Japanese Flower Scarf

There's a cute crochet pattern that's recently caught fire with the crochet crowd.  It's been around for awhile, but you know how it is.  A couple of key people catch wind and suddenly there's a buzz.

Awhile back I was in the fabric store looking for small sharp scissors for applique work.  I know, I can't understand why I didn't have any either.  My small scissors have the rounded ends of children's safety scissors.  Great for cutting thread and yarn ends but not much else.

Anyhoo, the store had a yarn section so I thought I would do a quick tour.  I mean, just you never know.

Buying yarn is a tactile thing for me.  It must be soft.  Most wool is itchy to me, even merino.  I lean toward silk, alpaca, mohair, cashmere blends.  I'm a huge natural fibers fan when it comes to yarn.  I try to avoid acrylics and stuff like that.  Odd really, considering the amount of fleece we wear in our house, which is about a unnatural as you can get. 

So there I am, wandering through the couple isles, touching yarns that have promise and I find it.  Debbie Bliss Andes.  An alpaca, mulberry silk blend. Oh my gosh.  It was so soft I rubbed it against my cheek.  Oh my gosh it felt good.  Oops I already said that. I just had to have it.  So I bought a few skeins.  No project in mind.  Just to add to my stash.  Just in case.  Something might just come along.  Just sayin'.

Later I am wasting time in blog land and I find these gorgeous images on the Attic 24 site.  Lucy had found a fabulous pattern using the same yarn I had purchased.  I love  her stuff although our color palette is very different.  There it was. I had a project.  Me and about a million other people on Ravelry.

Oh wait, I already have a couple of crochet projects in the works.  I had intended to finish those up first.  I work a little on weaving in the ends on a purple scarf - that's all that remains on that project.  And I work on the mohair scarf project for awhile.  And I work on some quilts.

When I run low on the white mohair, I head to my go-to yarn shop, Acorn Street Shop.  They have Debbie Bliss in different colors.  I pick up a few more to add to my stash.  When I get home I start playing around with color combinations.  Before you know it I am off to the races with my newest project. 

Here's the name of the book where the pattern can be found:  MOTIF BOOK VOL 4 - Japanese Crochet Book, which can be found on eBay and Esty sites.  It's in Japanese, but if you can read crochet diagrams you will be on your way in no time.  In my opinion (like noses, everybody has one) diagrams are easier to follow than the crochet shorthand and abbreviations found in most crochet patterns. 

The pattern works up very quickly.  Especially the first two colors.  The image is in focus, it's just a soft, fuzzy yarn, with a beautiful sheen.

 I also found some tutorials on something called the Magic Circle, which eliminates the donut hole in the very center of the project.  It's easy and super cool.  Love this tutorial.

The third color takes a little longer, but you connect the flowers as you go so there won't be a big project at the end.  I've also tried to be better about weaving in the ends as I go.

I hope to be able to show the finished project soon.  I have added considerably to the length since I began the project a couple of evenings ago.