I was always destined to make things (ft. chunky scarf free pattern)

… And make things I did.  Many things!  All different things!  Stitched gifts and knitted jumpers and sewn dresses and crochet bikinis and all manner of crafty projects.  From around age 6 I’ve been a dab hand with a needle and thread and capable of whipping up something pretty cute (cringey on occasion too… but still cute).  I can’t remember not knowing how to sew a backstitch or knit a cable.  It all seems like second nature to me.

Being asked ‘Can you fix the hem on these?’ just seems like a stupid question.  Of course I can, what sort of useless idiot do you take me for?  Not because I think anyone who doesn’t know how to sew up a quick hem is a useless idiot – far from it – but because to me, that kind of thing just feels like basic life skills that I can’t remember not having.  Button falls off?  Find a matching colour (from the whole rainbow of threads in the cupboard, obvs) and sew it back on, easy peasy.   Want a big chunky scarf that isn’t the same Primark one everybody has?  Make one!  I sound like some kind of 1950s housewife saying these feel like life skills to me but hey, someone has to be able to fix a ripped pocket or fallen off button, and guess who’s the go-to gal around these parts.

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Maybe that sounded kind of arrogant, but hopefully you get my drift.  Basically all the women in my family have been makers so I was destined to follow suit.  Destiny in the figurative sense of course… I’m not one to believe in actual destiny.

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A few examples:

My Grandma always had intricate cross stitches all over the walls of her house, and made a huge blanket for baby me.  She painted and embroidered and all sorts.  I inherited all her old sewing patterns, sewing machine, fabrics and basically everything crafty when she died.

My Nan made a sampler when I was born that was on my bedroom wall for years, along with countless stuffed toys and crochet blankets.  She’s always making fiddly toys or gifts for friends.

My Mum handmade the Christmas stockings my brother and I have used all our lives, stitched pictures for my wall, and made cushions for my lil’ kiddy bed.  For the 5 years or so that this blog belonged to my mum we both churned out projects left right and centre, many of which she made for me.  Started my fashion blogger poses young, you see.

My Auntie Sharon was another fan of the cross-stitch, who started one for me whilst I was still in the womb and sadly passed away of cancer before I was born.  My great auntie Margaret, who’d never stitched in her life, finished it on her behalf.  So that’s a particularly special one, because I never met Sharon so it’s pretty much the only link I have.  From what I’ve heard, I think we’d have got along well.

You get the idea.

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It’d be pretty weird if I didn’t end up with the crafty genes tbh!  Not once was I forced or even persuaded to do this stuff – I genuinely wanted to, and still do now.   Hence the big ass scarf made by moi.  Overdramatic maybe, but being a crafty person almost feels like part of my ~identity~, and I love being asked where X item is from and being able to say I made it.  It’s my ‘thing’.  Always will be, I’m sure of it!

I used to like making more complicated things and challenging myself with fancy designs and techniques, but I’m quite liking the simple stuff these days.  Basically quick projects that I’ll actually wear lots, rather than fiddly ones that are worn once in a blue moon.  I thought a big neutral scarf would come in handy so voila, I made one.  Could never bring myself to buy the equivalent.  A garter stitch scarf is about as simple as it gets, but I added some randomly placed criss cross details just to mix it up a bit.  I’ve draped it in a somewhat ridiculous way here in an attempt to show the detail in only a small frame, but imagine it worn in a normal manner!  As I have done already and will continue to do so until Easter in all likelihood.  Quite like how the cross details turned out, and I’ll write up a quick pattern for any knitters reading to make one too.

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Oh and enter the Christmassy photos – I spent rather a large chunk of time this weekend decorating two rather large trees, so expect to see them as photo backgrounds from now until the 25^th.  Happy with my handiwork both in scarf making and tree decorating, so there you go.

EDIT: PATTERN NOW INCLUDED

As promised, the pattern for the chunky scarf I can’t stop wearing.
I made a super chunky version that turned out as size Ginormous, and makes an excellent makeshift hood to block out wind, scarf to wrap around 4 times, or blanket to drape over ones self on the sofa. It’s as simple as simple can be – just a garter stitch scarf with a few randomly plonked cable motifs to mix it up a bit. So new knitters, do not fear! Give it a go and report back 🙂

Materials: Super chunky yarn, stitch markers and 10mm needles (I used Robin Super Chunky and used approximately 4.5 x100g balls)

Cable motif (worked over 8 stitches and 12 rows)

I’ve written out the pattern for how I placed the cable motifs, but feel free to place them randomly however you like.

Cast on 30 stitches.
Note: Slip the first stitch of every row knitwise with yarn held to front.

12 rows garter stitch
S1, k15, work row 1 of cable motif from either chart or written instructions, k8.
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers, with rest of scarf in garter stitch with slipped edges as set.

8 rows garter stitch
S1, k15, cable motif, k8.
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

18 rows garter stitch
S1, k9, cable motif, k12
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

2 rows garter stitch
S1, k1, cable motif, k20
On row 9 of current cable motif, introduce another motif on the left hand side as follows:
—-S1, k2, cable motif, k9, work row 1 of cable motif, k3
Continue to finish both motifs between both sets of markers with rest of scarf in garter stitch with slipped edges as set.

32 rows garter stitch
S1, k1, cable motif, k20
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

14 rows garter stitch
S1, k19, cable motif, k2
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

10 rows garter stitch
S1, k5, cable motif, k16
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

8 rows garter stitch
S1, k5, cable motif, k16
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

52 rows garter stitch
S1, k19, cable motif, k2
Work remaining 11 rows of motif between markers as before.

4 rows garter stitch
Cast off

Of course if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email to lilykate@jolihouse.com. More free patterns here!

Lily Kate x

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