Tying Some Knots

I don't know how to knit, and it has been years since I picked up a crochet hook, but I just made myself a scarf! I was brave enough to try it because the only skill required is knowing how to try a knot. The pattern for this scarf came from Martha Stewart, and if I can make it I believe anyone can.

The directions for the project said to use bulky weight yarn. This is the yarn I chose, mostly because I liked the color. I think it is not as bulky as the project intended, but I don't have much experience with yarns.

The pattern instructed to cut 12 pieces of yarn, each 140-inches long. These are to be divided into 4 bunches of 3 strands each.
After some trial and error, I ended up cutting 24 pieces of yarn, then dividing them into 4 bunches of 6 strands each. I read some of the comments on the site, and apparently if the yarn is thinner, you will need more strands in each bunch.

The first step is to tie two of the bunches together with a square knot, leaving 6 inches of fringe at the end. Repeat with the remaining bunches.

Then you need to pin the two knots to a foam board. Knot the inner two bunches together, spacing the knot about 1 inch from the existing knots, then knot the left and right bunches together. Alternate knotting the inner bunches and the left and right ones, spacing knots evenly apart, until about 6 inches of yarn remains on the end. Finish so that the final knots mirror opposite end, and trim to even the fringe ends.

On my first attempt I pinned the first two knots to the foam board and started tying the knots. This didn't work well for me because I couldn't hold the yarn taut enough. I untied what I had done, and restarted, this time, pinning each knot down to the board as I tied. This helped me keep the yarn tight.

Another issue I ran into was dealing with the long pieces of yarn I was working with. My solution for this was to roll them up and clip them with hair clips to keep them a manageable length as I tied.

Despite a false start, this was really an easy project, and I love the scarf! One note - the directions called for cutting the yarn 140 inches long to make a scarf 86 inches long. The finished length of my scarf was only 56 inches. I can't account for the difference, but if you want a really long scarf, I would recommend that you cut the yarn longer. I like the length of the scarf I made, but it did not come out as long as the pattern indicated it would be. One additional thing I did was to add an extra bunch of fringe in the center on each end. I cut 6 more strands of yarn and looped them through so there would be three bunches of fringe on each end.

I'm not the "scarf queen" like my friend Judy, but I do enjoy wearing pretty scarves. There's a great YouTube video HERE on some creative and interesting ways to tie a scarf, now if I could just get Judy to show me some of  her tricks.



This post was shared with:
PinInspiration Thursday
Creative Juice Thursday
Junk in Their Trunk Wednesday
Bacon Time Anything Goes
Jane Deere Fusion Friday 
Crumbs and Chaos Seasonal Inspiration 
Country Momma Cooks Saturday Link and Greet 
Flamingo Toes Think Pink Sunday
Crafty Moms Share Sharing Saturday
Serendipity and Spice Manic Monday 
Cozy Home Party 
Shady Porch Rock n Share

I don't know how to knit, and it has been years since I picked up a crochet hook, but I just made myself a scarf! I was brave enough to try it because the only skill required is knowing how to try a knot. The pattern for this scarf came from Martha Stewart, and if I can make it I believe anyone can.

The directions for the project said to use bulky weight yarn. This is the yarn I chose, mostly because I liked the color. I think it is not as bulky as the project intended, but I don't have much experience with yarns.

The pattern instructed to cut 12 pieces of yarn, each 140-inches long. These are to be divided into 4 bunches of 3 strands each.
After some trial and error, I ended up cutting 24 pieces of yarn, then dividing them into 4 bunches of 6 strands each. I read some of the comments on the site, and apparently if the yarn is thinner, you will need more strands in each bunch.

The first step is to tie two of the bunches together with a square knot, leaving 6 inches of fringe at the end. Repeat with the remaining bunches.

Then you need to pin the two knots to a foam board. Knot the inner two bunches together, spacing the knot about 1 inch from the existing knots, then knot the left and right bunches together. Alternate knotting the inner bunches and the left and right ones, spacing knots evenly apart, until about 6 inches of yarn remains on the end. Finish so that the final knots mirror opposite end, and trim to even the fringe ends.

On my first attempt I pinned the first two knots to the foam board and started tying the knots. This didn't work well for me because I couldn't hold the yarn taut enough. I untied what I had done, and restarted, this time, pinning each knot down to the board as I tied. This helped me keep the yarn tight.

Another issue I ran into was dealing with the long pieces of yarn I was working with. My solution for this was to roll them up and clip them with hair clips to keep them a manageable length as I tied.

Despite a false start, this was really an easy project, and I love the scarf! One note - the directions called for cutting the yarn 140 inches long to make a scarf 86 inches long. The finished length of my scarf was only 56 inches. I can't account for the difference, but if you want a really long scarf, I would recommend that you cut the yarn longer. I like the length of the scarf I made, but it did not come out as long as the pattern indicated it would be. One additional thing I did was to add an extra bunch of fringe in the center on each end. I cut 6 more strands of yarn and looped them through so there would be three bunches of fringe on each end.

I'm not the "scarf queen" like my friend Judy, but I do enjoy wearing pretty scarves. There's a great YouTube video HERE on some creative and interesting ways to tie a scarf, now if I could just get Judy to show me some of  her tricks.



This post was shared with:
PinInspiration Thursday
Creative Juice Thursday
Junk in Their Trunk Wednesday
Bacon Time Anything Goes
Jane Deere Fusion Friday 
Crumbs and Chaos Seasonal Inspiration 
Country Momma Cooks Saturday Link and Greet 
Flamingo Toes Think Pink Sunday
Crafty Moms Share Sharing Saturday
Serendipity and Spice Manic Monday 
Cozy Home Party 
Shady Porch Rock n Share