New Pattern! Great Gift Idea (wink, wink)

Part of the blog silence this summer was due to the super secret project I was working on for Three Irish Girls. They (kindly, amazingly) offered to publish a pattern I submitted during their 'call for new patterns'.



Sidestep Ankle Warmers




From Three Irish Girls: The perfect thing to chase away the chill, these ankle warmers stop the gap between pants and shoes. The button closure allows you to remove them without getting them wet or muddy. And hey, they look pretty sweet too.

These are knit from one skein of TIG's super soft and warm "Deliciousness" Alpaca yarn. The color shown here is Bellini, which I think looks perfect modeled on a ballet dancer.

I, of course, wear mine under jeans and over gym shoes and think they look equally as nice and work perfectly!


You can find the pattern here for purchase for an easy-on-the-wallet $2.95 and here on Ravelry.

Many thanks again to TIG for giving me this opportunity!

How to Minimize Curling of your Malabrigo Waffles Scarf

I’ve received a few questions on how to stop the Malabrigo Waffles scarf from curling. Since it is a stockinette based pattern, the edges do want to curl in as you are knitting and wearing.

Blocking is the key here. I’ll explain my favorite way of blocking below, but your preferred method should work just as well.

To block, I use the “steam shot” button on my iron. Find a long heat and water resistant surface, like your bathroom floor covered in towels. Lay the scarf out and flatten as much as possible by hand. If you like, pin the edges out flat. Pass the iron slowing over the surface, hitting the steam shot button repeatedly as you go. Do not touch the iron directly to the scarf. I typically don’t pin the scarf down, but use my hand to flatten and smooth as I go. Be careful not to pull it so straight that you lose the waffle texture.
Allow the scarf to dry and cool before moving.

While it is impossible to completely prevent curling, this tames the curl to a manageable (and for me, comfortable) level while wearing.

Finished: Malabrigo Waffles Scarf

I loooove this scarf. It is so incredibly soft and comfy, plus long enough to wrap around my neck and wide enough cover my nose to keep out the cold. The pattern is a simple waffle stitch which I've written up below for your enjoyment. But first, outtakes from the finished-object photo shoot:





Oh look, a Tribble!




Um, hmmm.



I think I'm in trouble.


Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted or another worsted-weight yarn of your choice. I used approximately 1.5 skeins.
Needles: size 8US, or a size to obtain a gauge you like with your yarn
Gauge: not very important, as long as you like the fabric made with your yarn and needle choice
Finished Size: my scarf is approximately 7.5 inches wide and 65 inches long after a gentle steam blocking.


Cast on 30 stitches

Row 1: knit across
Row 2: purl across
Row 3: (k2,p2) across; end k2
Row 4: (p2, k2) across; end p2

Repeat until scarf is desired length and bind off.

Below, you can see that both sides of the scarf form a nice pattern. The front side is on the left, and the reverse on the left.





I'd love to see a photo if you make one.

Updated Jan 2010:
I neglected to mention in the original pattern how to minimize the curling of this scarf after knitting.

Blocking is the key here. I’ll explain my favorite way of blocking below, but your preferred method should work just as well.

To block, I use the “steam shot” button on my iron. Find a long heat and water resistant surface, like your bathroom floor covered in towels. Lay the scarf out and flatten as much as possible by hand. If you like, pin the edges out flat. Pass the iron slowing over the surface, hitting the steam shot button repeatedly as you go. Do not touch the iron directly to the scarf. I typically don’t pin the scarf down, but use my hand to flatten and smooth as I go. Be careful not to pull it so straight that you lose the waffle texture.
Allow the scarf to dry and cool before moving.

While it is impossible to completely prevent curling, this tames the curl to a manageable (and for me, comfortable) level while wearing.