Category: Beginner

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One Square Granny

When my Mam taught me to crochet, she did so by handing me a Granny Square blanket she was working on, and teaching me to treble crochet clusters into her already beautifully crocheted fabric.

I focussed on the stitches, on how they danced around my hook, and how the fabric grew under my fingers as I crocheted towards the corner. Then she showed me how to add enough stitches to veer around it and start on the next straight side.

Because I didn’t have to struggle with magic loops or counting or seams, I was able to learn to love the craft from the moment I began, and it’s that reason I think this modified “one block” granny square pattern makes for the perfect pattern to introduce a new-comer to the craft.

Now, bare in mind crocheters, YOU will have to make the first 4 rows for your prospective crochet genius before you hand it over, but once you do, the rules simplify to a point where a beginner, even with very little crafting experience, can pick up the rhythm and crochet confidently.

Starting your gorgeous Granny Square

Note: This pattern is written using UK stitch terminology.

Make 6 chain stitches, 1 slip stitch into chain furthest from hook to make a loop.

6 chain stitches
make into a loop with one slip stitch

Round 1.
Into the loop, make 1 dc, 1 htr, 14 tr.

double crochet and half treble on 6-chain loop
14 treble crochet stitches added to loop

Note: This Granny Square has NO seams at the start or end of a round. In fact, because it’s worked in an ever-increasing spiral, there technically is no start or end of a round. As my Mam says, you simply crochet this square until you either run out of yarn or run out of patience – whichever comes first.


Round 2.

Into the gap between htr and 1st tr, make [3 tr].

the gap between the half treble and the first treble crochet stitch
3 treble crochet stitches in the gap

*sk 2 sts, work [3 tr] into next gap*, 6 times.
(This gives you 8 clusters, each with 3 trebles in them and 8 “gaps” between them.)

3-treble clusters all around the edge, separated by 2 trebles each on previous round

Round 3.

*Into next gap, make [6 tr], into next gap make [3 tr]

the next gap is the big one to the left of your hook
6 trebles crochet stitches in the gap outlined in previous image, and 3 treble crochet stitches int he next gap along

Repeat the above, 3 times.

Note: The 6-tr clusters are your corners, the 3-tr clusters make up the sides of your square.

4 corner clusters (6 trebles each) and 4 sides (made of a 3-treble cluster each) completed

Does it look a little wonky and warped? Sure!
It’s a spiral with corners after all, so it’s always going to be a little off-kilter. (Who among us isn’t a little wonky, though, right?)

But as I said in the intro, this is a great pattern to teach someone to make Granny Squares. It’s not an award winning masterpiece; it’s a starter kit.

Round 4.

Into middle of next 6-tr cluster make [6 tr], *into next gap make [3 tr]* twice.

One corner (6 trebles) and one side (2 sets of 3 trebles) complete.

Repeat for other the corners and three sides.

Your square is ready to hand over to your crochet student.
(Or maybe use it to start a One-Square Granny blanket of your own. They can have the next square you start! 😉

At this point, your Granny Square should have four identifiable corners, and enough gaps between clusters that your beginner has space to learn and practice.

After this, it’s simply a matter of remembering the two basic rules of Granny Square manufacture:

  1. When you encounter a gap, put three trebles in it.
  2. When you see a corner, split it in two and add 6 trebles in the middle.

Granny Squares are just pure, logical genius. So, if you follow those rules, your One Square Granny will be a success.

Once your beginner has a little practice, and muscle memory has started to develop, you can add chains between the clusters, or teach them a more complex square pattern with seamed rows, or multiple colours. But I guarantee you, this will remain a favourite thanks to its simplicity, its gorgeous texture and the fact that, with a little experience, you can carry on crocheting while watching TV and not miss a stitch!

Folks, I’m happy for you to use this pattern to teach classes and individuals.
All I ask is that if you get paid for teaching this using pattern, that you refer back to this page and link your students to it and my work.

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Aoibhe’s (Almost) Invisible Tunisian Crochet Seam – for the Wrong Side

Tunisian Crochet seams can often look botched and ugly.

Here’s how to make your Tunisian Crochet garments and accessories look seamless!

