No Knit Scarf

My Mother

My family still lives in Northern Virginia, and whenever this time of year comes around, we always go back and forth about how beautiful it is here in Phoenix, and how bone-chilling cold it is back there.  I remember one time I was floating around in my pool in March, and I believe they had a snow storm that same day.

So when my sister celebrated a recent birthday, I wanted to make something that would keep her warm.  I found directions for a no-knit scarf on Martha Stewart's webpage.  I pulled on some Capri's and flip flops, hopped in my truck and drove to Hobby Lobby with my windows rolled down, the air keeping me cool as the hot sun bore down.

After I picked out my yarn, I went home to tackle the project.  Here are my interpreted directions...

1. Cut 12 pieces of bulky-weight yarn to about 1 1/2 times the desired length of the final scarf. I found a scarf that I currently had and measured it against that.
2. Divide yarn into 4 bunches of 3 strands each.
3. Tie 2 bunches together with a square knot, leaving 6 inches of fringe at end; repeat with remaining bunches.
4. Martha's instructions say to pin the knots to a piece of foam board. But I didn't have any foam board.  you can tape the ends down to a coffee table, or do what I did, My coffee table has drawers, so I shoved the ends into the drawer and shut it.  Either way, you need to find some way to hold the ends down as you knot.
5. Knot inner 2 bunches of yarn together, spacing knot about 1 inch from existing knots, then knot left and right bunches together. Alternate knotting the inner bunches and the left and right ones, spacing knots evenly apart, until about 6 inches of yarn remain on the end. Finish so that final knots mirror opposite end, and trim to even the ends.

Here are directions for the square knot...

Start with two pieces of rope that are close in diameter, in this case, you're using two bunches of yarn.   We'll call them rope A and rope B for ease in describing this process.

Hold the end of rope A in your left hand and the end of rope B in your right hand.

Cross rope A over rope B to form an X.    

 

Cross A over B again, forming another X.

Wrap A once to the left around B.

Pull on the free ends to tighten the knot.

It was kind of awkward in the beginning as I was learning how to tie the knot, but once I found my rhythm, it went really fast.  The whole thing took me maybe an hour and a half.  it's a great craft, even for a beginner crafter. 

My sister called and said she LOVED the scarf.  As the snow is still melting back east from the the big storms this year, I think I'll go search for my next project out on my patio!

Wrap A once to the right around B, just like the first step in tying a bow in your shoelace. A is now sticking out to the right and B is to the left.