The Maureen Scarf

I found this beautiful pattern on A Spoonful of Sugar - I wanted to find a pattern that I could use with some of the lighter weight yarns that would be a little wider despite the thin yarn.  This one filled the bill: http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2012/05/crocheted-scarf-free-pattern.html

What better to make this beautiful scarf with than Malabrigo sock yarn!  For this project I chose Malabrigo Sock in Archangel (850) and Caribeno (474).  I used a G hook for both scarves and started the scarf with a chain 44 (instead of a chain 52), as is optional in the pattern.  Of the two, the Archangel was my favorite - it has very subtle soft pink color changes, warm and comforting to the eye, and it lends itself to great stitch definition.  The Caribeno has more dramatic color changes, from green to cobalt blue, which leads to a variegated color scheme which slightly obscures the lacy pattern.  This was something that I could see on the skein but didn't really think about it until I was in progress.  It's still quite pretty and both scarves are nice and soft.

I also made a third Maureen scarf using MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light, in Forestry.  This was my first time using this yarn - it's a fingering weight yarn and I'd say that it's just slightly thinner than the Malabrigo sock.  It is also a 100% Superwash Merino Wool, but it has a different texture, almost a little bit less "fluffy" to so speak.  Just like the Malabrigo yarns, MadelineTosh yarns have stunningly beautiful colors and I am looking forward to using more of them.  One interesting thing about this yarn is that there are no dye lots, every skein is unique.  This particular one I chose for this scarf is full of different hues of brilliant emerald green, it's completely stunning.

The scarf itself worked up very quickly, this is a great pattern and I can see that this will probably become one of my standbys.
With each yarn, I used the entire skein.  The final measurements of each scarf varied for each yarn, even between the two Malabrigo yarns.  I personally like to wear my scarves in a "keyhole" wrap around my neck so I like them longer, around 72" or so - when I make another I'll break into a second skein so I can get them to my ideal length.
My scarves were:
Malabrigo Sock Archangel - 7.25"x68.5"
Malabrigo Sock Caribeno - 7"x62.5"
MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light Forestry - size and pictures to be added soon!

Some pictures of the finished product for your enjoyment!

Malabrigo Sock Archangel:

Malabrigo Sock Caribeno: 

Granite Stitch Men's Scarf

I'm always on the lookout for good crochet patterns for men's scarves.  Almost any basic plain pattern will work for men, but often they are a little too plain for me.  This one is very simple but has a nice result and makes a good manly scarf.  I found the pattern on The Caped Crocheter blog:

http://capedcrocheter.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/granite-stitch-mens-scarf/

For this scarf I picked up 2 skeins of Cascade Eco Duo.  This yarn is 70% undyed alpaca and 30% undyed merino wool, an unimaginably soft and snuggly yarn.  When I say soft I mean SOFT, you fall in love with it the minute you touch it.  It has nice marled colors which lead to nicely graduated colorways.

I used the Cascade Eco Duo Chicory with an H hook.  This scarf took almost all of 2 skeins ( 197 yards each).  The end result was a 6"x76" scarf.  Because this scarf is worked width-wise you can produce a shorter scarf than I did if you like by just stopping when you get to your preferred length; I made mine for someone who is 6'2" and so the length is adjusted accordingly.

This is a straightforward and repetitive pattern, just continual repeats of 2 rows.  You'll be working in ch-1 spaces, and it ends up being an alternating pattern.  Because it was a little monotonous I found I actually did need to pay attention, a couple of missed stitches in both the middle and at the end caused my scarf to start shrinking and meant I had to rip out a lot of rows to get back to my mistake.  To prevent it from happening I just counted my stitches on my odd rows every now and again to make sure I was still on track as I continued through the scarf.  I would make this pattern again, plain as it is it has a very nice result.

Cascade Prince Edward Island Scarf

I found the Prince Edward Island scarf on the Cascade website.  They have several crochet patterns on their site for free, so be sure to check it out.  The Prince Edward Island scarf is a lightweight skinny scarf, quick to work up.   You can download the pattern here:
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/DK217_220SportPrinceEdwardScarf.pdf

For this scarf I used Malabrigo Arroyo, which is a sport weight yarn.  It's very soft and light, 100% Superwash Merino, and comes in a 335 yard skein.  After working with it on this scarf I think this one would be great for making a sweater or warm shawl.

I made the scarf using Arroyo Jupiter (049) with an H hook.  The finished scarf measures 69"x4", and there was around 42g of yarn left over once it was done (out of a 100g skein).  I modified the pattern slightly - when I started the 4th round I didn't care for the way the picot edge looked, to me it was a little too pointed.   Instead, I just single-crocheted around the edge for the round, leaving it with more of an overall scalloped edge in the finished product.  You could improvise this any way you wanted to; here's how I did it:

In round 3, in the center ch, you "work [(dc, ch 3) 3 times, dc] sk next 3 chs, sc in next sc" - this gives you a sort of scallop with spokes in it.  For my modified round 4, I started by putting a sc in the sc created in the previous round.  Then, 2 sc in the ch-3 space, sc in the dc, 2 sc in the next ch-3 space, sc in the dc, 2 sc in the next ch-3 space, and then we're back to putting a sc in the previous row's sc.
Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate:

Starting with the sc in the sc from the previous round, the arrow shows you where I am about to make my first sc.

