FO: Ruffle Scarf — Birthday Present for MIL

October 27, 2012| LindyBeir| 2 Comments | 8:00 am

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I knit this scarf as a birthday present for my MIL. She wears scarves all the time and I thought she would enjoy this unique scarf. I knit this using a novelty yarn called “Sashay” by Red Heart Yarns. It’s a very interesting yarn to knit with. And Yes, it ruffles as you knit it up.

The pattern is really simple. You cast on 6 stitches and then just knit every row until you have used up the entire skein. It only takes one skein to make the scarf and when finished it is about 6 feet long.

My MIL was thrilled. She put the scarf on and wore it after she opened the bag. She exclaimed at how soft it was. She said she would be the envy of all the ladies in the independent living facility where she lives. (I made a BIG hit!) 🙂

Here’s the details:
Yarn: Sashay (Red Heart Boutique) Colorway: Hip Hop
Needles: U.S. 9 (5.5 mm)
Finished length = 72 inches Width = 3 inches

Notes about knitting with this yarn: See picture below of the yarn before knitted. This yarn is essentially a stripe of lace — with the bottom edge more finished than the top. The bottom is the finished edge of the ruffles. You knit this yarn using the top two strands of the upper edge of the lace. The yarn is quite slippery and it takes some getting used to — I used metal needles for this project and the combination of the slippery yarn and the slickness of the metal needles nearly drove me crazy! I recommend using a type of needle with some grab for this yarn — if I knit it again I will use bamboo needles. Also — it is not possible to weave in the ends on this yarn. When you are done, get out your sewing thread and a sewing needle — you will need to sew down the unfinished edges of the scarf to prevent the ends from raveling.

2 thoughts on “FO: Ruffle Scarf — Birthday Present for MIL”

Sharon says:

November 24, 2012 at 5:42 pm

Keep your chin up. Knitters & Bloggers will find a way to keep on keeping on, through thick & thin, flood & fire or even renovations . . . And you can always call Bryan from the Home & Garden channel if it goes on too long!!!
Sharon in Surrey(Can) says:

December 9, 2012 at 2:31 pm

There’s nothing like getting your previous comment posted to the wrong Blog post!!! Love the scarf – I’ve actually seen one in progress & they are fun. I have to admit I had fun when the Fun Fur came out a few years ago – made scarves for all the Gals at Starbucks one year! I hope your mom is the talk of the whole community this Christmas in her lovely ruffled scarf.

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Combinations of Knit & Purl – Simplicity or Complexity?Combinations of Knit & Purl – Simplicity or Complexity?

The other day while waiting for my MIL at the beauty shop, I took out my baby blanket and sat knitting in the waiting area. One of the stylists came up to me and asked me what I was knitting. So I showed her. Then she said, “I could never knit anything like that – it’s too complex.” I replied that this pattern was actually very easy – it was just a three different combinations of knit and purl stitches, and I showed her the graph of the pattern square. She then told me that she had once knitted a sweater for her granddaughter that had a color pattern of a frog. So, I told her that if she had done that type of color knitting, this textured pattern would be easy for her to do. She replied that “maybe, she could do it – BUT she didn’t think she’d ever be able to master anything like cables”. So in spite of my gentle encouragement, I’m not certain this knitter will try to knit something with a variety of textures – which is too bad, because she will miss out on some wonderful knitting projects.

Have you ever limited your knitting by such thinking? I know I did many years ago – but after discovering Elizabeth Zimmerman’s approach to “unventing” things, my perspective has changed greatly. I’d like to encourage all my readers to think about this. There is a lot of freedom in being able to take a printed pattern and view it not as something that has to be followed exactly, but more as a place to start something uniquely yours. BTW – if you have never read Elizabeth Zimmerman’s books – you are missing an absolutely fun and enlightening experience!

As I spend time knitting my baby blanket, I find myself marveling at how those two basic stitches – the Knit Stitch and the Purl Stitch – can be combined in endless ways to make up fascinating textures. Consider the sheer simplicity of these two stitches. They are just opposites of each other. Yet these two stitches are knitting up nicely into teddy bear squares surrounded by seed stitch borders. And this project is rather simple. Then consider an Aran sweater pattern as an example of a far more complex combination of textured patterns – but again, the textures are made by the way one combines the basic knit and purl stitches and applies techniques such as cabling. Thus, knitting is both simple and complex and filled with unlimited possibilities of variation and combinations. No wonder we knitters love to knit!

Summer Knitting: Washcloths/Dishcloths – #1 – #3Summer Knitting: Washcloths/Dishcloths – #1 – #3

During the summer months, I like to knit smaller projects that knit up quickly, are portable and don’t require a whole lot of intricate knitting. So, 2010 is the Summer of Washcloths. I recently came across a booklet with 10 different knit dishcloth patterns: “Kitchen Bright Dishcloths” from Leisure Arts (2004).

Now, I had already downloaded a few patterns from Ravelry and knit up 1 of those, plus I decided to finally knit the “Ball Band Dishcloth” printed on the back of the Peaches and Cream yarn label. So — if I knit the 10 in the Leisure Arts booklet, by the end of the Summer, I will have …(count ’em)… a Dozen new knitted dishcloths.

I am a quarter of the way through my dozen. Here are the three completed projects:

#1 – Waffle Weave Dishcloth

Pattern found on Ravelry. Yarn Used: Peaches and Cream, Winterberry Ombre. I like this pattern, though I’m not sure I like the way the yarn pooled when I knit it.

#2 – Ball Band Dishcloth

Pattern on back of Peaches and Cream yarn label. Yarn Used: Peaches and Cream, Teal Blue and Teal Ombre. I like the end result, but really did not like knitting this pattern. Not sure why — I just didn’t enjoy knitting it.

#3 – Bee Stitch Dishcloth

Pattern from Leisure Arts booklet. Yarn Used: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, Natural. I really enjoyed knitting this dishcloth. The Lion Brand yarn feels softer than the Peaches and Cream (probably due to lack of dye) and I loved knitting the Bee Stitch — it’s an easy 4 row stitch pattern.

Stitch Patterns: The Bee Stitch and Knitting 1 BelowStitch Patterns: The Bee Stitch and Knitting 1 Below

As I have been knitting the different dishcloth patterns in my Summer Knitting project, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to write a post in this blog about how to do some of the textured stitch patterns used in knitting the dishcloths. So, I am starting with the Bee Stitch.

The Bee Stitch is an easy textured stitch pattern and it produces an interesting textured fabric. It is a variation of the garter stitch and the edges do not roll. I think it would make a nice textured scarf or baby afghan. It certainly made a nice dishcloth.

The Bee Stitch is a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1 over 4 rows. It is made by “knitting 1 below (K1b)” and you need to have an odd number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: (Right Side): *(K1, K1b); Repeat from * across to last stitch K1.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: *(K1b, K1); repeat from * across to last stitch, K1b.
Repeat these 4 rows for desired length of fabric. This 4 row repeat creates a diagonal patterning.

To “Knit 1 Below” , you put the tip of your needle through the center of the stitch below the stitch on the needle and slip off both strands at the same time. Tip – make certain that you are going through the center of the stitch below and can see the two strands of yarn when pulling the yarn through the stitch.

Here is a link to a YouTube video demonstrating “Knit 1 Below”: Knitting Demo Video.
Note: New link as of 10.9.2016.

References:
Kitchen Bright Dishcloths, Leisure Arts
Knitting on the Net (www.knittingonthenet.com)