Swift Knit MEGA scarves

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I am a chunky-yarn-lover. 

The bigger the better, in my opinion. 

My good friends at Stylecraft Yarns are no strangers to chunky yarn and recently, I used Swift Knit for my slouchy hat in Supersize Crochet - I just loved the softness and warmth of the yarn and the way the different colours worked together. So when they launched Swift Knit MEGA and asked if any of the Blogstars would like to try it, I knew it would be a winner.

And I wasn't disappoined. It's the same mix of 80% Acrylic 20% Wool, but in a huge 200g ball, with 70m of yarn and a recommended hook/needle of 15mm.

My first experiments were with crochet, where I tried an easy textured stitch and I loved the result. In fact, I adapted this slightly and used the Wedgewood colourway for a super-chunky cowl in Issue 97 of Inside Crochet magazine.

Now, you might have noticed that there has also been a LOT of knitting going on here recently. I am loving the easy-knit projects I've been working on and, as someone who is still a novice in these matters, simplicity is the way forward for me.

And so, when the kids asked for warm scarves, I knew exactly what I'd do with my Swift Knit Mega: knit them in one each in garter stitch.

There are two things I love about garter stitch: 

1) it's just knit stitch on repeat

2) it's SOOOOOOO squishy 

The Swift Knit Mega works beautifully in this pattern - I love the subtle colour changes and the squishiness of the yarn is just perfection. Plus, it only takes one ball to make a good-length scarf.

Here's what you'll need if you want to make one:

1x ball of Stylecraft Swift Knit Mega; my colours were Peony (2143) and Wedgewood (2144)

15mm needles

Cast on 8 stitches

Knit every row until you run out of yarn, leaving enough for cast-off.

Job done.

Happy kids.

If you'd like to read more about the Stylecraft Blogstars and see what they've been up to, then follow the link.

Enjoy your week, and stay warm

Sarah xxx

Easy Knit Cowl

It's a well-known fact that us Brits are obsessed with the weather

Some people might find this strange, but we love to talk about it - how cold it is, how warm it is, how windy it is, when it might rain, how much it has rained, why it hasn't rained.... you get the idea.

The simple reason is that here in the UK, we can literally have four seasons in one day (apparently it's something to do with the cold air from the north pushing against the warm air from the tropics which does this).  Take today, for instance - snow this morning (the children were THRILLED) but now it's just damp and cold. Yesterday though, it was positively balmy.  

But with such bonkers weather, I often find myself feeling the cold throughout the year, which is exactly why I love ALLLLLLLLL the warm, woolly things, especially those to wear around my neck and is why I can never pass on an opportunity to make shawls, wraps, scarves and cowls.

And this one is no exception.

I was very kindly sent some chunky yarns from Sirdar to try and I couldn't resist this gorgeous Bohemia in Teal Appeal.

It's a fabulously super-chunky yarn (you know how much I love 'em) in 51% Wool 49% Acrylic mix and is a low-twist, single ply. The hank size is 150g/ 50m. And it's really, really soft. 

Now as much as I love crochet, I knew that to get the most out of a single skein of this glorious yarn, I'd have to knit it. 

Sirdar do have a free snood pattern but I decided I wanted something a bit more snug around my neck and I wanted to knit it in the round, cos I am too lazy to sew it all together at the end.

And so my version is super-quick 'n' easy and because it's in the round, you only need to make a knit stitch (seriously, if I can do it, you can, too).

Easy Knit Cowl Pattern

Finished size approximately 60cm circumference / 27cm tall

Here's what you'll need to know to complete the project (click on each for link to video):

*Long tail cast on

*Knitting in the round

*Knit stitch 

*Cast off 

You'll need:

1 hank of Sirdar Bohemia

20mm x 80cm circular needles (mine are from Woolly Mahoosive)

Tension isn't really important, but gauge is roughly 5 sts and 7 rows to 10cm x 10cm

Cast on 30 stitches using the Long Tail Cast On Method

Rnds 1 - 19*: Knit all stitches

Cast off loosely.

*or until you run out of yarn (leave enough for cast-off)

Sew in ends

That's it - it'll take about an hour of your time to make and will keep you warm and snug throughout the cold winter months.

And the cold summer months, for that matter.

Wishing you all a very happy and crafty New Year!

Sarah xx

BTW, to find out more about all things chunky-yarny, read my feature in Inside Crochet Issue 97.