As the snow begins to melt, the knitting project that got me through the storm is finished. Casting on 11 stitches on size 10 needles, follow the pattern of knit 1, purl 1 to create a strip of color. Make 3 strips in total (with a length of around 52 inches).

Line the 3 strips next to each other and use the loose strings to sew the ends together (side-by-side). With that done, simply braid the strips. And sew the ends together like before.

Then to keep the braid in place, I used loose pieces of yarn to tack down where the strips overlaid each other. I simply used a double knot and cut off the loose ends. And ta-da! You have yourself a homemade scarf!

Another project I made for a Christmas present this year was this scarf. I found the pattern from Debbie Bliss’s book The Knitter’s Year (as you can tell, I’m a big fan of that book!) And it was pretty cool project to undertake. I had purchased fisherman’s wool a couple weeks before, and jumped on the opportunity to use it, but the pattern suggests using two different color cotton yards.

I suggest looking up Debbie’s Bliss’ book for the entire pattern, but to achieve this curved stitch is super easy.

• Row 1: Knit
• Row 2: Purl
• Row 3: Knit 2 stitches together for 3 stitches – yarn over 6 stitches – knit 2 stitches together for 6 stitches – yarn over 6 stitches – knit 2 stitches together for 2 stitches
• Row 4: Knit

The pattern creates this awesome lace detail and, of course, the curved look.

So if you have a boring afternoon, just pick up some size 3 knitting needles. It’s simple and you can most definitely do it!