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Monday, November 27, 2017

"How to Crochet a Scarf" by Anais M


Well fellow classmates, it’s November in Southern California and we all know what that means… it’s still warm outside! Nevertheless, we must power through and prepare for the chilly weather that may or may not arrive! So in this article I will be explaining to you all how to crochet a scarf. Now this may seem a little weird but bear with me, this scarf is not only incredibly stylish and a perfect accessory for the gruelling harshness of winter, but it also makes a perfect gift! Mothers, Grandmothers, Tias, Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Cousins, Uncles, Dogs, Kids, Teachers and so many more will rejoice to open their gift on Christmas morning and find a beautifully woven bundle of yarn, that will protect their necks from the frosty air! In all seriousness though, crocheting is one of my most favorite activities to do, especially in the winter time because it keeps my habitually cold hands warm. So I hope my article is easy to understand and that you are rewarded with a beautiful scarf that you can either keep for yourself or gift in the upcoming holiday season. Then hopefully once you are finished, you continue the hobby! So let us begin!
DISCLAIMER: I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING A SHORT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE ABOUT THE BASICS OF CROCHETING OR ELSE SOME THINGS MAY GET LOST IN TRANSLATION. IT’S MUCH BETTER VISUALLY SEEING HOW THE STITCHES ARE DONE THEN JUST READING THEM
Estimated time:
Five to six hours (I am now able to complete the square in three hours, but the first time took awhile)
Materials:
+      Yarn- 4 skeins (bundles) of 9mm of soft and bulky, in your choice of color (I personally use LionBrand and that can be purchased at JoAnns, Michaels or Walmart)

+      Crochet Hook- size L, 8mm (both metal or plastic work the exact same, you can buy them individually or if you plan keep doing projects, I would then recommend you buy a pack of multi hooks)
+      Scissors

Step one:
So now that you have all the necessary materials, you need to start by making a “chain”. A chain is the foundation of all crochet projects and it is done the exact same way every time. So you are going to make what is essentially a knot or in crochet terms a “slip knot”. Make a little loop with your hands, then like the diagram, pull yarn through the loop to create the know and another loop on top of it. (illustration 9)

Then keeping your hook in the loop you are going to use the slip stitch to create a chain of roughly 100 slip stitches (the amount of stitches your chain has all depend on how long you want your scarf, so wrap the chain around your neck when you want to check if the length is good). To create the slip stitch, you are going to put your hook through the loop grab the yarn and pull it through the loop again. (illustration  12)


Step two
Once you finish your chain, you are going to do a half double crochet stitch back into the work you did. Now that sounds complicated, but it's really not. Essentially you are adding width to your scarf, so it makes sense to work off of what you already did. (Illustration 27 shows what going back into your work is) So a half double crochet is inserting your hook, wrapping yarn around it, going into the first loop, pulling through, then pulling through the three loops on your hook. Keep doing that until you get to the end.


Step three:
Once you get to the end (or rather where you first started) you are going to chain two of the slip stitches you used to create your chain, and then flip your work. Flipping your work is just grabbing what you already did and flipping it so that the other side is showing, and then do your half double crochets back what you already did.



Step four:
Keep repeating step three until you get your desired width.
Step five:
Pull the yarn all the way through your last loop and you are done.

I know this may seem complicated but give it a shot. Doing just a little bit more research on the stitches makes these projects so much easier. I just really want people to know that making something by hand may seem terrifying and unnecessary (especially because you can just buy it from the store) but it is something to really be proud off. Also don't be discouraged if something doesn't turn out, even the master starts out as the apprentice.

33 comments:

  1. Anais, thank you so much for your post! I know how to knit and I have wanted to learn how to crochet, too, but never had time to learn. With your post, I can get myself started confidently. Your steps were very specific (especially what materials to use) and outlined what to do with exact detail. Thank you for also including pictures because they were extremely helpful to imagine what to do. I also loved how you put words of encouragement in case we dont get it the first time, especially how all masters start out as apprentices. Amazing job overall, thank you so much for teaching me!

