New Fashion Cowl: Betty's Prairie Muffler

Missoni, 2009

Oversized cowls, like these in the Missoni collection, have made such a strong fall fashion statement this year.

I wanted to put my own stamp on a cowl design:

-one that buttons, rather than pulls over the head;

-that is long enough to be wrapped once, twice or thrice;

-that is sturdily crocheted to maintain shape.

The result is Betty's Prairie Muffler!

Here are some wonderful photos of the Prairie Muffler, taken by Heidi for my Etsy shop. The model is her sister, Mari. The photos are taken on their family farm in Frederick, South Dakota. Isn't the rural setting a perfect backdrop to show off this new accessory!

The top three cowls are crocheted in Cascade 128 Tweed. The bottom two are in Kertzer's Northern Chunky. Watch for the Prairie Muffler pattern in my Etsy shop after the holidays.

Betty's Crocheted Felted Mittens

We enjoyed a family trip to Minnesota for Easter, and that provided about 12 hours in the car to crochet! I made a couple of pair of mittens to felt, and they turned out so lofty and warm. The pair shown is made from one strand of baby alpaca and a strand of alpaca/wool- yummy soft!

Before felting, the mittens are about 12 inches long.

After 20 minutes of felting they fit my hand, and are approximately 10 inches long. The slight decrease between the cuff and hand provides a snug fit.

My crocheted felted mitten pattern is for sale in Betty's Loft Etsy shop. This is an easy, portable project. The mittens are wonderful to have on hand for spontaneous gifts, or to make for holiday giving.

Spring Dreams

As yet another foot of snow is forecast over the next few days, I find myself gravitating away from wool and toward cotton. Perhaps it's my heart's wish for this long winter to come to a close.

Last fall I purchased a long, narrow crocheted scarf/shawl at H&M. It became my inspiration and pattern for these spring projects.

The yarn is Ester Bitran's Antuco, hand-dyed cotton, which was a joy to crochet. The scarves are available in my Etsy shop.

Getting Ready for Winterfest!

For most of our 20 years in Aberdeen, I've participated in Winterfest the weekend before Thanksgiving. Winterfest is a juried art show with fine art, folk art and crafts, sponsored by our Arts Council and Recreation and Cultural Center.

Today I took the an afternoon of vacation from work and started organizing yarns and finished projects to display and sell. Here are some samples:

Handspun yarn

Hand-Dyed Yarn

Bulky Knit Hats with Crocheted Flowers

Lyra Hat

Koigu Panta

Crocheted Scarves

And "scrap" scarves from yarn leftovers and samples.

Let's hope for good weather and lots of traffic at Winterfest!