Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Social Scarf


Ok, you asked for it! I've gotten enough questions and comments about this scarf, that i just have to post it! I made it while I was on a scarf and cowl kick awhile back. The yarn I used was Manos del Uruguay. It's a wool and silk blend, so softness and warmth form a perfect balance. The silk gives it a nice shine too! All thier yarns are kettle dyed and there are solids too! I especially love the depth of colors in this colorway called "Stellar". To make my scarf, I used a crochet stitch from my favorite reference book by Jane Davis, Crochet: The Complete Guide . It has a wonderful stitch library in it, as well as a couple of patterns in the back. I have used this book so much over the years, I would hightly recommend it to anyone!Follow the link above to purchase her book! I used her basic clustered shells pattern (aka: turtle, or scallop stitch) which uses a pultiple of 6 sts plus 1. Most beginning crochet books have similar stitches you can substitute.

For my scarf, I cast on 28sts. These include the extra 3 chains at the start of Row 1 ! These chains will allow your double crochet stitches to stand up straight.
Row 1 (GREEN): 5dc in 4th chain from hook, *skip 2 chains, single crochetinto next chain, skip 2 chains,5 double-crichet into next chain*.Repeat between**s until 3 chains remain. End row 1 with only 3 double crochets in last chain.--turn work--
Row 2 (BLUE): chain one,*5 double-crochets into single crochet from previous row, single crochet into middle stitch of shell from previous row*. Repeat between**s until last shell.3 double-crochet into top of chain 3. --turn work--and repeat rows 1 & 2 until desired length.


I used a size H(5mm) hook, but I tend to crochet on the loose/large side, and this hook is even larger than the yarn label calls for.This is what the stitch looks like when held up to the light. This photo shows the pattern on it's side. The top of the shells are facing to the right.
























Working flat, I crocheted a total of 66 rows untill my rectangle was the desired length (35''). On the last stitch, I made twice as many double crochets to round the corner stitch. I continued around the outside boarder of the scarf to embelish my straight edges using the shell pattern over and over again. This is, of coarse, completly optional! To finish it off, after I wove in my ends, I sewed a couple of vintage buttons along one side.These buttons were just the right size to poke through th crochet shell work! Now it can be worn it a couple of ways!























Once around or twice around, it's classy and casual for everyday wear!
Later, Jess