FOs: Craft Show Scarf Quartet

My shoulder and back have been bothering me more than usual recently, and it's interfering with my knitting and my blogging. I started an awesome cowl, but something about the way I have to hold my arms makes it hard for me to work on it for any extended length of time.

To make up for this, I've knit several simple scarves in the last couple of weeks. I've been using yarns that I've run into while dealing with the moths in my stash.

One of these days there will be another craft show, and I'm putting these in my inventory so I will be prepared. That is why I'm calling these the Craft Show Scarf Quartet.

1. Drop Stitch Scarf

Ribbon yarn is ideal for drop stitch scarves. I didn't use a pattern, but there are lots of designs that utilize the same concept. On the drop stitch row, you wrap the yarn around the needle several times (I think I did it four times) and then drop all the wraps on the next row.

I think drop stitch scarves need fringe. I made a point of cutting the fringe ahead of time. I also put a little Fray Check on the ends to keep them from unraveling.


I used US Size 9 needles and one skein of a discontinued Online yarn called Linie 118 Vision that I got in a swap.

2. Light and Lofty Garter Stitch Scarf


This one is a pretty straight forward garter stitch scarf with fringe. I actually worked on this a couple of times while I was lying in bed trying to sleep.

I used about one and two-thirds skeins of Red Heart Light and Lofty in "Cape Cod Multi." I think it came from a yarn swap somewhere along the way. I also used US Size 13 needles.

3. Drop Stitch Chenille Scarf


For this scarf, I used a different type of drop stitch than I did on the first scarf. I knit the whole thing lengthwise, then dropped every third stitch so it created a ladder all the way down.


I had some issues after dropping the stitches. The bind off (the top row in this picture) made one edge of the scarf nice and neat. However, every third stitch of the cast on row came undone, which made the other edge loose and messy. And for some reason the second rung of each ladder was looser than the first. So I crocheted along the cast on edge to neaten it up.

It's hard to explain what what I did on the cast on edge, but I'm going to try.

First, I slip stitched over the two intact stitches, leaving one loop on the hook when I was done.

Then I took the hook and twisted the first rung of the ladder around it to created another loop, so there was two on the hook.

After that I pulled the second rung of the ladder through the loop I made (the first one on the hook), leaving two loops on the hook.

At this point I think I pulled the yarn through both loops on the hook. (I might have pulled the first loop on the hook through the second, but I doubt it.)

Then I'd start over from the slip stitches.

If anyone really wants to to try to recreate what I did, e-mail me or comment, and I'll see if I can explain it better. This is one of those things that most people don't care about, but I want documented for myself.*

I have mixed feelings about the end result. If I do something like this again, I need to plan ahead more. And I need a yarn that's thinner and easier to deal with.

I used one skein of Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick in Royal Blue and US Size 11 needles. Once again, I used Fray Check on the fringe. Then I twisted the ends to keep the yarn from coming undone.

4. Color Waves Scarf

Finally, I made one more garter stitch scarf. This was made with one skein of Lion Brand Color Waves that was leftover from this ancient project, and US Size 8 needles. Like the Drop Stitch Chenille Scarf, I used a little Fray Check on the fringe and twisted the ends to keep the yarn from coming apart.

* - You could say that about my entire blog, but that would be mean.

Fiber Friends Festival 2007: Pictures

Would you believe I'm eating Cake Batter ice cream right now?

Sorry, I'm off topic.

Anyway, I'm trying a different layout for my picture-heavy posts. Bear with me.



The Fiber Friends Festival was all the way back in December. This is the second year Hill Country Weavers has held the festival.

I've been doing craft shows here and there for a while now. The Christmas season is big for shows, but because Jules came, I limited myself to one. Of course, the one was while he was there. He was very patient, helping me re-tag stuff the night before, and working a shift with me at the festival itself.

That's the cool thing about the festival. They ask everyone to contribute a little to put an ad in the paper, and they take 20% off your sales (10% if you agree to work a shift.) And that's it. If you don't sell anything (and everyone sold something), all you lose is the small fee for the ad. Also, you get help with the set up. They ask people to contribute what they can with tables, etc. (Some people bring their own displays.) And except for your shift, everyone else handles the set up and take down each day. They even handle sales tax.

Jules was really sweet and helpful. I hope I didn't order him around too much. See the way some of the scarves are sort of "swagged" along the inside of the tents? That was his idea.



I think the wind had just blown this tablecloth over. It was really windy and cold. I took the money for a while, and it was really cold when I sat still. We spent a lot of time picking up stuff that had blown over. Trust me though, I've had a worse experience.



That's my bunny in a basket of stuff by Angry Olive. The bunny didn't sell this time, but he sold when I put him up for consignment at Gauge. (Someone actually wants me to make two more.) This is the Mr. Bunny pattern from Craftster. I got permission to sell them from the creator.



Awesome hats, by several artists, I think.



Jules and I had to try on the hats Cheva made. (I wish I had a link to her online. I haven't found it yet.)

And I did spectacular. Last year I almost died when I made about $100. This year, I took home $238.40 (and this was after the 10% HCW took, and the advertising fee.) Here's the breakdown:

10 scarves
7 felted coasters
9 felted potholders
12 hacky sacks
4 heart sachets
2 felted bowls
1 knit purse
1 Texas dishcloth
1 stocking

So I need to focus on hacky sacks and felted potholders and coasters. Also, the shorter scarves sold more. (I have a lot of long scarves that don't sell as well.)