Start With Some Tunisian Crochet

In this case, I have made a lovely piece of Tunisian Simple Stitch which I’m going to seam along the first and last rows.

Keep the last row you made closest to you, with the Right Side facing outwards.

Setting Up the Seam

The first thing we’re going to do, is add a little slip stitch to the two corners of our seam. This will ensure the edge of our work is smooth.

  1. Find the V on the edge of your FIRST row and add a slip stitch to it.

2. Insert finger between sides to help control your work.

Now, we can get to the real seaming business:


This seam is made by “zipping” one side of your fabric to the other.
We will be pulling each bar/line on the LAST row through each bar/line on the First row, and securing it there with a UK dc / US sc.

Here’s how:

  1. Locate the nearest line/bar on the FIRST row

2. Insert hook into it

3. Locate the nearest line/bar on the LAST row

4. Insert hook into it

5. Secure LAST row loop with hook and…

6. Draw LAST row loop through FIRST row loop

First ‘zip’ complete

Time for a little traditional crochet!

* This seam won’t hold without a little help, so we’re going to add a UK dc / US sc st onto the loop left on the hook.
Let’s do it!

1. Yarn Over.

2. Draw Yarn Over through one loop

3. Yarn Over again.

4. Draw Yarn Over through both loops

Repeat the “zip and secure” sequence for each pair of bars/lines on your seam until you get to the end.

It will look like this at this stage.

The inside of a completed (Almost) Invisible Seam.

There’s just one final thing to do; slip stitch into the two corners to smooth out the edge.

Here’s how:

1. Insert hook into both corners.

2. Yarn Over.

3. Draw Yarn Over through everything else on hook.

Bind off. Weave in ends. You know the drill.

Then, when you flip your fabric the right way out, you notice your seam is (almost) invisible, nice and strong and flexible!

A completed (Almost) Invisible Seam

SIDE NOTE: You may ask, “Hey, Aoibhe, why not use a slip stitch throughout the seam? Surely that’d take less time, use less yarn and sit flush with the fabric, right?”

And I’d say, yes, it would. Technically.

But also, slip stitches have zero stretch and zero chill.

Tunisian fabric has a lovely level of 4-way stretch, and if you add a non-stretchy seam to one part, it’s bound to cause shaping, comfort and blocking issues.

So, while a double crochet is, indeed, a little bigger, uses a little more yarn and takes more time to do, it’s still a better choice over all.

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Aoibhe’s (Almost) Invisible Tunisian Crochet Seam – for the Right Side

Tunisian Crochet seams can often look botched and ugly.

Here’s how to make your Tunisian Crochet garments and accessories look seamless!

Start With Some Tunisian Crochet

In this case, I have made a lovely piece of Tunisian Simple Stitch which I’m going to seam along the first and last rows.

Right Side in, Wrong Side out. Last Row furthest away from you.

Setting Up the Seam

The first thing we’re going to do, is add a little slip stitch to the two corners of our seam. This will ensure the edge of our work is smooth.

  1. Find the V on the edge of your FIRST row.

2. Insert hook, from front to back, into it.

3. Yarn Over

4. Draw the Yarn Over through work and through loop on hook.

Now, we can get to the real seaming business:

This seam is made by “zipping” one side of your fabric to the other.
We will be pulling each bar/line on the LAST row through each bar/line on the First row, and securing it there with a UK dc / US sc.

Here’s how:

  1. Locate the nearest line/bar on the FIRST row

2. Insert hook into it

3. Locate the nearest line/bar on the LAST row

4. Insert hook into it

5. In order, from left to right:
LAST row loop, FIRST row loop, loop that was already on the hook.

6. Draw LAST row loop through FIRST row loop

First ‘zip’ complete

Time for a little traditional crochet!

* This seam won’t hold without a little help, so we’re going to add a UK dc / US sc st onto the loop left on the hook.
Let’s do it!

1. Yarn Over.

2. Draw Yarn Over through one loop

3. Yarn Over again.

4. Draw Yarn Over through both loops

Repeat the “zip and secure” sequence for each pair of bars/lines on your seam until you get to the end.

It will look like this at this stage.

