Tag Archives: single crochet

Winter Scarf and Earmuffs

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I will probably ruminate on creativity a bit here when I have the time and the thoughts behind it. It may get a little rambly and may not always make sense, as it is a sort of stream of consciousness to rediscover and define my creativity.

For me, creativity can mean so much. It can be the act of making – whether it be new invention, remake, improvement, it doesn’t matter. It can be doing, I imagine before the year is out, I will figure out how it is a state of being. I have also discovered over the years that frequent small creative successes can be so much better for my psyche than one or two large successes, at least as far as crafting goes. So for today, I finished a scarf and earmuff set. I have had the earmuffs completed for over a year now, but the scarf started as a infinity scarf that was a pretty good failure. I ripped it apart and have recreated it for today. I am much happier with the second attempt and I hope you enjoy the result.

It wraps around me twice and ties in a single knot.
It wraps around me twice and ties in a single knot.

I made the scarf in single crochet in the back loop, crocheted in the long. This gives a false ribbed appearance.  I think it is approximately 210-250 stitches long and is nine rows, not counting the bouclé row. The scarf could be made with however many stitches and rows you prefer. I wanted a fairly chunky scarf, so this is two worsted weight wool yarns crocheted together. There is a blue yarn and a green yarn of the same type.

Here you can see the front of the boucle stitch that I used for the fringe.
Here you can see the front of the bouclé stitch that I used for the fringe.

The last row is a bouclé stitch that creates a nice fringe that runs the length of the scarf.

Here is the backside of the bouclestitch.
Here is the backside of the bouclé stitch.

You can read about how I made the earmuffs in a previous post here.

Matching set of earmuffs and scarf.
Matching set of earmuffs and scarf.

With the seriously cold weather that is imminent here in Indiana, I think that I will truly appreciate the scarf and earmuffs. I finished them just in time.

Happy Creating!

Kristin

Crocheted earmuffs in cream and black wool yarn.

Crafty Challenge 12: Headwarmer – Earmuffs

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Crocheted earmuffs in cream and black wool yarn.

Our most recent crafty challenge was to make a headwarmer. This could be in any color, material, style or shape. Cheri was ahead of us all and posted her adorable recycled sweater hat here. We gave ourselves 3 weeks to make this particular challenge as we were all still recovering from the holidays. I had mine done in less than a week and then had to try very had not to talk about it or brag about it. Of course, this early birdness of me is now completely offset by my late posting.

I love earmuffs, but have never been able to find a satisfactory pair. The never stay on my head or they don’t cover my ears very well. I also hate hats as I have very static prone hair. I knew as soon as we started talking about a headwarmer challenge that earmuffs were my challenge.

I bought a cheap set of fleece wrap-around earmuffs for less than $2. I then cut the fleece off the wire and used the wire for the base of my earmuffs. I have some lovely wool yarn, one skein in cream and another in black. I also received this gigantic spool of very fine black alpaca yarn on year for Christmas. I took all three yarns and crocheted my earmuffs with this lovely and warm combination.

Crocheted earmuffs made on wire frame.

I crocheted 4 circles in double crochet, all the same size and just big enough to cover my ears. I then held two of these circles on either side of the ear part of the wire frame and using half-double crochet, I stitched the circles together. I really wanted the double thickness which provides amazing protection from cold and wind. You could also put some stuffing or quilting in between the two circles if you wanted poofy earmuffs (this would be very cute for a child).

After stitching both circles on the frame, I then single crocheted around the length of wire between the ear pieces. To keep from having to weave-in ends, I folded the ends from the ear pieces under the single crochet. This made the back wire a little thicker and made it so I only had the ends from this last stretch to weave-in.

Crocheted earmuffs in black and cream wool yarn.

This completed my earmuffs. This project took me all of about 2 hours and most of that was just figuring out what stitch I wanted to use to make the circles. I have been wearing these for weeks now and just love them. They are comfortable, very warm, and I haven’t had cold ears at all this year!

Happy Crafting!

Kristin