Project Spotlight: Mustard Scarf

One of the things I miss since the redesign at About.com (and it’s lovely, so I can’t complain much) is that there’s no longer a blog component so there’s not a place where I can share what I’ve been working on or projects I’ve finished.

So I thought maybe I’d try bringing some of that over here, and that I’d start by telling you about a pattern I knit over the weekend.

Jane Richmond’s Mustard Scarf is a free Ravelry download that I must have downloaded a long time ago. But I came across it again last week, and when I was feeling a little tired of another project I’m working on I decided to cast this one on.

It calls for 150 meters, or about 164 yards of yarn, but I used less than a ball of Knit Picks City Tweed (color Jacquard, a ball the company gave me to sample years ago) and ended up with a bigger than called for project without using all the yarn (which is 123 yards). So depending on your gauge you can use less, or just make a smaller scarf if you like.

The project is eyelet rows alternating with knit rows (or, if you’re like me and your hands just purl on the wrong side without being asked, purl rows) and is just a big rectangle. You sew a button off to one side and use that to help hold it on your body. The fun thing is that it’s worked with medium/worsted weight yarn but size 15 US (10 mm) knitting needles, so it takes no time at all.

I cast on after my daughter went to bed Friday night and was done in time to wear it to a neighborhood gathering Saturday evening (excuse the Instagrammed look of the picture). I like it because it’s part scarf and part cowl, and was just the right size to be a scarf for my daughter when it got a little cooler than we expected. She may never let me wear it again. The good news is I can make another one super quick.

See the details of my project on Ravelry.

What are you working on? I’d love to hear about it.

Next Pattern:

I know that my posts can be read at different times of year and in different years by different people, but as I write this we’re on teh cusp of summer. And I know a lot of people don’t knit as much, and certainly don’t wear a lot of knits in the summer, but I want to encourage you to make and to wear your makes no matter the temperature.

To introduce you to the joys of summer garment knitting, I offer the Tied Vest from Lion Brand Yarn.

This easy project is great to make and wear throughout the year but it’s especially good for summer. It’s worked flat in one piece from the bottom up, mostly in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch edging. The I-cord ties are worked directly onto the garment so you don’t have to sew them on.

The project uses worsted weight yarn, and calls for a blend of cotton and hemp that’s great for warm weather.

There are eight size options, ranging from a finished chest measurement of 35 to 62.5 inches, or 89 to 159 cm. That makes it sound like it should be worn with at least a few inches of positive ease, but the pattern doesn’t specify.

The ties at the front give it a casual look and make it great to wear over a tank top or T-shirt when the weather is warm.

I also think this one would be good to knit in wool or a warmer fiber, too, to make a version you could wear more comfortably in the winter months, too. Though of course you could layer the summer version over a long-sleeved shirt and wear it throughout the year, too.

The tied vest is a free pattern available from Lion Brand. You can also purchase a kit that includes the yarn and optional needles and stitch markers if you need them.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Knit an Easy Hooded Vest

Knit Vests to Help Transition to Warmer Weather

Next Pattern:

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