A completed (Almost) Invisible Seam

There’s just one final thing to do; slip stitch into the two corners to smooth out the edge.

Here’s how:

1. Insert hook into both corners.

2. Yarn Over.

3. Draw Yarn Over through everything else on hook.

Bind off. Weave in ends. You know the drill.

Then, when you flip your fabric the right way out, you notice your seam is (almost) invisible, nice and strong and flexible!

A completed (Almost) Invisible Seam

SIDE NOTE: You may ask, “Hey, Aoibhe, why not use a slip stitch throughout the seam? Surely that’d take less time, use less yarn and sit flush with the fabric, right?”

And I’d say, yes, it would. But also, slip stitches have zero stretch and zero chill.

Tunisian fabric has a lovely level of 4-way stretch, and if you add a non-stretchy seam to one part, it’s bound to cause shaping, comfort and blocking issues.

So, while a double crochet is, indeed, a little bigger, uses a little more yarn and takes more time to do, it’s still a better choice over all.

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No-Gap Base Increase

How to increase the height of your Tunisian Crochet column, without leaving a hole in your fabric.

This is so quick to do. You’ll love it.

Start With Some Tunisian Crochet

In this case, I have a layer of crochet done, and have started into a second layer.
The layer I’m working on is three bars high.

If you want to do the same, go ahead, I can wait. It’s no bother. I can just go make a cup of tea.

A layer of linked stitches.

Work the Downward Pass

Pick up loops in all the bars, as you have done for every column of the row so far. Don’t work into the next base just yet. We’ll get to that in a second.

Do you see the hole at the base of your PREVIOUS column? Work your hook into it.

  1. Loops picked up. Hole at base of previous column visible to the left of thumb.

2. Hook into hole at base of previous column.

Yarn Over, and draw a loop through fabric.

This adds a loop to hook that wouldn’t have been there otherwise (an increase)

  1. Yarn Over

2. Extra Loop

Now, we continue the Downward Pass by working hook into NEXT base:

Hook worked into NEXT base along.

Yarn Over, and draw a loop through to front of fabric:

  1. Yarn Over

2. Pull through

Work Tunisian Crochet Upward Pass as usual

* Yarn Over, pull through two loops * repeatedly until one loop is left on hook.

The three bars are now accompanied by a fourth (at the bottom of the column).

You are now working with four bars where before, you only had three.

Here’s what a completed, taller layer will look like.

A three-bar layer has been transformed into a four-bar layer. Lovely job!

And here’s the whole thing in motion:

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Second Double Crochet Row

You have your first row of stitches complete, but now it’s time to start into the second row, and suddenly, everything looks different.

Here’s how you do it.

The Lay Of The Land.

Let’s look at what we’ve got.

In this instance, we have made 8 chains and skipped the one closest to the hook.
Then, we used the other seven chains to make double crochet stitches.
So far, so shiny.

a V-shape sits on top of every crochet stitch. Use them to count.

Make a turning chain

A ‘turning chain’ is just a regular chain stitch (Like the 8 chains we did at very the beginning). The only reason it has a different name is because it serves a different purpose.

In this case, it adds a little extra yarn to the edge of our fabric so that the edge won’t be tight and inelastic when we’re done.

Here’s how a chain is done:

  1. Yarn Over

2. Pull ‘Yarn Over’ through loop on hook to complete ‘Turning Chain’.

Now, turn your work.

Orientation is key here. When your turn is done properly, your tail should be at the bottom of your work, your hook should be at the top (On the right for right-handed people and on the left for left-handed people)

Hook at the top and tail (under right thumb) at the bottom.

Now it’s time to find your V’s

There is a V-shape on top of every stitch, but right now, they’re on the side of your fabric facing away from you. Turn your work so that you’re able to see the top. You’ll to find your V’s there.

The 7 V-shapes we had originally have been joined by an eighth. The V closest to your hook is the one belonging to the ‘turning chain’.

Skip over the ‘turning chain’, and find the next V along.

That’s where we’re going to put our first double crochet of this row.

It’s just a case of using the same dance steps we did on the first row to make a double crochet.

