Day 65 and the Topsy Tail

Does anyone remember this thing? It was a tool that was mostly known in the late eighties and early nineties which was used for styling ponytails. You would make a basic ponytail, then thread your topsy tail through the tail in whatever direction pleased you. When you threaded your ponytail through the loop and pulled the tool out, you had a twisted hairdo that looked a bit like Belle from Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast.

That's where this idea came from. Twisting a piece of fleece through itself made tufts of thick areas and pinched areas that appeared smaller.

Cut a piece of fleece as long as you want and about 12 inches wide. Every 9 inches, cut a 1.5 inch slit vertically though the center of the fabric's width. When you've cut all your holes, begin doing the topsy tail maneuver. Keep the top secure so your moves stay consistent. Thread the entire scarf from front to back through the slit. Pull until it's as far through as it will go. Do this with each slit all the way down the scarf. Fluff the wider parts and enjoy!

Day 64 and the Classic Granny

Crocheters everywhere know this one! Your classic one color granny squares all in a row make a traditional and lovely scarf!

This was made with a size J hook, one ball of red heart soft, and 3 rounds of the basic granny square. 16 squares whip stitched together made for a pleasing scarf. This is rather slender but perfect for the still nippy spring weather we're getting here in Ohio.

I'll take a fresh picture tomorrow. This one is really terrible! :'O... Edit: Bah, this is better, but it still doesn't show off the nice little clusters of double crochet! I'll have to try again some time.

Day 63 and FourStrands

It's not really four separate strands. It's actually a reversible cable. Just like the last reversible cable, it's done in ribbing. To give the appearance of a four strand braid all you have to do is use the basic recipe.

You could work in any even numbered amount times four. I did a six stitch grouping so the total number of stitches on my needle was twenty four. Each group represents one strand of the braid.

1)First cable crossing: front cable, front cable.
2)Work even until you reach the ...
3)Second crossing: work one group even, back cable, work one group even.
4)Work even until it's time to repeat from (1)

I love cabling. It's so much simpler than most people would believe.

Day 62 and the Built In Fringe

This was so easy and so fast, and looks more complicated than it really is!

Plus, I hate putting fringe in at the end of a project. So much cutting and folding and it just doesn't appeal to me. This was an easy way to get it done without any of that fuss.

1 ball Dazzleaire by caron
Size 11 Needles
Tapestry needle

CO 36.
Knit even in garter stitch until you run out of yarn.
Final row: Knit 6, graft the remaining stitches to the first row matching stitch for stitch.
Finishing: Sew in the loos ends. The 6 stitches that were knit in the final row are loose. Pull the stitches out one row at a time. Only the column of 6 stitches will pull out and the rest will remain secure.

Pretty neat how that works, huh?

Day 61 and Midnight

Wide short crochet lace. It's absolutely lovely. There are hundreds and hundreds of all over lace patterns. Making a versatile piece of clothing is as easy as choosing one and making a large panel.

If it's wider and shorter than usual, it can be worn as a scarf, as a stole, as a shawl, and even as a hood.

This one was done with Lion Brand Homespun and a size K hook. The pattern is a very short pineapple without the double crochet shells between each repeat. Even regular sized pineapples would be terrific as an all over pattern. It's as easy as choosing a pattern and making a very large swatch because why waste a perfectly good swatch? Amiright?

Good News, Everyone!

I'm not perfect, but I'm much less sick than I was and I had a day off from work today. I had enough time to retake a bunch of pictures from this past month because really, a lot of them were pretty darn shameful.

So back up and take a gander if you're so inclined. I'm much happier with the way they look now. :)

Day 60 and Vogue 1.0

I'm sure over the course of the year, I'll do many patterns that aren't my own and here is if I'm not mistaken the first!

I can't seem to find it on ravelry, but this is the very last pattern in the Winter 1999 issue. It's different from the other keyhole scarves so far because instead of a hole, there are two layers of fabric forming a tube through the scarf fits. A garter stitch and ribbed pattern, it's a very quick knit and a very warm one as well.