Reversible Cables!

In knitting, one of my favorite design elements are cables. You make a cable by moving some stitches onto another needle and basically knitting them out of order.

But most of the time, cables only look good from the front of the garment. On a sweater, that doesn't really matter (unless you really want to wear it inside out...). But on something like a scarf where you see both sides, you know one of those sides won't look as good.

Unless you can design some reversible cables. And that's exactly why I wanted to try this scarf by Kris Hanson. This was another of my gift scarves, and for this friend I was looking to make something very classy. When I saw the awesome texture on this pattern, I knew I'd found it.

The pattern uses ribbing to make the cables look the same on the front and the back. The middle cable is offset, which makes this really cool ripple effect across the pattern.

I went for a bamboo acrylic blend yarn, which was very soft and had a nice sheen. It might have been just a little bit too soft for this design, since it felt almost a little "mushy."

And here it is all tied up and ready for delivery!

What do you think? What kind of scarf says "you"?

Pink ruffle scarf

We're so excited about all the great crafts being shared at our very first Wayward Weekend! It's not too late to join in!

Yesterday was the end of an era (a short one) in this Wayward household. I was released as the president of the Primary (the children's Sunday school at church). Since I had a week notice, I tried to make some quick gifts for the ladies who worked closest with me. I thought about everything I'd seen them wear and what their styles seemed to be, what they liked. The first one I knit was actually the last one I came up with: a pink ruffled scarf.

A day or two after I'd settled on what I wanted to make for my friend, Interweave Knitting's Knitting Daily blog featured a free pattern for a ruffle scarf: exactly what I was looking for, and easy, too!

I had a hard time finding the right type of yarn. I knew I wanted something with a nice "halo" of fluff coming off it, but I didn't have time to go to the nearest yarn shop for something like angora (aka rabbit fur!), which the pattern called for. I settled on Jo-Ann Sensations brand Angel Hair Boucle. It's very soft, and even though it had a big potential for splitting (it's made of a fuzzy, bumpy yarn loosely twisted with another fiber that almost looks like embroidery floss), it wasn't too difficult to work with.

To make ruffles in a knit garment, we use kind of the opposite method we would in a sewn garment. When we're sewing, we take a much longer piece of fabric and gather it. When we're knitting (or at least in this pattern), we start with a shorter edge and increase a lot to make the ruffles. This pattern went from 96 stitches to 320 stitches in two rows. For just a little extra ruffle, I also started with smaller needles and moved to a larger size to make the ruffle even more dramatic.

This scarf started with a central spine down the length of the scarf (most, but not all, scarfs are knit the other way, going back and forth across the short edge). You make the ruffle by increasing on one side, then add length to the ruffle. You repeat this on the other side, starting over along the spine.

And the finished ruffles:

It was very soft and very warm, but I think it turned out a tiny bit short, and maybe a tad heavy. But all in all, I was very pleased with the result—and so was my friend!

Would you like to learn to knit? If there's enough interest, I'd be happy to make a short video showing how to make the four basic stitches that are the foundation of knitting.

Christmas Gift Show Off: What I Gave Handmade

This Christmas I decided to make as many gifts as possible. I made gifts for the women in my family which ended up being quite a few! Some people haven’t gotten to open theirs yet so I can’t share them, but here are a few things I can share:

The jewelry making bug has bitten me again. I made these earrings as well as a few other pairs (5?) with other beads. I used a tutorial from here a blog I found on Stumble Upon. By the way, let’s be Stumble Friends! JustJaimeWGC

I made a tank for my sister in law who loves her half marathons (thus the joke). I used the same method as before. This time I did it in my hotel which was a little crazy BUT I think it was pretty cool!

I made this necklace for Brooke. I loved it A LOT and wanted to keep it. Sadly, I had to give away ;) Beneath that is an infinity scarf I also made for Brooke.

I had to model it of course. I really apologize for these pictures. I have a nice DSLR camera, and yet I took all of these with my phone?!

The handmade gifts were so fun. I really tried hard to figure out things that were my family’s style. I learned so much in making these gifts. I’m so excited for next Christmas =)

Skirt into Infinity Scarf

I’m a little bit obsessed with scarves lately. Last weekend I made two! I’m sharing the scarf I made out of a skirt.

For Halloween, I bought a skirt for $3.99 at a thrift store as part of my costume as Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter.

My husband was Professor Snape. Striking resemblance, isn’t it?

Anyways, I knew I’d never wear that skirt again. But I loved the yellow in it. So, I made it into a scarf.

Here’s what I started with.

I tried to rip out the stitches around the elastic, but it wasn't working. Instead, I just chopped the top off. In hindsight, I should have made the cut a little straighter.

 Then I chopped off the bottom. What I was left with was one big loop. I had no idea how long it'd be. But I love the length!

Then I hemmed up each side. This is where I wish my cut had been straighter. Good thing it's a scarf and it's ok if it's a little big wonky.

My final product:

I love it!

From skirt to scarf:

It's one of my favorite refashions!

Two Quick Accessories

Lately I’ve been feeling that my wardrobe is kinda blah. I wanted to update it with some accessories. Inspiration found here

First off, I made a t-shirt scarf with my huge XL t-shirt. I’m happy one of my misfit projects could find a home.

This is what I started with:

 It's huge! I needed to show you how huge:

 That's my shirt on top of it. I'm no extra small, either!

 So this how I made my t shirt scarf. First I measured 1 inch-ish lines across the whole thing. I know I needed the lines because I can't sew, cut, draw, swim or drive straight. As you can see, my lines weren't always straight anyways. At least I tried.

I cut straight across both layers of the shirt so I ended up with loops of fabric. Next I gently stretched out the loops. It was then I was grateful my shirt was already large and stretchy. You can kind of see the white logo on the shirt in these photos.

This is how it turned out:

 I cut one loop and tied it around them all. 

 This is how it looks twisted

This is how it looks on =)

I didn't stop there! Next I made a simple brooch. I've been reading Yellow Blackbird for a while. She has some fun challenges for fashion. Aubree challenged us to wear a brooch this week. I don't own one, so I decided to make one.

Materials: Two scrapbook flowers, one clip on name tag

First, tear off that clip!

Next, glue the stacked flowers together:

Glue the clip to the back of the stacked flowers:

Tada! 

(ok, this is the same picture as above, don't hate!)

This is how it looks worn:

What accessories have you made?