Star stitch

*Versión en español aquí*

When I got tired of making lovers’ knot, I started working on this other design I found on the Internet. It is called star stitch. At first I tried to make a scarf, but after some lines it looked too compact (or maybe it was my fault, since I usually make tight stitches), so I decided to alternate two lines of star stitch and two of double stitches. This is how it looks:

This scarves look nice if they are not too long; just enough to cover the neck and join the two ends with a simple “brooch”.

Although we’re used to wear long scarves that wrap several times around our necks, this other style looks simple and nice, and feels warm as well

The “brooch” is very easy to make. First we make a circle on chain stitches, and we make several lines of single stitches one over the other, until it takes the shape of a button. Then we make a chain that is long enough to embrace the two ends of the scarf when bent in two parts (the chain). Finally, we sew the two parts together to get the accessory ready to use.

Here we can see the chain that is used to keep the scarf in place

I’ve seen some other new stitches I want to try, so when I learn any of them I’ll post it here to enlarge my pattern collection =). I also want to try new styles on the ends of the scarves…

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Lovers’ knot

*Versión en español aquí*

I used to think that crochet was limited to single, double and triple stitches, but I was wrong! Surfing the Internet I found a pattern of a new crochet stitch (at least, new to me). It’s called Lovers’ knot, also known as Solomon’s knot sometimes.

As a first experiment I made a rectangular scarf, since I thought it’d be easier to connect the stitches. But when I finished it, the long sides were too tight and the central area was too loose, so the pattern couldn’t be well seen. Nevertheless, the yarn was colourful and the scarf looked nice when I put it around my neck, so I wear it happily now (    I usually keep my first attempts of craft projects for myself because they always look much better on a second attempt, after I correct the initial mistakes =)). In fact, one day I was wearing this scarf and a cashier asked me if I had made it myself and how. So now I wear it really proudly =P

My scarf =)

The second time I made a triangular scarf, for what it’s necessary to connect the stitches in a slightly different way. As it’s a really quick stitch I started trying different kinds of yarn; a round and smooth one, and a hairy one. These were the results:

The lovers’ knot can be better observed in the green scarf, but the hairy one is softer. I put some ceramic beads at the ends of the green one to make them heavy so that they’d stay in place when wearing the scarf. Working with furry yarn requires patience because it tangles easily, so smooth yarns may be better for beginners. As this stitch is very loose it may seem that these scarves won’t keep you warm, but they get thicker around the neck when you wear them so they are perfect for cold weather.

By using different yarns and accessories we can get many different results, according to our preferences.