Friday, December 12, 2008

rainbow scarf pattern

My boys have recently discovered how much fun it is to ride their bikes out in the street. Although we live at the end of a court, and therefore there is no passing traffic - I'm still a bit nervous about allowing them out unsupervised. It was a beautiful afternoon here yesterday, so I found myself a nice shady spot on the footpath... set up a chair... brought out my basket of rainbow yarns and started hooking.

It was brilliant. The boys rode around until they were exhausted, and I got one of my scarves done!

Mr Goldfish was out doing some Christmas shopping last night, so after the kids were in bed, I had the place to myself. Instead of fussing about with chores, I indulged in my crochet and got the second scarf completed!

both scarfs


red scarf - closeup

I feel a bit cheeky calling this a pattern... more like instructions, really...

I've used a 5.0mm hook, and mostly 8ply yarn... although the red was a 12ply... the green and violet were 4ply, so I worked them with two strands held together... the indigo was even finer, so I held three strands of that together as I worked

basically, you can use whatever you like!

my yarn types were varied, too... the red is wool, the orange is acrylic, the yellow is wool, the green is cotton, the blue is something hairy, the indigo is a novelty ribbon yarn, and the violet is wool

again, this is YOUR scarf... so use whatever you like!

the scarf is worked sideways in sc (US)

just chain the length you want the scarf to be. I pop it around my neck to check the length. I usually like this type of scarf to sit an inch or two below my waist line... so I use that as a rough guide for my chain length... bearing in mind that there will be a tassel added also. Keep the chain loose for two reasons... 1. it is easier to work into the chain on your first row if they are not too tight, and 2. your scarf will tend to twist on itself if the chains are too tight

sc into the 2nd chain from hook, and every chain after that until you reach the end

leave a tail of a couple of inches and fasten off

turn work and add the next colour... continue working in rows of sc, leaving long tails at each end

I've worked 13 rows in total

red - orange - yellow - green - blue - indigo - violet - indigo - blue - green - yellow - orange - red

on the second scarf I worked the colours in reverse order

violet - indigo - blue - green - yellow - orange - red - orange - yellow - green - blue - indigo - violet

when the rows are completed, firmly knot each 'tail' to the one next to it... these will form the tassel... I chose to add a little extra to add some bulk, but it all comes down to personal preference

then I just trimmed the tails to an even length, and blocked the scarf lightly using a steam iron

red scarf

purple scarf

30 comments:

heklica said...

They are awesome! For a moment I thought they'd be in a boring old rainbow sequence. But with you, nothing comes out boring :) I like the first photo very much, the two scarves look great together.

Anonymous said...

They look great, it's taking me back to my 'rainbow bright' days. I thought she was the best doll I ever had with her pony that had a mane in those same bright colours.
Love the way that orange worked up in them.

annemarie said...

Your scarves are beautiful - I love the bright colors. The idea of using your ends for the fringe is brilliant. I have never understood ply - the more plies, the heavier the yarn - is this correct? I never see the number of plies written on the yarn labels here in the US. Happy holidays to you and your family.

Anabelle said...

the scarfs are gorgeous, the colors are so vibrant.

But did you really just say you sat on the corner and starting hooking?

I hope that's not just American slang. lol so that my joke is lost in translation hahaha

Anonymous said...

I am loving the colours! Thanks for the instructions! 2 scarves in one day WOW! lol!

emjaylas_Mum

KAF said...

As well as your inspired craft, I often admire your inspired photographs. I particularly like today's rainbow scarf on the white flowering creeper (jasmine?).

The author said...

