Citron Scarf/Shawl

Citron Scarf in scrap sock yarn

Once again I fell in love with one of the free patterns on Knitty, Citron.  I started this project in a striped sock yarn. Got about 10” into it & realized that although the color/striping looked pretty good I really didn’t like the hand - way too dry & rough. 

So I started on another one using a lovely soft alpaca, Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace Weight Yarn. I used colorway 29 which is a very subtle, and I'd like to do another one using one of their more colorful dyes.  The alpaca is really soft and cuddly, but very light and comfortable to wear. The interesting shape makes it look great no matter how you throw it on. I ended up doing 7 repeats. Great size. Great weight. Perfect for warm climates. I didn't block it because I like the loose, fluttery look it has. I think it's a bit looser than the original pattern looks that's knit up in Malabrigo Yarn - Lace Baby Merino Yarn. I love the blue colorway that's linked here. And it's a great price. It's pretty quick and easy to knit so I think I'll give it a try.

Citron Scarf in Misti Alpaca Yarn (col. 29)

closeup of Citron Scarf

How to Turn Babette Blanket Squares into a Babette Squares Scarf

Babette Squares Scarf - flip side

Babette Squares Scarf

    

My Babette Blanket squares had been sitting in a knitting bag for a really, really long time (April 2008!) My initial excitement about the project was long gone. I really didn't like the yarn, Plymouth Encore DK, because it was just to acryllic-y. And when I blocked the squares to get them to a place where they could actually be sew together the fabric seemed way too thin for a blanket or afghan.

Fortunately, at just about that time the Shanghai Guild, a group of devoted knitters and crocheters who meet weekly in Shanghai to make items for a variety of charities had a call fro scarves for a local senior center. I gathered up the squares I had and made a scarf.

If you want the original pattern for the Babette Blanket it was in the Interweave Crochet Spring 2006 edition. You can download it here for $6. If you want to make the whole blanket that would be a good option as it will give you the layout & how many squares you need.

If you want to save the $6 and know a bit about crocheting granny squares you can do it on your own. Using any granny square pattern make the following squares:

12 round squares: 1
8 round squares: 2
6 round squares: 9
4 round squares: 14
2 round squares: 17

(i.e. Do rounds one and two of your pattern and make 17 squares like that, alternating color combos in a random way. Do rounds 1 through 4 and make 14 squares like that, etc.)

Upload a pdf diagram of square placement.

For a crochet square pattern that looks a lot like the square in Babette Gramma Cookie's has one that looks very similar to me (I haven't tried the pattern myself so can't tell you how well it works.)

On the scarf pictured above, after I'd stitched it together, using black yarn, I did a row of single crochet all around, then did a round of ch5, sk3, ch5.

For alternate edgings, I heartily recommend Edie Eckman's book, Around the Corner.

Have a look at my posting that sharestips and techniques for working wtih Babette squares.

Knit and Crochet for Charity

When I find myself with extra time and leftover scraps of yarn on my hands I like to find groups that distribute hand made items to people in need. Online searches for these groups have been time consuming, not always easy to find, and often outdated, so I'll keep track of what I learn here, and update it as I learn more. If you have a group or project to share, please leave a note for me in the comments section and I'll add your info.

Projects with Specific Due Dates:

Martingale & Co is sponsoring a campaign called "Share the Warmth". They're not collecting items themselves, but to encourage people to knit, crochet & quilt for charity they're offering prizes to people who donate items to the group of their choice & then submit photos to Martingale. The random drawings will be held Thursday, December 1, 2011, or when the tally reaches 3,500 donations, whichever comes first. Here's a link with all the details. You can send pictures of your donations to: Sharethewarmth@martingale-pub.com or kburns@martingale-pub.com

Smooth Fox Crochet is sponsoring a 2011 Winter Charity Square Drive with prizes. They're looking for 6, 7 or 12" squares. Check the link for complete details. Deadline is January 14, 2011.

Create scarves to gift to the athletes, coaches, families, volunteers and supporters of each participating Special Olympics Program. at the 2011 Special Olympics. They're accepting scarves made out of specific yarns:

Red Heart Super Saver 387-Soft Navy
Red Heart Super Saver 319-Cherry Red
Red Heart Soft 4604-Navy
Red Heart Soft 9925-Really Red
The colors as well as the size (6" x 54"-60") of the scarves will be the same for all participating Programs in the 2012 Special Olympics USA Scarf Project. They have 4 free patterns on the site, although they welcome any design. Individual states have organized distribution of the scarves, with a list of shipping addresses and due dates here. Due dates vary by state, and fall between Dec. 12, 2011 to Mar. 5, 2012. The yarn was available today at my local Joann's (and on sale even!) but you can also order online directly from Red Heart at a discount. You can post photos of your finished work, and see what others have made, on their facebook page.


Groups That  Continually Accept Items  

Shanghai Guild has a special place in my heart as I was lucky enough to join  in their weekly knit-ins during my time as a trailing spouse in Shanghai. They make assemble beautiful blankets that are distributed to orphanages in China; create dresses for stuffed bears that are sold to benefit young heart patients and make scarves, hats and other gifts for elderly residents of Shanghai. They're happy to accept 10" knitted or crocheted squares and have people in many countries that collect items and get them to Shanghai.




Knit4Charities Inc. is an Australian Internet based association of dedicated knitters and crocheters who give warm clothing and comforting items such as blankets and toys to needy people throughout our Country. 
They have a huge following and ongoing projects that serve a variety of charities.