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  2. Ive always been fascinated in the different ways of how people work with fabrics and your guide on Crocheting has only added to the fascination. Although you advise readers to look at a video, your included pictures are more then helpful and add to your descriptions. Even though I probably wont be crocheting any time soon the steps you gave are vivid and show an attention to detail many probably wouldn't consider. I also enjoyed the personal details you gave to this how to guide, where most just give systematic steps,you give personal anecdotes to how you approached certain steps. Overall great job and I will hopefully one day attempt this craft as a gift for a significant other or parent. Gavin Gnaster

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  3. I can hear you voice in the beginning paragraph and it made me laugh. I love that you put your personality into something as simple as a tutorial. Anyway, great job, super specific! I used to know how to crochet but I completely forgot. This definitely makes me want to pick it up again. I would love a scarf for Christmas in case you're wondering.

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  4. This is so helpful! It's so informative and well written. It's laced with humorous remarks and visuals which really help keep the reader's attention. Overall a very nice quick read

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  5. I remember my grandma tried to teach me how to crochet, I vaguely remember making a slightly identifiable mound of yarn and my grandma somehow having the patience to keep on trying to help me. Not that she did anything wrong, but this post helps me understand the logistics of crocheting, considering I'm a visual learner. This genuinely interests me, and I know crocheted clothing is coming into style, so maybe I'll give it a whirl if I ever get into the hang of it! Great post!

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  6. This was such a cool topic to write about! My great grandma actually taught me how to crochet a long time ago and never took her lessons seriously. Now that she passed away I dont have anyone to teach me how to do it anymore. I will try this out since I have a bunch of yarn hanging out on my room.

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  7. Your tutorial was very informative and easy to follow along. I use to crochet, so reading this brought back old memories and I want to pick up crocheting again and this was the motivation I needed to push me to pick up my crochet hook. Good job!
    Samantha Ehrlich Period 1

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  8. I enjoyed how your bubbly personality shinned in the beginning of the piece! I also would love to try to crochet; it may not come out perfect, but I'm sure your piece will help. Wonderful job!
    -Taylor Vasquez

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  9. My homie Anais sharing such niche knowledge once again! I found this step by step instruction on how to crochet much more useful than all the youtube videos I used to watch when I trying to learn how to knit. It had the perfect quantity of pictures and descriptions that guided you very thoroughly through the crocheting process. The only suggestion I have is that we should definitely knit/crotchet a 50 ft long scarf one day!

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  10. Wow crocheting is something that is not easy to do, being able to use this task to pursue it as a hobby,and to share with others and teach your classmates "How To" is awesome. This is something that is more than a skill, this is true talent because to some just like myself, this can be very challenging, but you have explained in great detail the amount of work made so easy.The visuals were great and adds great emphasis on "How To"
    Great Work!!!

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  11. I like that you started off with sarcasm, as my family will speak in sarcasm as a second language, so I instantly caught on and laughed. I used to crochet when I was little, and I vaguely remember making a scarf and some socks. I have not honed in on the excellent skill of crochet since 2011 at least, so it was good to look at such an in depth guide onto how I should approach crochet. Nice Job!

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  12. Ive always wondered how people make such homemade scarfs, this tutorial was very informative on how to do that. I like how you used pictures and detailed instructions on how to create / crochet a scarf. Very nice tutorial!

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  13. Great piece on how to make a scarf. Like in reality, your details were precise and to-the-point, and very easy to understand. In all, these directions serve as both to keep warm and an example of excellent writing style.

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  14. This was such a great "How To" to read going into Christmas break. I loved reading this because you were very detailed with your instructions and you made it really easy to follow by including pictures. Your "How To" was really nice to read and I look forward to trying to make one of these crochet scarfs for my grandma over the holidays! Good Job Anais!

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  15. Great job on this piece :) This reminded me of my mom making me big puffy blankets using a crocheting method! You were very clear and informative and the images you had included will definitely be a big help to those who try this out.

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  16. I've always wanted to learn how to crochet and thanks to your how to I think I just might. Your steps were easy to follow. I love how you started it with sarcasm in the intro. Also I appreciate how you told us the brands you use. Thank you again for this how to!

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  17. This is super helpful! I like the pictures that you implemented as well! I think they help a lot since it shows how your project should look so far. My sister actually loved doing this before she went to college; she was super good at it! I have a scarf from her that she made. Good job, this is incredibly descriptive!

