City Scarf

Once upon a time, I had a ball of Noro Silk Garden.

Just one.  It was an odd ball I got on clearance.  I'd never worked with highfalutin' Noro before, so it was special--and so pretty!  The vivid color stripes were stunning.  I knew I needed to make something with a simple stitch pattern that would show off the color.  But what could I make that was reasonably functional and only used one ball?

After much deliberation, I finally decided to just work it up into a plain ole scarf.  I made it skinny so it would be plenty long and put some fringe on the end.  Nothing fancy, but at least it made something useful and pretty out of the yarn.

Well, my last resort project turned out better than I thought.  I loved the look, I loved how quick and easy it was, and I loved how it used only one ball and let the self-striping colors do the work.  It was the perfect project for artsy self-striping yarn, and I went on to make (and even sell) lots more.  And at long last I'm sharing the pattern with you.

It's not much of a "pattern," but it's a great use for single balls of artsy yarn.  This pattern is designed for worsted and aran weight yarns; a 50g ball of approximately 100yds will make a scarf that's approximately 2" wide and 72" long, excluding fringe.  However, the pattern could easily be adapted for use with other weights, and it's incredibly easy to change the width or length.  Just start with your desired amount of stitches and go until you run out of yarn!  (Be sure to cut your fringe first.)

To make a scarf like the one shown with worsted or aran weight self-striping yarn, begin by cutting 12 1' pieces of yarn for fringe.  With a size K (6.5mm) hook, ch 10, leaving at least a 6" tail.  Working into back "bumps" of chain (this makes attaching the fringe easier), trc into 5th ch from hook and each remaining ch (first 4 ch count as trc).  Turn.  *Ch4 (counts as trc), skip first trc, trc into each trc across.  7 trc total.  Turn.  Rep from * until yarn runs out, leaving at least a 6" tail.  Attach 6 pieces of fringe on each end of scarf and trim tails to match.

And that's it!  Quick, easy, minimal finishing, and, most importantly, colorful and fun!  The generous length of the scarf means you can wear it a million different ways.  It's a great use for stash yarn and for special (read: expensive) yarn, as you only need one ball.  It makes a great gift or just a fun project to do simply for the love of crochet.  Have fun, and remember to add pictures of your finished project to Ravelry!