In memory of their sister, two women have launched "Kaps for Kendall."

From their site: "Our goal is to raise money to fight Fanconi anemia, the disease that took the life of our sister, and to provide special hats for kids and adults, who have lost their hair from chemotherapy and radiation.









If you have a group or know of one, leave info in the comments section and I'll add you to this list."

A thank you gift for Ayi

I've just packaged up this scarf I made using Teva Durham's "Braided Neckpiece" pattern from her book Loop-d-Loop. It was quick and easy to make up. I  used Berrocco Memoirs, a yarn that has now been discontinued, that's a blend of 43% Wool, 40% Mohair, 14% Rayon and 3% Polyester.


I'm sending it off to our Ayi, to thank her for her help and kindness during our time in Shanghai. She's definitely one of the things I'll miss most about life in Shanghai. She's probably the best employee I've ever had, most likely because of my almost complete inability to communicate with her, leaving me therefore, unable to tell her how to do her job. She was always patient with my pitiful attempts at Mandarin, somehow figuring out what I really wanted when I asked her to do something that made no sense (like asking her to iron the dishes, or wash the bed). Hopefully this will keep her a bit warmer as she goes about Shanghai in the bitterly cold, wet, icy and windy winters.





The scarf was quite fun to make, you sort of make a hole, then make some strips that you weave between. Harder to say in words than it was to do.  There's an interesting texture created by knitting one half in stockinette with the knit side showing, and one half with the purl side showing. Which contrasts nicely when it comes to the weaving in and out part.  

Lintilla Scarf

Finished Lintilla Scarf

finished size: 51" on straight side. 10 1/2" at widest point. 21 ruffles on long side. 14 ruffles on short side.

gauge: 21 stitches/ 24 rows in 4"

Yarn: Regia 4-Fach Haltbar, Design Line, Kaffe Fassett. Color 4259. Used 2 balls + very small amount from a third.

To get the striping I worked 2 rows at a time from two different balls (both coming from the inside of the ball.)  When I ran out of those balls I pulled from both the inside & the outside of the third ball.


Notes and pictures on my progress:

Serape Inspired Cowl

After finishing a baby blanket in this yarn the wrong side reminded me of the Mexican serapes I used to see in Tijuana. I liked the idea of the pattern as a cowl, which is currently my favorite thing to grab and throw on as I dash out the door. It’s freeeeezing now in Shanghai and this is a great final layer.

Used leftover bits from 13 colors of yarn. Knit a 30” tube in garter stitch.

These days nothing seems finished to me unless it’s got a crocheted edging. Thank heavens for Edie Eckman’s “Around the Corner”. I used pattern number 2 at the lower edge; and pattern number 20 on the top edge. I did round 2 in purple and round 3 in green, adding a 3 stitch picot at the top of each scallop. This is one of my most used stitch dictionaries, with easy to read written instructions and charts that make customizing it to work for your project easy.   

Noro Kureyon Striped Scarf

Finally finished this Noro stripe scarf. I've had the how-to notes scribbled on a scrap of paper on my desk that I uncovered during my end of year cleaning. It came from a 2007 post on the Brooklyntweed blog.


When I finally got around to it, it couldn't have been quicker or easier. And it's far more interesting & complicated looking than it actually is.


I used 2 skeins of Noro Kureyon - one each in color 90 & 220.


Instructions:
Using US7 needles I cast on 39 stitches using cable cast on. To keep the edges neat & tidy I slipped the first stitch of each row as if to purl. I worked 1 x 1 rib until I didn't have any yarn left. Ended up being 7" by about 75". A great length and just the right width to length proportion.

I finished a second scarf using the same technique - this time in Noro Silk Garden, colors 279 & 267.

Loopy & Luscious Scarf Finished!

Finished this scarf from Knitty Winter '02 -

Loopy & Luscious 


Breeze to make on size 19 needles using Rowan KidSilk Haze in color 628 a deep chocolate brown. 


Other yarn is Crystal Palace Yarns Raggedy Print in color 9165, a variegated blue that looks very denim like. 


It's super easy to make - just cast on 44 stitches and do garter stitch (knit every row) in Kidsilk for 4 rows, then 1 row of Raggedy. I tied off the Raggedy at each end and left a tail, adding to the raggedy appearance. 


Use circular needles since it's only one row of Raggedy you just push the stitches to the other end & pick up the Kidsilk where you left off.


Great to wear. Very light and airy - just keeps the chill off. I've never used Kidsilk before - what a delight! Very soft - not scratchy or itchy at all.

Scarf project using sock yarn (aka failed attempt that became the Lintilla Scarf)

I fell in love with a new sock yarn at my local yarn shop, Abuelita's in South Pasadena. Great shop with really nice, helpful sales staff. Even thought there is absolutely no way I can justify another yarn purchase I couldn't help myself when i came across sock yarn designed by Kaffe Fassett for Regia. The colors are amazing - and it comes in two different styles - one that stripes &one that sort looks heather-y. I opted for the stripes in a colorway that of course has a bit of turquoise and some corral-y reddish orange. Not feeling the patience required to focus on socks I decided to try to figure out a short-row shaped scarf based on one in Not Just More Socks by Sandi Rosner. Has been a very easy translation so far - but I need to get a bit further before I decide the shape is right.


This sat around in my WIP bag forever, until I saw the Lintilla scarf pattern. Quickly frogged this piece & used the yarn. Couldn't be happier. Striping is much more effective than what I had going on here. Specifics on the project are here.

Finished Lintilla Scarf