishfully dreaming of Fall.



I wanted to follow the trend of infinity scarfs so I went ahead and made it happen by crocheting a row and using it to join it all together.

Aquatic Blossom Corf

What is a Crof?!?! 

= when you can't decide if it is a cowl or a scarf so you get the best of two worlds! 

Variegated yarn has always been a favorite to work with. It provides nice color without having to worry about changing colors. The color placement tends to be a happy accident!

But I have noticed that as I work with solid and variegated yarn, there are some patterns and stitches that work better for one than the other. So what do you think of this Aquatic Blossom pattern from Crochet Geek, worked up in Loops & Threads Charisma yarn in the color Mulberry Bush?

 

Whilst shopping at Michael's I saw this yarn knit up in a little sample piece. Then I promptly and madly dug through the yarn bins to find the last two skeins. That little sample piece is doing it's job!

I can't get over how beautiful and rich the colors are.



As I worked it up I noticed that all the purples always ended up in the same position. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but it has really grown on me.

As I was modeling it I quickly put together an outfit that would be great for a casual Friday, or running around town. I love the purple shoes for an accent.



Find it in my Etsy shop here.

Do you  like the length? Would you buy it?

Crazy Shell Infinity Scarf

I dove head-first into this whole selling crochet madness. I got to work making up products to list. And I kept making, and making, until I realized I had a sufficient amount of products to at least try out this whole thing.

I don't know if I will sell anything, but I am trying my best to give the people what they want. My sister is an avid scarf wearer and so I roped her in to giving me input on the products I was making. I kept the mantra,

"Is this what the people want?!" 

Truth be told, there is no way to know. But I think this may be the biggest crowd pleaser of the scarves I have made so far. The pattern is simple but not boring. Fun, but not crazy. I'm not a huge pink fan, but even the color definitely grew on me.

Guess I will have to save this one for October- Breast Cancer Awareness month!

"Crazy Shell Infinity Scarf" pattern courtesy of The Batter's Box. It was a new but simple stitch that moved along quite nicely. Lastly I just had to include this picture I have titled:

"Pure Exhaustion: Or, time to put down the hook and go to Bed"



So I will, for now! 

Chocolate Funfetti

I tend to fall in love with every project I make. There is always something that pulls me in. Sometimes it's the stitch, sometimes the yarn, sometimes the challenge of making it.

This. Yarn.

Has softness levels are that off the charts. This isn't one of those wispy angel hair soft yarns. It is thick and bulky but the softest project I have ever made!



I love the neutral color with the little pops of color. It makes it a nice everyday cowl as well as a statement piece.



Better yet, it is totally unisex. Get it in the shop here.

Spice Market Scarf

I tend to covet yarn. This is more financially responsible than hoarding, but mentally much more debilitating. I have a price range for yarn. And you can guess that every skein that is coveted is out of said price range.

Until you happily find them in the clearance bin.

I had my eye on this yarn for months. The line is called Aurora Borealis and this color is Spice Market. I was so taken aback that it would be on clearance for any reason. And thus started the first scarf  as part of this entrepreneurial project. First and absolute favorite. I go back and forth as to whether or not I want to sell it. The yarn is just so beautiful! I feel the lighting never does it justice.



It's an easy V-stitch that worked up fairly quickly. And I finally got a reason to use that crummy plastic hook I bought in Grenada.



The finished product!



Looping it three times is a bit of a stretch, but I love how fashionable this scarf is.



My only regret was not buying more skeins when they were available. But now I can covet this scarf instead of a skein of yarn. I might be beginning to see how this process should work.