Sashay

A bit ago, a young neighbor of mine (who knows that I crochet) pointed to a beautiful frilly crochet scarf that another of our neighbors was wearing, and asked if I could teach her how to make one. 

I didn't know, but I figured I could probably find out, and so I asked her for a bit of reconnaissance time. After a google search or two, I found what I was looking for at good old redheart.com

Specifically, I found this pattern. The yarn needed is called Red Heart Sashay, and it's more ribbon than yarn, which accounts for the frills all through the scarf.

And then, I worked up this scarf:



Would you believe that this whole scarf is made up of a foundation chain row, followed by row after row of 4 single crochet stitches? Getting my fingers used to working with the ribbon yarn has been kind of tricky, but not unenjoyable.

 

Regardless of all of this, the scarf is frilly, fun, and I love the texture of it. I can see me making more like them in the future.  

(And I recently taught my young neighbor as well.)

Newsboy Update

Well, I got all my brown Newsboys done, and I talked my sister into modeling one for me earlier this month.  The pictures turned out really great, in my opinion.  I just love the way Becca's hair and coloring and warm smile combine with the cap and the evergreen tree behind her to make a setting that is just so much fun.

Here, I'll show you what I mean:



On another note, I'm working on a red variegated newsboy cap for the same customer that ordered the red cap that I talked about in this post.  I found some Peaches & Creme yarn that I liked, and since I'd heard that Pisgah was going out of business, I went ahead and ordered a whole bunch of my favorite Peaches & Creme colors, along with some of the variegated red for the cap.  When the order arrived, there was a note with the information that Pisgah had been acquired by Spinrite, and that Spinrite was in the process of analyzing what products would continue to stay in the Pisgah line.  Then it referred me to the Lily's Sugar and Cream website to look at the offerings there.  I'm just wondering if any of you have heard definitively one way or the other whether or not the Peaches & Creme cotton balls and cones are going to be continued.  The thing is, as far as the quality of yarn, I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference between the Peaches & Creme and the Sugar and Cream offerings.  BUT, I like the color selections in the Peaches & Creme much more. 

Anyone heard anything? 









I'm linking to:

Yarn Review--Red Heart Super Saver

Let me just say that, I love Red Heart Super Saver yarn for afghans.  Furthermore, I have yet to find a more economical yarn than Red Heart Super Saver.  But, that age-old adage definitely applies here, and when you buy Super Saver yarn, you get what you pay for.

To illustrate and just for fun, I'll share a little exchange my husband and I had a week or so ago.  We were running errands together around town.  I had just dropped off some mustaches that I'd made up, and in the exchange, I'd picked up some more yarn from my supplier.  As I brought it back to the car, Eric picked it up, felt the softness of it, and said, "So this is what you use for the mustaches huh?  It's pretty soft."  Then, with surprise, "Oh, it's red heart."

To which I replied, pointing to the label, "It's red heart soft.  The red heart I usually use is red heart sandpaper." 

All joking aside though, I use Super Saver yarn for the vast majority of my afghans (though I use it for none of my baby blankets).  Super Saver comes in a full rainbow of colors, you absolutely can't beat the price, and although the texture is a little rough when compared to many of the other yarn options out there, I've found that once I've washed any of my super saver afghans a time or two, they soften up considerably. 

In short, Super Saver yarn is very welcome in my yarn stash, and at a price of around $2 for a giant no-dye-lot 8 oz skein, it's my go-to yarn for any of my big afghan projects. 


Here are some of the deets:

Type: Red Heart Super Saver
Fiber Content: 100% Acrylic
Weight: Worsted Weight
Care Instructions: Machine wash warm; tumble dry; do not bleach; do not iron; dry cleanable
Places you can purchase this yarn:  Pretty much anywhere.  I tend towards Wal-Mart, just because that's where I find the best price. 
Price: Around $2 to $2.50 per 8 oz skein


And because I get a kick out of seeing them all together, here's a little collage of some of the afghans I've made using Red Heart Super Saver yarn:

Yarn Review--Caron Simply Soft

As I've thought over how I might review the yarns that I use most, I've decided to start with what is probably my very favorite yarn, in terms of value for the price, which is Caron Simply Soft.

I use Caron Simply Soft yarn for most of my children and infant hats, basic scarves, and baby blankets.  As the name implies, it's softer than many yarns, which makes it ideal for these projects.  The 6 oz skeins come with the benefit of a no dye lot option, which means I can buy them in 2-3 skeins at a time, rather than feeling the need to buy out a whole die lot anytime I'm starting a project.  Best of all, my local Wal-Mart carries it for $2.97 per skein, and will special order any colors that they don't stock, if I just call them.  (I've learned that it's best not to call in December though--those people are run ragged in December, and I end up spending a lot of time on hold.).

So, with that overview, here are some facts for the "drill down to the meat" people:

Type: Caron Simply Soft
Fiber Content: 100% Acrylic
Weight: Worsted Weight
Care Instructions: Machine wash, warm gentle cycle. Machine dry, low heat, delicate cycle
Places I've Purchased this Yarn:  Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, JoAnns, Michaels, Mary Maxim (on-line)
Price: Ranges from $3 to $5 per 6 oz skein

And, now for the more visual oriented people--here are some pictures of things I've made using this yarn:

Soft Scarf City

(Say that seven times fast!  I dare you!)

A few years ago, I gave several of my friends and family members crocheted scarves and hats at Christmastime. I had kind of forgotten about that, but a few days ago I was talking to my sister, and she reminded me of a set that I gave her.  I used Lions Brand Homespun yarn, which ended up being a great choice.  The yarn is soft and comforting, and because it's a bulky weight, everything works up super quickly.  Best of all, since the yarn is acrylic, the items made from it are machine washable.

So, Saturday  I was browsing around in Michael's (in high heeled boots and a skirt, with my impatient toddler girl and dragging-his-feet-and-being-obnoxious-while-trying-to-be-funny-all-at-the-same-time husband)(but that's another story), and discovered their entire stock of Homespun on sale!  I took it as a sign from the good crochet fairy, and bought a bunch.  I started on a scarf that evening, and will be making several more over the next week or so.  Some will probably go for Christmas presents, and some will be for sale in my Etsy shop.  But let's be honest for a second, shall we?  At least two of them are going to go straight to me.

It's advertising, right?  Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that my idea of winter heaven is to be able to wear a different scarf every day of the week if possible.  Absolutely not.  This is pure advertising.

It's a rough job, but someone's got to do it. 

Homespun collage courtesy of:

me

AineD 

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annethelibrarian