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  18. I love this "How to" it was very detailed and easy to follow along. I liked how you inserted pictures and recommended a video. I always wanted to do something like this but never knew how or had that much time, but I'm definitely going to try this out with my mom and grandma . thanks for sharing !

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  19. I love the humor in the beginning and the whole instructional article was easy to understand and follow. I might just give crocheting a shot!

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  20. Wow this was awesome! I love that you incorporated pictures, it really gave me a better understanding of how to do each step. Also your step descriptions were great! The were really straightforward and easy to understand. I definitely feel that I’ll attempt to make a scarf in the near future.

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  21. I'm definitely going to try this! Your steps are very easy to follow and I like the visuals you added to make the instructions more clear. I also love the little bits of humor you included. This seems like a good project to do to kill some time during break! Thank you lots :)

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  22. Alejandro QuintanillaDecember 6, 2017 at 9:21 PM

    This reminded me of my time in and after Mexico wear my siblings and I learned how to make scarves using a loom and yarn which was very fun at the time. The method you have shown seems very similar and also seems like a great way to distress and work mindlessly with your hands.

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  23. Reading your blog post about crocheting made me think of all the times I would watch my great-aunt crochet scarves and such when I was very little. Ever since then, I had always been interested in learning how to crochet, but I never truly had the time or knowledge in how to do so. But now, I feel like I can follow your instructions and finally be able to join my great-aunt in crocheting this winter. The way that yoh explain how to crochet in your blog post makes it seem so simple, that anyone could do it. So thank you, from people like me, for posting this!
    -Carianne Lefebvre

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  24. Love that its step by step with pictures. I used to know how to crochet and i haven't been able to remember how and this helps perfectly. I can't wait to make a scarf soon.

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  25. Even for someone like me who often gets jumbled when attempting to follow WikiHow guides, this How-To was just so simple, humorous, and easy to follow. The How-To inspires me to pick up my own crochet hooks and begin to make my own scarf for the harsh winter. Amazing work!

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  26. I love this "How To"! It's perfect for the season, especially with winter break coming up! I just might have to try and crochet a scarf of my own. It was enjoyable how you included your personality into this. You wrote easily understandable and detailed steps. With the help of this piece, I feel like I might actually be successful.

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  27. I have always wanted to learn how to do this. I am so glad that you wrote about this for your how to. I have always wanted to make my own sweater but I never attempted it. Reading this gave me the desire to finally go out and try it. I also really liked the funny parts included in your how to.
    Steve Martinez P.1

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  28. I know how much you love knitting, so it’s great to see that you want to show your love for this relaxing hobby with everyone else. Your use of pictures really helps whoever wants to learn get a better understanding of the task. I have the tools to make a scarf and now that I also have a clear “How-to”, I’m going to try it!

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  29. Salve! I loved the introduction and simple (yet very detailed) steps to inform someone on how to make one of the versatile pieces of clothing as well as staying warm in the crazy California climate. I think that it's quite laudable that you are able to put everything into four easy steps and watching a video beforehand as recommended helped a lot with terminology. I think I should make a scarf so I don't have to carry a blanket everywhere! I really enjoyed your piece and find your hobby really intriguing, finding myself on youtube for quite a while. I can see how relaxing it can be after you've learned it!

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  30. Anais, this is a really great "how to" tutorial! I liked how you emphasized the cold weather with dictions like "grueling" and "frosty". This brings me back to when i used to crochet and i stopped, but reading this really encouraged me to start crocheting again. i'm broke so maybe i'll crochet a scarf as a Christmas gift!

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  31. Gosh, I love the humor at the beginning, it makes this so much fun to read. I originally selected this because on numerous occasions I have tried to learn how to crochet but have failed. Your tutorial was very informative and the visuals helped me very much, I'll definitely try and make some scarves this season, its getting chilly out there!

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  32. My mom loves to crochet whether it be beanies or blankets! I'll definitely show her this how-to in hopes that she can learn something as well!
    DeAndre Siringoringo P.1

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  33. I could definitely hear your voice when I was reading your post. It was one of the strongest parts of your post, as it makes something seemingly ordinary into something very interesting for the reader. Make sure to check for comma placement though, and you should be fine. (I love it!)

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