  1. Yarn Over

2. Pull ‘Yarn Over’ through to front of fabric.

3. Second Yarn Over

4. Pull ‘Yarn Over’ through BOTH of the loops on the hook. When you are back to one loop, the stitch is complete.

To begin our second stitch of this row, we need to look at the fabric we’ve made so far.

Under the double crochet we just completed, there is a hole. I have an arrow indicating its location in the next photo.

The hole tells you where you have already been.

This hole was made by your crochet hook when you created the last stitch. It tells you that you have already been in that section of fabric. So, when it’s time to insert your hook for double crochet number two, move to the left one space.

Hook inserted into SECOND stitch space, ready to make second double crochet

The second double crochet is created the same as the first. See photos below for a recap.

  1. Yarn Over

2. Pull ‘Yarn Over’ through to front of fabric.

3. Second Yarn Over

4. Pull the ‘Yarn Over’ through BOTH of the loops on the hook. When you are back to one loop, the stitch is complete.

Rather, Rinse, Repeat.

Every double crochet stitch you make on this and every other row will be created like the one above.

When the row is done, you should have something that looks a little like the image below.

Gorgeous!

Note: When you being a new row, don’t forget your ‘turning chain’!

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“Be Kind. Rewind” – What you can do to improve the tension and elasticity in your yarn

Have you ever considered the tension your yarn is under once it’s been wound into a cake or ball?
One of the main reasons yarn is sold in a skein is to preserve its elasticity. So, from the second you wind it, it’s being held at a stretch.

Animal fibres in particular have a gorgeous spring to them. If you stretch them, they snap back on release. This elasticity gives a finished garment a bounce and a wearability that is a pleasure to behold.

But if these fibres are held at their limit for too long, they can lose that elasticity entirely. That’s why you should only wind your skeins when you intend to knit or crochet with them soon after. It’s also why those old balls of donated yarn tend to seem so lifeless – they’ve been held at a stretch for decades. Yikes.

Ball winders and swifts are an amazing piece of kit I believe every crafter should invest in, but there’s a pull between swift and winder, so even they can add tension to a newly-wound skein.

Image (c) Ballyhoura Fibres http://www.ballyhourafibres.com

See the two cakes below?

They’re actually the exact same skein.
The one on the left has been wound directly from the skein on my swift.
The one of the right is the same ball, wound from the first cake into a second, much more relaxed cake.

Look at the size difference! And imagine the tension the first one would have been under had I only wound it once.

two cakes of yarn, illustrating the tension yarn can be under after one wind (left) and two winds (right) The elasticity of the cake on the right is more relaxed.
Same exact skein of yarn, first wind (left) second wind (right)

So, tell me. Are you kind to your yarn? Do you ever rewind?

And if you haven’t done it before now, have I convinced you to start? I sure hope so! And I bet your yarn will thank you, too!

Oh! And… psst! The yarn I’ve pictured here is a beautiful skein of Ballyhoura Fibre yarn. It’s Cierra’s 4-ply sock in colourway “Pot Pourri”. Watch out for it in a pattern this autumn!
You can find the link here: https://www.ballyhourafibres.com/

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How to Start Your Pax Shawl

Ah, Pax.
Pax, my beloved Tunisian crochet shawlette.

This is my most popular pattern (as much because I’ve priced it to be accessible to anyone wanting to learn Tunisian lace crochet, as because I kept it complication-free purely to keep the pattern simpler for beginners).

Occasionally, I get questions about it, though, and the majority of them are to do with starting out.
Usually, I reply to beginner crocheters’ questions individually, but I thought “How great would it be if I updated Pax with a new photo tutorial?” It is 11 years old at this stage, and could do with sprucing up… so…

If you’ve got a copy of Pax, a crochet hook at the ready, and you’re not sure how to begin, let me help you out.

Today's Yarn, by the way, is Drops Flora.

It's a wool/alpaca blend that I'm currently obsessed with. It's warm, has great stitch definition and a wide range of colourways. 

And my hook, as always is a beechwood KnitPro Symfonie - this one's my trusty 5 mm.

Make Some Chains

OK, so the pattern calls for way more chain stitches than this.
I’ve made 20 chains here to demonstrate the technique, but you will be making way more when you start your own Pax adventure.

