Bollywood – bamboo and cotton knit scarf with sequin yarn (includes pattern)
Bollywood - magenta cotton and bamboo scarf with sequins
This knit scarf is made from three strands of yarn: two are bamboo/cotton (60%/40%), and one is a sassy polyester, sequined number!
The colour is a deep magenta and the effect is razzle dazzle. I’ve crocheted some rosettes for each ent to finish it off. Originally it had crochet ‘arm’ tassles with baubles at the end, but they looked a bit odd. The rosettes work much better.
There are more pictures on my esty site.
How to make it:
You’ll need: Three balls of yarn, each allowing at least 100 metres. (Use two threads of the same yarn, then add a bit of bling yarn as the third. ) Note: I used three balls on this. 100 m of sequin yarn; 260 metres of cotton/bamboo, with a tiny bit left over.
How it’s done – scarf :
- Cast 14 stitches onto approx. 13 mm needles.
- Knit plain rows until you run out of wool! (Though leave a ball aside for the rosettes.)
The rosettes:
Bollywood scarf rosettes up close
- Using your doubled-up yarn and a hook that feels about right for the ply (perhaps 5 mm), chain 23 stitches.
- Turn, skip a stitch, then double crochet (Australian/UK DC) into each stitch to the end (22 DC).
- Cut the yarn and sew ends in.
- Sew the strands of crochet into rosettes by twisting them around themselves from one end, and securing with a couple of stitches.
- Sew rosettes to scarf. Note both sets need to be on the same side of the scarf.
Of course my Siamese, Peabody Wiggle, is way too interested in this number due to the high natural fibre content.
Bollywood scarf with keen Siamese cat, Peabody Wiggle
Erika – knit scarf with crochet flower, includes pattern for flower
Eirka, knit scarf with crochet flower. Pattern included for flower.
I’ve named Erika after my mum, not because it looks like her, though. It’s because when I finished the edges in maroon, it started to take on a Teutonic look (Ma was German). The scarf is knitted, the edges and flower crocheted in complementary colours.
The pattern for the flower is this:
Close up of Erika, knit scarf with crochet flower. Pattern included for flower
Use any wool in complementary colours and pick any crochet hook that’s easy for your thickness of wool and your tension of crochet. You might have to experiment it you’re new to this.
Note, this pattern uses Australian/UK stitch names, not US.
- Form chain ring:
5 chain then slip stitch into first chain to form a ring. - Create 8 spokes with spaces in the ring:
5 chain (the first 3 chain form the first spoke of an eight-spoke wheel you’re about to make).
Make the next seven spokes by crocheting 1 treble then 2 chain seven times.
Slip stitch into the top of the 3rd chain in your original spoke. - Create petals:
1 double crochet into the first gap, next to the first spoke you made from chain stitches.
Follow it with 2 chain, 2 trebles, 2 chain and 1 double crochet.
Repeat this in the remaining 7 gaps until you have 8 petals.
Put a slip stitch near where the first double crochet was, to tighten the flower shape.
Sew in the ends.
You now have a flower.
Note.
- You can either make many of these in different threads (thick, thin) then sew them together like a layered pancake stack, with pancakes decreasing in size; or
- You can crochet another layer or two onto the back of the first round. See extended pattern below.
Creating more petal layers:
After you’ve created your first flower, if you want more layers, work the thread to the back any way you know how, near your first spoke. Make sure the front of the flower is facing you (you’re working behind the first layer).
- Create chain loops behind the flower, anchoring them onto the spokes:
4 chains, anchor the string of chains into the 2nd spoke.
Do this until each spoke has a string of chains behind it (8 sets of chain, strung along the back of your flower, anchored to the spokes. You’ll use these as the base for crocheting more petals, behind the first round of petals. - Create more petals:
When you have your eight strings of chain, slip stitch again into your starting point.
Now, into the first string of chain, 1 double crochet, 2 chains, 3 trebles, 2 chains, 1 double crochet.
(If you want a fuller petal, substitue the 3 trebles with this routine: 1 treble, 1 double treble, 1 treble.)
Now, move to the next chain string, again, with the front of the flower facing you, and keep creating petals as outlined in step 4, above, until all 8 petals are complete.