You make it sound so simple and everything turns out so beautiful. It makes me want to try to crochet again.

laughing purple goldfish said...

misha - thanks, I like the way they look together, too

jacqui - the orange doesn't look nearly as FULL ON in the scarf as it does in the ball, does it?

annemarie - thanks... yes. you're on the right track with the plys... just to give you an idea, 4ply = fingering... 8ply = DK... 12 ply = worsted

anabelle - lol! the joke is not lost in the translation... I am indeed BLUSHING at what I said... lol!

emjaylas mum - thanks... they're bright and fun :)

KAF - thanks sweetie! yes you're spot on with the jasmine... we have rather a lot of it here

the author - oh... I definitely want to inspire you to try crochet again... ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

~Tanya~ said...

oooh they are stunning

Cats-Rockin-Crochet said...

Quote. so I found myself a nice shady spot on the footpath... set up a chair... brought out my basket of rainbow yarns and started hooking.

LOL. you are so lucky you don't live on a corner, I just found it a bit funny.
I love the scarf.

donna said...

fabulous as ever!
i finally picked up a crochet hook for the 1st time last night, i've been meaning to give it a try ever since i found your blog! i really had to concentrate and felt a bit clumsy too but i shall persist, i'm starting small- a scarf for my daughter's doll to go with the mini clothes i'm sewing her for xmas.

Kanchan Karai said...

Looks Great!!!

Angry Asian said...

absolutely beautiful scarves! you must hook fast, i am a slowpoke compared! i love love the colors you've chosen.

Libby said...

I am obviously doing something wrong as I could never finish a scarf in a day!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

These are SO much fun! Thanks tons for sharing, I'll be linking.

Sam said...

They look fabulous, and I love the way you did the colours - in to the middle and out again. It's those little touches which make all the difference.
And although I can't make them as fast as you, I know I can do this scarf, so this is being made for Christmas.
THANKS :-)

Cathy {tinniegirl} said...

Absolutely gorgeous. I love them. Will have to try one of those when I get back to my knitting and crochet next Autumn.

laughing purple goldfish said...

tanya - thank you :)

cat - I'm going to have to start choosing my words a bit more carefully, I think!

donna - you can do it!!! like any new skill, it takes some time to feel comfortable with what you are doing... but it is well worth it... stick with it... you'll be glad you did

i kreative - thank you

angry asian - thanks... the colours are such fun

libby - I just squeeze in the time wherever I can.... one of the things I love about crochet is it is so easy to pick up even if just for a few minutes here and there

rachel - always appreciate being linked... thank you

sam - look forward to seeing the photos on your blog :)

tinniegirl - thanks... they are very simple, but effective

Anonymous said...

I too love how the colours go in and come back out again. And that the two scarfs are negatives of each other (reversed). Great colour choices.

laughing purple goldfish said...

elle - thanks for stopping by :)

Julie Kaye said...

You are making me want to relearn to crochet (did it once, didn't much care for it but I was so clueless, I had no idea what I was doing)! I know how to knit but I love the way the crochet stitches look on this particular scarf. Fabulous!! And your crochet bags are making me drool.

Unknown said...

Cool scarves. What are you working on now?

laughing purple goldfish said...

julie - thanks... there is so much help available online these days, that you might just find you enjoy getting back into crochet :)

anne - the short answer is TOO MUCH... I still haven't mastered the art of one project at a time... maybe one day... but for the moment, there is a shawl, a couple of blankets, some toys, a few scarves, and a squillion more bags...

Joana said...

Hello!
I love your blog. Your work is joyful, colorful and beautiful.
Joana

Kris said...

The scarves look really nice, I like all the colors. I really like the pictures you take of your projects. I feel like I'm looking at the actual item in person rather than looking at a picture online. How do you get such nice pictures? You had another blog entry with yarn in a rainbow of colors, and it was awesome.

Colleen said...

Gorgeous scarf....I have actually made one the same design in different colours...love your work....I also like to use recycled materials in craft

elaineanne said...

Hi
I recently found your blog and love some of you crochet patterns as they are easy for me to do. I am having a go at the one hour scarf first.

DC said...

Great scarves. I love to work with colours, too. The more the better. I combine yarns of different thicknesses, I find 4ply self patterning sock yarn is void for this. I just found your blog today but for sure I'll be back.

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