4-ply yarn and a 5 mm hook

Have you picked up your copy yet?
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The First Stitch.

First things first, we need to take a look at our chains.
We’re going to skip the chain closest to the hook, and work instead into the second chain along.

Find the second chain…
Push hook through top loop of chain
Hook is now completely through loop on second chain

Yarn Over on your hook, and draw that Yarn Over back through the chain.
This will give you two loops on your hook –

  • The loop furthest from the hook head was there already.
  • The loop closest to the hook head is your first Tunisian Simple Stitch.
Yarn over

Draw through chain

The Forward Pass

We then do the same for the next chain along.

Important Note for Beginners: We ONLY skip the very first chain in Tunisian crochet. No other chains are skipped from this point on.

Find the next chain along
Push hook through
Yarn over…
Draw Yarn Over through chain

Every time we repeat this process, we add a loop to the hook.
When we have added ten stitches, we’ll have eleven loops in total (that includes the one that was there from the beginning)

11 loops = 10 stitches

For this tutorial, this completes our “Forward Pass”.

In Tunisian Crochet, we have two “Passes” per row of work.
The “Forward Pass” that we have just completed sees loops being added to the hook.
The “Return Pass” will see us remove stitches as we work until we are back to one loop on the hook.

Between the Forward and Return Passes in Pax we have an extra dance step to do, and it involves the next chain along on our string of chains.

Working the “Base”

I want you to identify the next chain along, work your hook into it, Yarn Over, and draw a final loop onto your hook.
A note on this loop: It is created the exact same way as all the loops before it, but its job is very different. It’s not counted as a stitch because it is, in fact, the base of the column. This will become clear as we work on.

There are now 12 loops on the hook
That’s 1 at the start, 10 Tunisian Simple Stitches, and 1 base loop

The Return Pass

The Return Pass is easily my favourite bit of this whole process.
It require far less concentration and is oddly satisfying.

All you have to do to complete the entire Return Pass is to *Yarn Over on your hook, and draw it through two loops* repeatedly, until you are left with one loop on your hook.

Yarn Over
Drawing through two loops
After the second repeat you start to see the row/colum forming in your hook’s wake


When you’re at that point, you’ve completed your row/column!

Foundation Row/Column complete

As you can make out in the above photo, the row/column we have completed has ten little rung or lines evenly spaced down its length. In the above photo they are vertical, look like little fence posts, and start at my right thumb nail and travel down the fabric to my left thumb nail.

We’re going to use these lines to anchor our second row/column.

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Row/Column 2

Slide hook through the first of these lines, like a bolt locking a door.
We stay on the Right Side of the work for this. There’s no neeed to push through to the Wrong Side at all from hereon in.

Original loop on hook (right) and vertical line (left)

Then, same as before, we simply Yarn Over, and draw the yarn over through the line, giving us two loops on the hook.

Yarn Over
Draw through

Then, we find the next line along, and slide the hook through that.

Next line along

And we do the same thing – Yarn Over, pull through.

Yarn Over
Draw through – 3 loops on hook

Now, it’s just a matter of carrying on down, picking up loops using each of the available lines.

Ten loops added to hook for a total of eleven loops

With the Forward Pass complete, we work The Base into the next chain along:

Hook in next chain along…
Yarn Over
Draw through – 1 more loop added to hook
There are 12 in total now

With that taken care of, we get to do the Return Pass for the row/column.
That’s *Yarn Over, draw through 2 loops* repeatedly until 1 loop is left on hook.

2 rows/columns complete

Row/Column 3

With another whole row/column complete, this is what you’ll be looking at:

3 rows/columns complete

More Rows/Columns

After another few completed rows/columns, you’ll start to notice your dangling chains aren’t so dangly anymore. Each row/column uses up one at its base, and adds some strength to that edge of your shawl and helps ensure the completed shawl blocks into a gentle curve.

6 rows/columns complete

I hope this tutorial helps you get started on your own Pax Adventure!

You can find the pattern (using both UK and US crochet terms) here:

Well done!


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Thanks for reading.

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TSS2tog decrease

It’s hard to imagine, but sometimes, Dear Reader LESS Tunisian Crochet is called for.
And in those moments, knowing how to decrease is a boon.

