Backing a Knit Scarf with Wool Fabric

When I designed the Clayr Scarf, my intention was to create a wonderfully light and long airy scarf. It was a beautiful scarf, knit up in Shibui Knits Pebble, which is a blend of silk, merino wool, and cashmere. Although I loved the scarf, it has ended up sitting folded in a drawer for years, it just doesn't suit cold Canadian winters. I always find myself reaching for something warmer, so I thought I would put some time into making Clayr a scarf I reached for more often.

I decided to back (or 'line') Clayr with a woven wool fabric, which would give the scarf both structure and warmth. I chose a fairly heavy and dark wool, so that the lace triangles would be emphasized. To start I cut a piece of wool the size of the scarf (I ending up having to do a little bit of piecing to get a piece of fabric long enough).

The wool was a little too heavy to hem around the edges, so instead I used a linen tape to bind the edges. I hand stitched the linen tape along all 4 sides using a running stitch, which kept the bulk down compared to hemming. I chose to hand stitch this project because it gave me more control, and I was able to perfectly hide the stitches in the linen tape. I've also been wanting to get quicker at hand stitching with a thimble, and this project gave me lots of practice with that.

After binding the piece of wool, I whip stitched the knit scarf onto the wool backing, going around all 4 edges. Again I hand stitched this, which gave me a really clean finish. I blocked the scarf at this stage (essential!), and then tacked the two pieces together every couple of inches with some thread that blended in really well with the wool fabric. This gave an effect similar to double gauze fabric, which gives the scarf lots of body and structure, and keeps the layers lined up nicely.

This was a very tedious project, but relaxing to do in the evening with a cup of tea while watching movies. Of course I finished the scarf right in time for the first few days of spring, but alas, that's the way these handmade projects seem to go. Next winter this will be pulled out plenty!

Some recent blog posts for you to check out:

New Pattern: Clayr

Clayr is officially out in the world! Clayr is a generously long, light, and airy scarf that will bring you from those first spring days into the cool evenings of summer. Sporadic lace triangles give this scarf both a sharp geometric design element while keeping a soft airy look. You’ll find yourself reaching for Clayr time and time again. You can now find Clayr on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clayr

Take Me to the Mountains

These small mountain-inspired ornaments can be used to make pins, brooches, and necklaces. The set includes instructions for a mountain, a pine tree, and a big horned sheep. My favourite way to use these is to attach a safety pin onto the back of each one and decorate my project bags with them.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/take-me-to-the-mountains

Laiya Peak

I published my very first pattern in January 2014, named Chevron Cowl. I originally knit the cowl in bright colours and lately I find myself wearing neutrals and less saturated colours so I wanted to re-knit the cowl in yarn that I would wear more. 

I chose Knitpick’s Chroma worsted weight yarn in the colour Sandpiper for one of my chevron colours and then I went with white and black yarn for the other two colours to keep it neutral.

I’ve also decided to rename the pattern. After reading a very good article on the Love Knitting blog by Kate Atherly (linked below) about naming patterns I decided that I want to switch to more unique pattern names. Laila Peak is a beautiful mountain in Pakistan that the peaks of the chevron design remind me of.

Laila Peak on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/laila-peak

Choosing a name for your pattern by Kate Atherly: http://blog.loveknitting.com/choosing-a-name-for-your-pattern-by-kate-atherley/?blog_page=/

Daisy Coffee Cozy

This sweet cozy is knit using the beautiful ‘daisy’ stitch. The cozy is made to fit most medium size coffee cups perfectly. You can reduce waste by using this reusable sleeve instead of double cupping or using a disposable paper sleeve.

This pattern is available for free on my Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daisy-coffee-cozy