Tag Archives: infinity scarves

Oct21

A Summer of Infinity Scarves

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I know summer is no time for infinity scarves. Most people living in the Northern Hemisphere are not going to bundle up anytime

These are four scarves I made for some of my lady friends back at the Bridge.

These are four scarves I made for some of my lady friends back at the Bridge.

between June and September. However, summer is when I had to time to make scarves, so after initial hesitation when I wasn’t sure I’d remember how to do the last steps of the infinity scarf process (I remembered!) I went on what I can only call a yarn bender. I didn’t want to go to work. I didn’t want to read. I didn’t want to clean the van. I didn’t want to cook, although I did want to eat. Mostly I just wanted to listen to podcasts and make infinity scarves.

(Read about the first two infinity scarves I made this summer here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/08/26/two-new-infinity-scarves/.)

The yarn bender started when the Chile Lady sent me two skeins of yarn. The yarn was thick, the sort of yarn intended to be used with my round looms. (When using the thin yarn that’s  more readily available at thrift stores, I use two strands at a time. The thick yarn requires only one strand at a time.) One skein of yarn was a charcoal grey. The other was a deep red, nearly a burgundy.

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Esmerelda is modeling the infinity scarf I made for Elsa.

I had missed Elsa’s birthday, so I decided to make her a scarf using the yarn the Chile Lady had sent. I decided instead of using alternating rows of colors, I would keep it simple and use the colors in two blocks. The thick yarn and the large blocks of color made the scarf-making go fast; I had the scarf ready in no time.

I don’t remember which scarf I made next. I just know I made scarves for Mariquita, Dawn, and Rose in quick succession. I remembered how Dawn had most liked the brightly colorful hats I’d had at the Bridge the last time I was there, so I made her a brightly colorful scarf. Mariquita is quiet and somewhat

Esmerelda is modeling the scarf I made for Rose, with a color scheme of rosy pinks and browns.

Esmerelda is modeling the scarf I made for Rose, with a color scheme of rosy pinks and browns.

reserved, so I made her a scarf with a more restrained color scheme of blues and seafoam greens. The color scheme for Rose’s scarf included rosy pinks and browns.

While I made infinity scarves, I listened to podcasts on my phone. One advantage to moving into the current decade where cell phones are concerned is that I can now put music and podcast episodes on my phone. While I made scarves, I listened to Risk, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff You Should Know, and a new favorite Death, Sex, & Money.

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Esmerelda is modeling the scarf I made for Mariquita.

I also did Pimsleur Spanish lessons while I made scarves. I’ve been doing Pimsleur Spanish lessons off and on (mostly off) for about two years, since Tea loaned me the Pimsleur CDs her friend burned for her. I put the lessons on my laptop before my disc drive jammed. Before I realized I could transfer the lessons from my laptop onto my phone, it was a big deal to take out my laptop everyday, do my thirty minute Spanish lesson, then quickly turn off the computer to save as much battery power as possible. The charge on the battery in my phone lasts a lot longer than the charge on my laptop battery, and the phone is a lot easier to charge using an inverter and the van’s battery, so having the lessons on my phone has made my Spanish studying much easier.

These four scarves are not the last I made. Oh no! I made five more scarves after these. But I’ll save those for another day.

 

Aug26

Two New Infinity Scarves

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In May, I started working on an infinity scarf for a friend. I worked on it sporadically, but I just couldn’t get excited about the task. I was dreading the final step, for which I had used an online video as a guide when I made the first scarf. Would I be able to follow the written instructions I’d printed before I left Babylon? I was unsure of my ability to remember how to do the final step or to follow the written instructions. I didn’t want to mangle my friend’s gift.

But one day I decided I’d procrastinated enough. The time to finish the scarf had arrived.

I got to the final step. I read the directions. I followed them one at a time. I remembered what I’d seen in the video. I finished the scarf. It wasn’t mangled. Yippie!

IMG_6733On the left is the scarf I made for my friend, my second infinity scarf. My friend grew up in New England, so as I made this scarf for her, I thought of the leaves changing colors in that part of the world. I tried to capture the autumn colors to remind her of home.

Quick! Before I could forget what I’d just relearned, I made another infinity scarf for another friend. This one was easier. I finished it quickly, in a couple of day.

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My road dog Esmerelda models the infinity scarf I made for a friend.

This friend’s favorite color is purple, so I used a purple and blue color scheme. I think it came out great.

Now I feel confident in my scarf-making abilities. Pretty soon I won’t even have to look at the instructions while I work.

I took the photos in this post.

Jul19

Infinity Scarf

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I’ve been making hats from yarn for almost two years. I bought one of those round loom sets at a thrift store and taught myself to make hats by reading the instructions that came with the kit, making a lot of mistakes, and practicing, practicing, practicing. I sell some of the hats I make and give some of them as gifts. My favorite aspect of making hats is playing with color. I like using bright, especially variegated yarn.

Here are some of the hats I’ve made:

This blue and white hat has a finished edge. The yarn is very thick. This will be a warm, warm hat.

This large blue and white hat has a finished edge. The yarn is very thick and should keep a head very, very warm. It costs $13, including shipping.

 

This large hat has an unfinished edge. It is quite purple, and costs $13, including postage.

This large hat has an unfinished edge. It is quite purple, and costs $13, including postage.

These large green and blue hats cost $13 each, including shipping. The one on the upper right has a finished edge. The other two have rolled edges.

These large green and blue hats cost $13 each, including shipping. The one on the upper right has a finished edge. The other two have rolled edges.

 

These large hats for are made from 100% wool. They cost $20, including postage. They all have rolled edges.

These large hats for are made from 100% wool. They cost $20, including postage. They all have rolled edges.

(You can see all of the hats I have for sale at http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/hats-ive-made-for-sale/.)

When I was on Facebook, someone in a group I was in mentioned making infinity scarves with her round loom. I asked her how she used the loom to make infinity scarves, and she directed me to http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-knit-an-infinity-scarf-on-a-loom/. Again, I learned how to do the craft project by reading the instructions, making some mistakes, and practicing, practicing, practicing.

The first infinity scarf I made was a birthday present for a friend.

Here’s a photo showing what the scarf looked like shortly after I began work on it.

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Here’s another photo showing the scarf a bit later in the process:

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It takes a lot of time and yarn to make an infinity scarf. I’d have to charge a lot of money for these scarves if I sold them.

Here’s a photo of the completed project:

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I’m in the process of making a second infinity scarf as a gift for another friend, but it’s been slow going. The scarves don’t offer the quick gratification that hats offer and feel more like work than fun, another reason I’ll probably never sell one.

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I took all of the photos in this post.