In my Reoite Gloves, we use decreases to add a little shape to the fabric. This ensures that we have a cuff that sits comfortably on the wider part of the arm, as well as a glove that sits snug at the wrist and knuckles with no room for pesky drafts to sneak in.

Here’s how the TSS2tog (Tunisian Simple Stitch 2 together) is made.


Work the pattern up to the point where you need to make a TSS2tog:

Part of the Forward Pass on this row of Tunisian Simple Stitch is complete.

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Slide your hook through the next TWO bars along:

Two bars on hook

Yarn Over hook:

Yarn Over

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Draw Yarn Over through the two bars on hook:

You have created a TSS2tog stitch by making one loop (on hook) out of two bars (on previous row).

When you complete the rest of the row, you can see a little upsidedown V shape indicating the point you worked the TSS2tog decrease.

The decrease will appear one row LOWER than you may expect. Remember that if you use them to count rows.

Note:
The Return Pass is worked as normal i.e.
Yarn Over, draw through 1 loop to make a chain stitch, then *Yarn Over, draw through 2 loops* repeatedly to end of row.

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Joining Yarns in Tunisian Crochet


Imagine a world, dear readers, where your favourite ball of yarn never ran out – a world where that downy alpaca, shimmering silk or soft merino slid continuously between your industrious fingers and into project after glorious project.

I’ll leave you with that image for a moment…
It’s worth savouring the idea, isn’t it?

Alas, of course, this is merely a dream. The reality is that yarn runs out and it’s a rare project indeed that doesn’t require you to join the end of one ball of yarn to the beginning of another.

“I just knot it”, is a common refrain when I bring up this topic in a beginners’ class, and indeed, that is a valid way of solving the problem, but there are better ways, smoother ways, and since I can’t find much on this topic for Tunisian Crochet, I’m going to run you through my favourite joining method below.

The Return Pass Join:
This little trick works well for both solid fabrics and lace.
The idea here is that the joined yarns will be partially woven in as you work, and therefore won’t disrupt the look of the stitches you’ve made.

And since the join only disrupts the return pass on a row of Tunisian, any lace detail worked on the forward pass will remain totally uninterrupted.

In the sample below, I’m working on a solid TSS fabric (because this is what I have to hand. More in this project in autumn).

^ When you are nearing the end of your current ball, work the forward pass of the next row as usual, and begin the return pass.

^ A few sts into the return pass, pause, and introduce your new ball strand. Lie them so there are a few inches extra on either side of the overlap.

^ Hold strands together using your working hand. Use your other hand to hold new strand against fabric so that it’s out of the way.

^ With both strands held together in your working hand, Yarn Over.
Remember, your other hand is still holding the new end against the back of your fabric so that it won’t be a nuisance.

^ Draw that double-stranded Yarn Over through 2 loops.
You will notice that the loop closest to the hook is now double-stranded. This is good. This means your new and your old balls are sharing duty and you’re half-way transferred from one ball to the other.

^ It’s time now to drop the new ball’s strand that you’ve been holding in your other hand. It’s secure enough in the fabric now that it won’t slide out on you as you work.
In this image, I’ve the end of the new strand in my left hand, and I’m about to drop it.

From this point on, you can carry on with your new ball and complete the return pass as usual.

^ Can you see the join? It’s right there in the middle.
Slide your finger back and forth to see. Neat, huh?

^ Here’s a picture of the back when you’re all doing joining and have a few extra rows worked beyond.

Now, all you have holding those ends together is half a stitch, remember, and that’s a lot of trust to place in so tiny a piece of crochet, so I recommend you weave both ends in separately before you go to town with a scissors.

And so, dear crafters, I leave you with a puzzle.
In the image below, there is a join.

Think you can find it?


Happy Crafting!

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Turn your FAILED Scarf into a SUCCESSFUL Something Else

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a beginner, in possession of a large yarn ball, must be in want of a scarf.

And the majority of makers would agree that embarking on a scarf is the one thing a beginner shouldn’t do.


As any experienced maker will tell you, a beginner who casts on for a scarf as a first project is unlikely to finish it.
The problem is, scarves are loooooong, and usually, after about the first six inches or so, a beginner has a good handle on the stitches they’re learning.

