Basket Weave Scarf, Sherpa Hat & Mittens

I have always felt that the design of a Sherpa hat, was a good one for the cold weather. I could never find a pattern that I really liked, so I thought to myself, "you should have enough experience under you belt to just try making one". So I did. I used my 14 year old grandson's head, who is taller than I am, for sizing.

But let's begin by looking at the whole set that I made. This beautiful green coloured yarn came from my grandmothers blanket I told you about in previous posts. There were also some unused balls of the same yarn, so that allowed me to make a really nice long scarf, nearly 5 1/2 feet long.

 Do you like the colours as much as I do?

Let's look at the Sherpa hat first.

I love using the Half Double Crochet stitch over the Single Crochet as it fills spaces that the Single Crochet leaves. It looks nicer too, and depending on where you insert your hook, you can give it a different look.

Now, for the scarf.

I did not keep with the Half Double crochet, but opted for the Basket Weave which comprises of a series of Double Crochet Front and Back Posts. I did this because it gives the scarf a nice thickness that I think would be great to have in being outside in the winter for a homeless person. I added the same colours at each end to match the hat.

And here are the mittens, also done in Half Double Crochet with Ribbing at the wrist.

So that's it for this set. This one is hard to give away because I like it so much. But what would I do with it? I don't need it as I have my own that match my coats.

Thank you for joining me today and sharing in my enjoyment of crocheting.

Scarf & Toque Set Plus More

Welcome!

Today I am sharing with you a scarf & toque set (hat or beanie for the US). This is one of those that will be donated for the needy in the area here.

However, this scarf is inspired by a Daisy Farm Crafts pattern and made just a tiny bit wider, and the rows are width ways, rather than the length of the scarf. The toque (or hat) is my own creation using the same stitch pattern.

The day I took these photos it was cloudy and I could not get the right lighting for these photos. The colour of the yarn is a burnt orange, not red. It is a yarn that my sister gave to me and informed me that it was form our grandmother. She passed away in 2006 at 92. Anyway, she had this project she was working on and had never completed. So there was the incomplete afghan, and several balls of yarn that went with it. I unraveled all of the afghan and ended up with four colours of yarn with enough to make more than one scarf an toque from each colour! The light green and yellow colours you have already seen in some of the baby blankets I made - the first one, I did not get photos of, but the second one, and last one have been posted.

The stitches used for this set are the HD Herringbone stitch, and the Berry stitch. What I like about this combination is that it looks the same on both sides because the Berry stitch is done in two rows, so that each side gets a row of Berry stitches.

Here is the set.

Now let's talk toque (hat). You will not that it was not crocheted in the round, but as a flat piece. The reason I did that is so that I could use my preferred ribbing. You will also see that I have ribbing at the bottom, which is traditional, but that I also have a narrow band of ribbing at the top. That is to help gather the top without as much bulk if the crochet stitch pattern were just continued to the end.

Closer look at the narrow top band of ribbing.

Closer look at the bottom band of ribbing.

The ribbing is created using a SC in the back loop. (You can do this with a slip stitch, a SC, a HDC, or DC). Then you sew up the side seam, and then gather the top together.

This one is a slouch toque, so it hangs down a bit at the back when wearing it.

On to the scarf.

I made this just a bit wider so that a person could wrap it around their head with good coverage, should the need arise.

It can be folded in half lengthways to wrap around the neck as you see below.

You can see the rows of Half Double Herringbone and Puff stitches.

And lastly, the mittens. These are not a Daisy Farm Crafts pattern, but one I picked up from somewhere online, and can't find again to share with you. Sorry. They are vary easy to whip up and the pattern has all sizes from infants up to large adult hands.

The ribbing is SC in the back loop, and the body of the mitten is in Half Double crochet.

After completing this set I still had a fait bit of this colour of yarn left. I know there wouldn't be enough to crochet a scarf, but I could probably get a toque and mittens from it. I was right! Here they are.

I think why I like creating things to donate it that I can try out all these different stitches or stitch combinations. Like this toque for instance. The first time I tried the Wheat Stitch, and it is so much easier than I thought it would be to do it!

I think I will try this pattern again!

Well, that's it if this batch of yarn, and I hope you have been inspire to try out some new stitches, and to make some things for those in need in your area.

Happy crocheting!

Another Scarf & Toque for Donation - Wave Stitch

I have had this sitting around for awhile wondering if I should share it with you or not because of the imperfections. After much deliberation, I decided to go ahead and share for a few reasons.

1. I tried a new stitch that I really like the look of,
2. Even though there are mistakes, I learned from them,
3. Everyone has projects like these and no one is perfect in all of their projects

So here it is.

I used a purple and leftover green (from this set) to make this scarf & toque set. I love the "Wave Stitch". I did not have enough of the green left for the toque, but I don't that matters much.

This wave stitch works great for a toque because it is a little like a ribbing stitch. It take a little more time than just a simple ribbed stitch, but adds some interest. Though for the purpose of being quick, I may just decide to go back to the simple ribbed stitch for the toques I donate.

Here is a closer look at the wave stitch on the toque.

Now, the scarf is where I made mistakes and learned a few things.

Despite the nearly 200 chains to start the scarf, it ended up much shorter than I liked. The wave this stitch creates makes the chain shorter. I know that, but still there could have been several more chains. That is why I added the Half Double Herringbone band at the two ends of the Wave Stitch section, and then added a long fringe, which I normally do not do.

Here is a closer look at what the Wave Stitch looks like when you use more than one colour.

And this is what it looks like from the back. I actually like both sides. What about you?

So that's it for this set. Shall I still donate it? What are your thoughts?

Happy crocheting, everyone!

Bean Stitch Scarf & Ribbed Toque for Donation

Most of the scarves I have crocheted in the past were always done with leftover balls that would never make an entire scarf without combining other leftover colours of yarn with it. As a result, I often found the scarves not quite as long as is fashionable. However, they were long enough to serve their purpose. This is the first scarf that I was able to crochet with a single colour and and make at a more fashionable length.

I wanted to try the mini bean stitch, and loved how it turned out. The scarf is squishy soft and feels nice and thick.

In this photo you can see how much longer is is in comparison to these scarves from my first post.

I love the small texture of the mini bean stitch, as seen in the close up below.

This next photo shows the scarf with the toque I made to go with it. I decided not use the bean stitch on the toque, because I wanted to be sure the toque would fit heads of multiple sizes without stretching too much.

This is a closer look at the toque. As you can see, I also opted not to make a pom pom for the toque.

Here is a closer look at the ribbing. This is a very easing toque to whip together.

I hope that whoever get's this set, will be pleased with it. I only wish I had donated them before the winter storm we just had (September 27, 28, 29). It was the earliest storm of this kind I had ever lived in. It is of course melting away now, but we are dealing with large piles of snow that melt during the day, and freeze solid during the night.

I hope that if you like to crochet or knit, that you have the opportunity to make scarves, toques, & blankets for the homeless in your area. This is a good way to help out while staying at home.

Happy crocheting!