Then the 2 sc in the ch-3 space, a sc in the dc, 2 sc in the ch-3 space - here I am about to put a sc in the next dc.

And so on... Here are some pictures of the finished scarf - I just love the rich color of this one!

The Elise Shawl

What better pattern to lead off this blog with than the Elise shawl, by Even Plevinski?  If you haven't made this one yet, it's going to become one of your favorite shawlette patterns.  The knit shops are full of beautiful lacey shawlettes right now, so I was very happy to find a pattern for crochet that has comparable delicacy and beauty.  Shawlettes are great for something small to throw over your shoulders, tying them loosely in the front like an expanded neckerchief.  Another great way is to wear them backwards, with the long point down the front and the ends criss-crossed around your neck and draped in the front to hold them in place - a beautiful cowl effect.  This one is lightweight and elegant - so far I have only made it in the size called for in the pattern, but there is no reason why you couldn't keep going and make yourself a full-sized shawl that will make you the envy of any party to which you wear it.

First the pattern - you can find this one for free on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elise-shawl

You'll see from the pictures that it has very pointy edges; these are picots that are then enthusiastically blocked to make them stand out as far as possible.  This was my first project that I have actually blocked and it was so easy and made such a big difference that it may make me want to block everything I make.  I exaggerate of course, but it will be highly recommended for your lacier projects, it just looks beautiful.  To block this shawl I misted it pretty thoroughly, spread a towel across the bed, and then stretched out the shawl and pinned it to the bed and left it for a day or so (until it dried).  You don't have to be afraid of stretching it out, the more you do it, the better it will look.  If you want some more detail on blocking this particular shawl, there are some pictures of the blocking process that I ran across on the Crochet in Color blog: http://crochetincolor.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-new-favorite-go-to-patterns-for.html 

I have made 2 Elise shawls out of Malabrigo Sock yarn.  Let me take a moment to say I LOVE Malabrigo yarns and their beautiful colors.  So far I've only tried a couple of the different varieties but I'm hoping to work my way through all of them.  The sock yarn is a soft, light-weight yarn, 100% Superwash Merino, with a generous 440 yards per skein.  It is a joy to work with and works up very quickly in this pattern; if you dedicate a Saturday to this shawl you can probably finish it in one day.

For my shawls I used Malabrigo Sock Ravelry Red (611) and Malabrigo Sock Abril (853), both gorgeous colors as you'll see from the pictures.  I used an "I" hook to make them and ended up with shawls that are roughly 36"x18" after blocking.  These used a little over half of the skein of yarn, so if you want to use a sock yarn comes in a smaller yardage you have some wiggle room.  In the Ravelry Red I had about 46g (1.6oz) left out of the skein (originally 100g) and in the Abril I had about 45g (1.5oz) left over.

I had a little trouble seeing my stitches at the very beginning (first couple of rows) but there's also a stitch diagram on the Ravelry pattern that was very helpful.  After that, this was a very easy pattern.

Here are some pictures of my Elise shawls to inspire you to make your own!

Malabrigo Sock Abril:

Malabrigo Sock Ravelry Red:

  

The First Post...or, My Blog Manifesto

Welcome to my blog!  I am an avid crocheter, having gotten started about a year ago, and I have to confess I am completely addicted.  I rarely go anywhere without a bag containing at least one project, in case I have a few minutes unoccupied while I'm out.  If I'm relaxing on the couch you can count on my fingers being busy with one project or another.  I enjoy the idea of being able to make something useful, and I love watching my projects grow under my fingertips as I work on them. Crocheting has been my first foray into the fiber world and I'm completely enamored with the endless possibilities of yarn colors and textures.

I use a lot of basic yarns that you can find at your local hobby store, but I also recently started going to knitting shops to explore the world of truly wonderful yarns that are available there.  Who wouldn't fall in love with the quality and beauty of those yarns?  You can take the most basic pattern in the world and combine it with, say, a MadelineTosh Merino Light, and come out with a complete work of art.  The only down side for me, a crocheter, is that most of the knit shops are....well... knit shops, and often their supply of patterns and samples are geared to knitters.  So sometimes it can be a little sketchy for me to match my crochet patterns up against this expanded world of yarn choices, especially with there being a lot more variety in the yarn weights.  It's hard to visualize the final product and decide whether or not to give it a whirl with a higher-priced yarn if you're not quite sure that it will work.  Searching online for some of my crochet patterns done in these fantastic yarns often yields no results...which brings us to my blog.

I wanted to start a blog to record some of the projects that I'm making with these fabulous yarns, so you, my readers, will have an idea of what you can accomplish.  I'm hoping to provide enough details to help you made educated substitutions as well, should you want to try something slightly different.  Along the way I'll be sharing the patterns I like best, bringing them to a larger audience to be fully enjoyed.  I hope you enjoy my posts as much as I enjoy the crochet I'm creating - Happy hooking!