After the initial rush – casting on their first project (yippee!) – there’s then no satisfying follow-through. A scarf is 5 to 6 feet of unvarying uniformity, and the slog can easily wind up giving a newbie the impression that crochet and knitting are repetitive, monotonous hobbies.

Ugh.

That kind of endurance test is something to build up to, though, but initially, a smaller project makes more sense. Feeling that sense of accomplishment is a HUGE part of what gets beginners hooked.

Beginners are far better off making something small at the start, but unfortunately, many newbie makers equate “simple project” with “satisfying experience”, and in the end quit when their scarf bores them to tears. They’re left with a sense of failure that is entirely undeserved.

Of course, there are those who disagree:

But in case you’re one of the many who fell down a scarf hole, I’ve compiled a list of alternative things anyone can make with failed scarf “fragments”.

No matter how far into that 6 feet of blah you managed to get, there’s definitely a way of folding, twisting or seaming your scarf fragment into something magnificent, useful, and most importantly, FINISHED!

So, get out your random rectangle of fabric from the bottom of your stash, cast it off, thread your darning needle and prepare to bathe in a wholly deserved sense of accomplishment & satisfaction!

Let’s get into it!

any size of scarf fragment can be turned into a finished object

Neck Warmer
10 in x 36 in/3 ft will get you a practical and cozy neck warmer.
Half the work for all the comfort.

How To:
Option 1.
Lie fabric flat, fold in half and seam starting and ending rows together to make a ring.

How To:
Option 2.
Lie fabric flat, add a half twist to fabric, then seam starting and ending rows together to make a mobius strip.

Teapot Cozy
10 in x 24 in / 2 ft and your scarf fragment with keep your tea warm instead.

How To:
Lie fabric flat, fold in half and seam selvedges together to make a pocket.

Pixie Hat
10 in x 24 in / 2 ft is enough to make an adorable hat with a pixie point. To really keep the draft out, add a button and loop or ties to fasten under your chin.

How To:
Lie fabric flat, fold in half and seam one selvedge together. Add ties or a button and loop to unseamed corners.

Woolly Hat
10 in x 21 – 22 in will net you a classic.
Just seam into a loop, and pull one side closed with a draw string and you’ll be so cozy you won’t even need that scarf.

How To:
Lie fabric flat, fold in half and seam starting and ending rows together. Weave a strand of yarn along entirety of one selvedge, pull yarn tight and secure with a knot.

Add a bobble, if you’re feeling fancy.

Pot Holder
10 in x 12 in will get you a pot holder. A nice steaming casserole is better than a silly old scarf, right?!

How To:
Add a loop to one corner.
For a more heat-resistant pot holder, use a feltable yarn. Then, shrink it in your next load of laundry.

Fingerless Glove
10 in x 7 – 8 in, and you have enough for my own personal favourite beginner project. Only drawback, you usually have to make two!

How To:
Lie fabric flat. Fold narrowest edge in half. Seam along longest edge, leaving a thumb gap in the middle of the seam.

Coffee Cozy
10 in x 6 in and your 8-cup coffee press will have a scarf of its very own.

How To:
Lie fabric flat. Fold narrowest edge in half. Securely stitch corners together. Gap between corners is where the coffee press’s handle will go

Phone Pocket
Ever had your phone stop working because it’s just too cold out?
Well, I have!
10 in x 6 in would stop that from happening when you’re out and about in January.

How To:
Lie fabric flat. Fold in half. Seam long edges, leaving one opening.
Add loop and button.

Pin Cushion
Just the ticket for when that scarf you started barely got off the ground. The nice thing about pin cushions is that they can be any shape or size.

How To:
Lie fabric flat. Fold in half. Seam two edges, stuff with polyfill, then seam final edge.

Coaster
Honorary mention. Put your swatches and tiny tests to good use as mug coasters.
Be aware, though, open-work (like lace) will not protect your surfaces, nor will non-insulating yarns like acrylic.

The easiest of all!
Weave in ends. That’s it. That’s all you have to do.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Tell me in the comments below!
And hey, tell your friends too!

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