Web-Letter, Issue 10 – Crochet Star Scarf Greetings fellow knitters—and crocheters! This week’s web letter features our second crocheted project. If you haven’t discovered the pleasures of hooking—we hope the airy Star Scarf will encourage you to pick up a crochet hook and see what you’re missing. Kristen TenDyke used a single crocheted motif to build her scarf—call it modular crochet. You can add or subtract motifs to change the size of your scarf. The yarn? Princess—a perfect choice. Its soft touch makes it comfortable to wear around the neck, yet the yarn has enough body to support the shape of the star motif. Read on to see what Kristen has to say about how she came up with her design, to learn more about the stitches she used, and to find out why Princess is a great yarn choice.
The Story: Crochet motifs are one of my favorite things to crochet. They work up faster (and with less yarn) than solid crochet methods. Plus, I find that designing motif garments can be a fun challenge. The easy part is coming up with the first motif. Once I’ve finished and measured it, I draw up a schematic by repeating the shape of the motif into the shape of the garment. Designing the Star Scarf was relatively easy because there’s only one size and the scarf is worked straight. For sweater design, figuring out the layout of the motifs for all the sizes can take lots of trial and error. If the motif is really large, the finished measurements will have a large gap between sizes, which limits the audience for the garment. Keeping the motifs small makes it easier to come up with more sizes. Next spring, look for a sequel to this scarf using this same great star motif with a more complex layout. The Star Scarf is quite simple, and would be perfect for someone wanting to step into motif crochet. Not to mention that it only uses one ball of yarn! There are only two rounds using the basic crochet stitches: chain, slip stitch, single crochet, and double crochet. If you're a beginner and are eager to try this, don't fret! Instructions for each of these stitches are explained in detail in the pattern, or check out these instructions for double crochet. Happy Crocheting! The Yarn: Princess—40% merino, 28% viscose, 10% cashmere, 7% angora, 15% nylon Princess is a soft, plied yarn that blooms as you work with it. At first touch, the ball may feel a little dry, but after a few rows, your piece becomes lofty and supple. A mix of different fibers contributes to the yarn’s characteristics. Here’s the recipe: 40% merino for warmth and springiness, 28% viscose for drape, 10% cashmere for a super soft hand, 7% angora for a slight halo, and 15% nylon for strength. Princess knits up at 5 stitches to the inch on a size 7 knitting needle. Duchess, Princess’s chunky sister, is concocted of the same fiber mix, but knits up at 3½ stitches to the inch on a size 10½ needle. The Stitches: The thought of joining crochet motifs can be daunting if you've never done it before. But compared to crocheting tons of motifs then sewing them together—which can be much more time consuming and create an overwhelming amount of ends to weave in—joining as you go is much easier. The basic idea is that when you're working the final round of your motif, you join the motif you're working on with another, already finished motif. Here's how.	more photos The Pattern: Here's the free downloadable Crochet Star Scarf pattern.
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