With a chill in the air, all of my Northern friends begin pulling wool from their stash and get to work on their dreamy projects. They are about to start the season of yarn - in fact 3 glorious seasons of yarn. Their projects are designed to make you feel warm and cozy on those chilly, breezy days. No yarn is too heavy or too warm for my Northern Friends.

Here in the South, it’s still 85 degrees. It’s hot. Real hot. Damn hot. The thought of wool would make your skin itch, crawl, and walk away if it could. The air conditioning is on full-blast and the ice is still melting in the lemonade. Fall is just another extension of summer here. Cotton is a Southerner’s best friend when you insist on using hooks in this heat.

And yet here is a simple pattern we can both agree on. Different fibers for our different locations keep us hooking along together, unified in crochet. A felted wool scarf to keep out those blustery fall breezes in the North and a cool cotton scarf to help us pretend that it really is Fall in the South.

North:

• Patons Classic Merino Wool (100% wool; 223 yards / 204 meters per 100 grams / 3.5 oz.), Old Gold (#204), Paprika (#238), Burgundy (#208), Leaf Green (#240), 1 skein of each
• K hook / 6.5 mm
• Yarn needle
• Zippered pillowcase or a regular pillowcase and strong rubber band
• 1/2 cup baking sod
• Dish soap, just a squirt
• Old jeans and/or tennis shoes
• A top-loading clothes washer
• Four old towels

South:

• Lily Sugar ‘n Cream (100% cotton; 120 yards / 110 meters per 70.9 grams/2.5 oz.), Ecru (#4), Warm Brown (#1130), Hot Green (#1712), Rose Pink (#46), 1 ball of each
• H hook / 5.0 mm
• Yarn needle

North: 90”/228 cm before felting; 78”/198 cm after felting. Your scarf may be a little longer or shorter, depending on your washer and the duration of felting time.

South: 81”/206 cm

North: each motif = 4"/10cm in diameter

South: each motif = 3.25"/8.25cm in diameter 

Motifs are worked in the round. Do not turn rows.

Motifs

Make 3 motifs in each color scheme for a total of 21 motifs per scarf.

For North Scarf

For South Scarf

With MC, ch 2.

Row 1: Work 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook, sl st in first sc to close round. (6 sts)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in bottom of same st, work 2 sc in each st around, sl st in first ch to close round. (12 sts)

Row 3: Ch 1, work 2 sc in next st, *sc in next st, work 2 sc in next st,* rep from * to * around, sl st in first ch to close round. (18 sts)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in next st, work 2 sc in next st, *sc in each of next 2 sts, work 2 sc in next st,* repeat around, join 2^nd color in the last stitch, with CC, sl st in first ch to close round. (24 sts)

Row 5: Ch 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, work 2 sc in next st, *sc in each of next 3 sts, work 2 sc in next st,* rep from * to * around, sl st in first ch to close round. (30 sts)

Row 6: Ch 1, sc in each of next 3 sts, work 2 sc in next st, *sc in each of next 4 sts, work 2 sc in next st,* rep from * to * around, sl st in first ch to close round. Fasten off. Weave in ends. (36 sts)

Joining

Join in order using the appropriate chart above. Using Green, join yarn in any stitch. Ch 1, sc in same stitch. Sc 17 times more around the first circle. *Hold the next circle close to the first and sc into any stitch on the second circle. Sc 17 more times around this circle. * Repeat from * to * with the remaining 19 circles.

 

With the last circle, sc around 18 more stitches, and then sc into the same stitch as the joining.

Please note: There will be 2 scs in the sc on each circle where the 2 circles are joined.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Felting the North scarf

Place your North scarf into a zippered pillowcase or a pillowcase closed with a strong rubber band. Fill your washer with hot water, a squirt of dish soap and 1/2-cup of baking soda. Add your encased scarf to the washer along with a few pairs of old jeans and/or a few pairs of tennis shoes. Set your washer to the longest normal wash cycle possible and let 'er rip.

Stop your machine and check on your scarf every 5-8 minutes to make sure it is felting properly and not sticking together. Use an old broom handle to lift the pillowcase out of the washer to check the scarf. Be careful, the water is very hot. If your scarf has not fully felted by the time your wash cycle has ended, turn back the cycle before it drains the tub and then let it run again. Never let the washer reach the spin cycle: it can mangle your work.

When you are satisfied with the look of your scarf, remove it from the washer and roll it into a towel or two. Gently squeeze as much water as you can from the scarf. Unroll the towel and lay the scarf out flat and untwisted on another two towels to dry. Depending on the humidity where you live, it will take at least a day or two for your scarf to dry.