Thanks for all the Marni jacket love everyone!  I was very chuffed that you thought it looked good too.  I’ve already pulled out the fabric for my next one, but in the meantime I’ve begun to cut out Vogue 8815.  I’d better jump right onto the peplum trend while it is still here!  I am a little perturbed though by the fact that Vogue’s Figure Flattery guide suggests this top for every body shape except mine.  Hmm.  Anyway, that’s not what this blog post is about – it’s about one of the test crochet projects that I completed recently.

The Mapleton scarf and shawl pattern is by Deanne of Addydae Designs. I’ve crocheted some of her designs before, and leaped at the chance to test. It turned out to be the perfect car travel project during our trip to Buchan.

Isn’t that yarn an amazing colour? I bought it at a local craft market last year – it’s fine merino/silk handspun and hand-dyed, and labelled Slow Spun. And it was beautiful to work with. I used up pretty much the entire skein for my scarf.

The pattern includes instructions for a scarf, a small shawl, and a large shawl. The edging is worked as you go, so once you get to the final decrease at the end of the scarf or shawl, it’s all finished! Perfect for when you are using a precious skein of yarn like I was and are not quite certain about how far it will go. I was able to weigh the yarn, work the scarf until half the yarn had been used, then start decreasing to work the second half knowing that I would have enough yarn to finish it.

Although the pattern has been designed for 4 ply yarn, the designer also states that you can pretty much work it up in whatever yarn gives you a nice, fluid fabric if you use the appropriate hook size. I really enjoyed crocheting this, and know that it is going to be worn a lot come winter. A vibrant pop of colour, and warm into the bargain!

My Ravelry project page is here, and the pattern is available here. (Isn’t my “serious-gazing-into-the-distance” look hilarious?)