Preliminary photos of finished scarf

Here are a couple of snapshots of the finished crocheted cable scarf done in Bijou Basin Ranch's yak-bamboo blend. I love this yarn! The pattern will be available via my website by the end of the week if I don't have any technical difficulties. A tailored single crochet border makes this scarf equally suitable for men and women, but fringe is an option for anyone who wants a more casual look. Next up, the matching hat and mittens in this luscious dark brown, or cream, or a combination.

Honeycomb Stitch

One of the fringe benefits of designing my own patterns is that I make the prototypes to fit me. This swatch shows the Tunisian honeycomb stitch (alternating Tunisian simple stitch and Tunisian purl stitch), which I used for an above-the-knee skirt. A commercially manufactured elastic-waist skirt from my closet was the template. The construction is simple, two identical rectangles seamed together and then an elastic waist sewn in. The finished skirt is one of my favorite garments – it was hard not to wear it until the photographs for Tunisian Crochet were done, but I couldn't risk spilling something on it! – and I really love the colors in the Colinette Banyan yarn.

Yakkety-yak (and bamboo)

Today I received a shipment of Bijou Spun yarn, 75% pure yak down/25% bamboo. It is deliciously soft and so easy to work with. No shedding. I've been invited to design a crocheted cable scarf for Bijou Basin Ranch, with a hat and mittens to follow. The photo shows a swatch of the prototype scarf (the color is actually a much richer brown than in the picture). I think I'll make the final design slightly wider so the central cable stands out more. Brown and cream stripes or checks will be cute on the hat.

New Yarn from Plymouth

For me, the most fun part of a project is getting it all finished and either wearing it (if it's a woman's garment for my own pattern line) or packing it to send to the yarn company that commissioned it. The second most fun part is receiving a shipment of gorgeous new yarn! A big box arrived today from Plymouth Yarn Co., full of interesting fibers in a variety of weights, textures, and colors. I have some designs in mind – most are regular crochet, some are Tunisian crochet – and now I can experiment with the yarn to see what would be the best match.