Slip stitch near the start again to give the flower a strong, uniform shape. - Complete, or keep going: Sew in the ends, or make another layer. Try another texture or colour. Sew in a few French knots. This is the fun part and it’s all up to you!
Visit my etsy store to see more pictures of this scarf. Also, checkout the recycled and upcycled section and let me know what you think. I’m loving recreating from something that existed before.
Lisbeth – recycled and upcycled sheet turned into rag knitting scarf
Lisbeth - recycled and upcycled rag knitted scarf
I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry, both in a culinary sense and when it comes to combining colours.
I also love to recycle then upcycle fabrics, and play around with textures and colours.
Lisbeth is my latest rag knitting scarf, with an op shop shredded sheet as a base, knitted with a sequin yarn and a lovely alpaca blend in raspberry and chocolate. I’ve made this scarf a little shorter, so you double it up and put the flower at the end. It’s probably more like a cowl or scarflet, though it’s still around five feet long.
The flower has five layers, one made out of the shredded sheet, and the centre picking up more of this theme. The flower looks good enough to eat.
I’ve put a long fringe on one of the long sides, to enhance the notion of doubling the scarf over to wear it as a cowl.
There are 12 stitches and three strands of yarns/sheets. It’s done in garter stitch (plain, pearl), and took around 100 metres of each of the three yarns to make.
You can see more recycled and upcycled scarves on my etsy site.
Lisbeth - rag knitting scarf, front view
Recycled and upcycled orange silk remnant, now a new scarf
Raw silk rag knitting - voila, a new scarf
Montmartre, this raw silk and cotton rag knitting scarf, is the second of two I made this weekend.
I bought the remnants from my local op shop and paired them with a bobble trim yarn in varying shades of oranges, browns and greens. To add a bit ot pizzaz, in came the sequin yarn. To finish, I crocheted a two-layered flower with some of the ripped up cotton and paired it with some silk, some complementarily coloured wools, and a bit of spangley sequin yarn.
I used 13 mm needles, and three strands of yarn: the rag shreds, the bobble yarn, the sequin yarn. There were 13 stitches. I knited pearl stitch (garter stitch) for about six feet.
Use any two-stage flower pattern from the net. Use the rag knitting thread as your bottom layer. Put a bit of rag knitting thread in the middle. Go crazy with coloured french knots. Make it pretty, then sew a pin on the back. You’ll feel artsy if you do this 
A breakthrough in recycled knitting
In the last few weeks I found, felt thoughtfully, then tore up and knitted a soft white doona cover with pale olive green flowers on it, into a really interesting and engaging scarf. I added some olive green sequined wool and a knitted flower in a variation of the sequined wool, and am delighted with the results.
So delighted, I made a second. (Note for potential doona cover ripperupperers – you can get about 2.5 average-length scarves out of one doona cover )
I feel great about this project:
a) because I don’t think the doona cover would’ve made it onto a shelf in an op shop: it was past its use-by date; and
b) because I feel like the most virutous & artsy person in the world because of it, which makes me feel like painting!!
So, hurrah to creative pursuits that support reducing, reusing and recycling, and from turning non-desirable items back into items d’art and of desire.
I hope you get a brainwave soon that makes you feel as good as this project made me feel!
P.S. I just bought another sheet from an oppy shop in Warrandyte. It is white with pinky tulips on it. Who knows what she’ll be combined with and what she’ll look like when I’m through. One thing I know for sure, though, is . she’s going down the same track as doona cover number 1!!
Rediscovering finger knitting
It was during designated afternoon naps in hospital in the early 70s where I learned to finger knit.
And, because I’ve been madly knitting & crocheting since September or so last year, I’m beginning to understand there is an awakening of the fabric & wool side of my brain. This is what begets the rediscovery of other memories.
Like the hospital memory. I remember being so not tired during the mandatory afternoon-nap time, and managing this difference between expectation and body clock by hunkering down under my blankets with a skein of wool and an eager set of fingers.
I’d while the time away by making long strands of finger knitting, which I’d undo and redo on the next arvo’s nap.
So, it’s with pleasure that I’ve committed fingerknut coils, complete with french knot stamens, to this new skinny scarf made of oh-so-soft olive-green-acrylic. Gone are the days of doing, undoing, and doing again.
Cheers to memories that help you to move forward and not keep you stuck.
