I have a ‘thing’ of scarves. I’ve made a lot of them, in both knit and crochet (and possibly even one fleece one somewhere). I own quite a large amount of scarves (and cowls!) – including the ones that I’ve made, some silk scarves, some scarves that had been gifted to me. That thing of scarves somehow always ends up with me not wearing them though. When it’s cold, I never seem to have one on, despite the large collection that I have.

My first ‘real’ project in knitting was a garter stitch scarf. Not a square, but a scarf. In garter stitch. (I got very good at knit stitches after that, by the way.)

My first ‘real’ project in crochet was a variegated blue messenger bag that I somehow manged to design myself. I still use it from time to time. It was done completely in single crochet and used nearly a pound of worsted weight yarn (I may as well had done a scarf, it probably would have taken the same amount of time).

I never understood why projects geared towards beginners just showcase one single stitch (generally garter or single crochet, depending on your craft of choice) and it’s always a freaking scarf.

But this is one beginner-friendly project that is all about the different stitches. Not only do you get some practice with chains and single crochet, but the scarf also features half-double crochet, double crochet and triple crochet stitches. Which makes for a not-so-boring project and a great new scarf addition to your wardrobe.

The scarf in the pictures is about 7.5′ long with 32 repeats of the pattern. It has a fringe (which is entirely optional, as is the length that you want to make it). This scarf was designed for practicing the different stitch types in crochet beyond single crochet (hdc, dc, tr – US crochet terminology).

Want to make your own Crochet Sampler Stitch Scarf? The pattern is free! Click to download a PDF copy of the Sampler Stitch Scarf pattern.

Sometimes I feel as if I find inspiration in the oddest of places. I found a copy of the 1979 Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework in a thrift store two weeks ago.

It’s also the best $1.99+tax I’ve ever spent.

It’s gorgeous, hard cover, full colour photographs. Many of the knitting and crochet designs are incredibly dated (and no, those designs have not made a comeback yet). It has a huge section of embroidery, some information on quilting and rug-making (latch hook and punch needle). There’s information on making lace (there’s more than just tatting [!], which I never knew before). There’s some great stitch patterns that I have never seen before in any of the other stitch dictionaries that I own, so I was really excited to be able to find this.

Surrounding my new-old book is some new yarn. All of the Regia is sock yarn, the four closest to the bottom are going to be knitted into socks. The other two are marked for dolly-related knitting. But the three at the top? Oh, I only wish you could all see how beautiful it is. It’s Rowan’s Cotton Braid and I just got it today. It’s a discontinued (boo!) line of yarn from Rowan and it’s in this gorgeous rainbow of colours (goes from pinks to oranges to greens to blues to violets). It is a novelty-type yarn (which kinda surprises me that I even bought it because I generally don’t really like working with novelty yarns), but it’s gorgeous and made primarily of natural materials (68% cotton, 22% rayon, 10% linen). I can definitely see a nice summery scarf made from it!

Hi everyone!

The new Pattern Store here isn’t done yet but I do have news about the free patterns that are already available! I’ve taken the time to change the formatting on the PDF files of the three downloadable patterns that I have currently available on Chelle-Chelle.com and the changes reflect the new format for free patterns that I will have in the future.

And in case you’re wondering what free patterns I have, they are:

• Crochet Ribbed Cowl
• Ruse – A Cloche-Inspired Hat
• Blythe Monster Hat (was not updated)
• A Little Filet Crochet Scarf