Take It Easy with the Bessie Scarf

Sometimes you just need a little something to occupy your hands that will make a cute and wearable accessory when you’re done.

Enter the Bessie Scarf by Gavriella Treminio , a bias knit garter stitch and eyelet scarf that’s a perfect relatively mindless project.

It’s worked from one of the long ends, so you can make it with a single skein of DK weight yarn (or use another yarn weight if you’d rather) and make it as wide as you want or have yarn available for.

The edges use slipped stitches for a nice clean edge.

This is a great piece to make with one of those special vacation skeins of yarn that you buy because you’re at a local yarn shop and you don’t know what to do with it when you get home. You have those, right?

It makes a lightweight scarf that you can add to an outfit any time of year, and it comes with a bit of history.

Bessie is named for Bessie Coleman, who was the first Black and Native American woman aviator in the United States. She was known for her flying tricks and she encouraged women and Blacks to reach for their dreams. What a lovely legacy and person to reflect on while you knit.

I love a good eyelet pattern, and little holes can be really effective as a way to add a pattern to an otherwise simple project. Here are a few more eyelet projects for you to try.

Many years ago I actually shared a couple more patterns that include eyelets and bias knitting (who knew there were so many?).

The Zeffira top uses eyelets as a design element that starts with dense diamonds at the bottom and fades to single eyelets toward to top. Or try to Lovell top, which has allover eyelets. Both are great projects for spring and summer!

[Photo: Gavriella Treminio]

Next Pattern:

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?