Lucky, lucky me! Five scarves sold and one on commission!!
Today I feel very lucky. I sold 5 of 17 scarves to Turner and Lane, a lovely shop in Malvern (Victoria, Australia).
Here are the items I sold. Note, the last one is one I have on commission, at Morris Brown in Healesville, Melbourne, Australia.
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- Skeeter – grey wool scarf with yellow orange & red dry-felted hearts
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- Bloom – white knit scarf with flower & leaves
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- Fleur – freeform woollen red & green crochet scarf made up of flowers and leaves
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- Gelati – yellow, orange, red & green crochet scarf made up of flowers and leaves
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- Miss Kitty – grey wool knit scarf with red wool hearts and red baubles
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- Anna K – Kintted scarf made of flowers and leaves
What I’m happy about is not only that I made a couple of hunge (though that’ll pay back the wool, and help fund more creativity), it’s the attitude of the buyers I loved the most. They really seemed to enjoy the designs, the textures, the colours. That they selected some for their gorgeous shop made me feel really happy – really, these women have an eye for the beautiful, a real talent. And they were so easy to deal with and generous in their approach to invoicing.
So, if you’re creative, remember that luck comes to those who believe in luck and to those who believe in their product. Good luck!
New green scarf, done in part of a day
I started this scarf last night because the lure of a new bag of wool was too tempting to leave alone. It’s acrylic and a lovely soft, muted olive green colour.
I really like how the pink and red trim works to set it off.
Of course, couldn’t leave the trim at that and crocheted a flower to sit at the throat.
This morning I went to the Yarra Glen market and saw the most beautiful scarves in one lady’s stall. The woman who makes them has such a great eye for matching colours and textures – a real gift. And what I love is she’s got hubbie in on the act. He makes magnificent finger knitting (yes, that’s right) tops. They’re like a loose-weave crochet that you’d wear over a singlet top or skivvy. I was very impressed and looked at my little collection and felt I have a long way to go! If you’d like to see the rest, go to www.handmade3777.etsy.com
Hope you’re having a happy & creative day.
Three new scarves
Since my last post, I’ve created three more scarves, as a way of integrating more creative pursuits into my life. The most recent is a free-form crochet number with felting, the second a knitted scarf, with a knitted flower and leaves, and the third is an orange mohair number with feather ‘wool’ stripes and baubles.
On Friday when I took all thirteen scarves, ensconsed in an IKEA tin, to a local shop I like. The shop owner, Louise, agreed to look at them.
And while I’m not hanging all hopes on this vendor buying some, I’ve done a small thing that scared me and I believe it’s good to venture out of one’s comfort zone sometimes.
I have confidence in the product too – I think the scarves are lovely and, at some point, they’ll appeal to someone else with my taste. I have them listed on www.handmade3777.etsy.com and some people have marked a few as favourite items.
So, I am taking small steps in the creative journey and I’m sure it’s doing my brain some good.
Until the next post, I hope you uncover some some time today to do something you love.
Three times lucky?
Last weekend I knit
enter a different state of mind to my dominant one, which is working in IT.
But so desperate am I to reach this other mindset, I’m now amassing a collection of scarves, too many for my own personal use!
I need to move them.
So, I set up a shop on etsy.com (www.handmade3777.etsy.com), a site where you can buy and sell handmade goods. It’s like a big online St Kilda Sunday Market and I fear I’ll buy more than I’ll sell.
So, that’s one avenue. No sales so far, but nice to do some social networking and learn 
more about it, and a few people have liked some of the items in my modest ’shop’.
My partner & I, when down at the local bricks and mortar outlets the other day, went into a gifty kind of place. I’m shy about flaunting my wares so he asked the assistant if the owner would be interested in looking at my scarves. She said, ’sure’ and handed us a card with a name to call.
Since then, I met a friend for lunch in Tooronga. We went into that lovely shop, Turner and Lane on Malvern Road, and my friend, knowing the stage-fright I would exhibit if I had to ask, asked the lady in the shop if the owners were interested in viewing some of my winter wares. I now have another card, with another name to call.
Buoyed by how nice these people were, I phoned a favourite local shop, Morris Brown in Healesville. I spoke to one of the two partners and she has agreed to take a look.
Perhaps three times lucky? I’ll let you know how I get on.
