Holiday Gift Giving is one of my very favorite things. So here is my gift for all the Dress Shop, Doll Shop and Hat Shop owners.

This is an extremely fast and easy to make hooded scarf for children and adults.

These scarves can be made of knit fabric either purchased or made on a home knitting machine ( even an ancient one like mine)

They can be made of soft cashmere, wool blends or polar fleece. or even for fancy holiday wear from a nice burnout velvet or sheer or beaded lace yardage. Let YOUR Imagination Out to play!!!!

They can be color or texture blocked or  they can be trimmed with holiday buttons, glass breads, faux fur, couch on gorgeous threads and ribbons, hand or machine embroider ( hmmm snowflakes!), cross stitch or anything your imagination comes up with.

The actual scarf takes moments to make and just a few more to finish before you start embellishing.....and a cute print polar fleece can be left as is..

Children toddler age..... make a rectangle 6 inches wide by 26-28 inches long

Children 9-11 make a rectangle 6 inches wide by 34-36 inches wide

Teens and adults.. scale as desired but consider 8 inches wide by 60-72 inches long.

Cut your strip for the scarf and plan if you want fringe.

Polar fleece just cut the ends.. no need to add a stitch. You don’t even have to finish the long cut edges. Its fun to use one of the new scissors that cut a scallop or shaped edge!!! Just make slits that are evenly spaced for the fringe on the short ends.

Wool/cashmere etc: should be treated to a narrow rolled hem on all raw edges. Woven fabrics Add a seam allowance of 1/4, 3/8 or half inch on all raw edges. (8.5 inches = 8"finished width using 1/4 inch seam allowances)

Beaded lace: crush the beads in the seam allowance using a pliers but first stick a straight pin in the bead...this protects the thread from breaking and will save you time later. Hand or machine hem or serge ( wooly nylon is wonderful in the upper looper creating a nice soft edge. Use your differential feed to form a lettuce edge. For comfort you may wish to line the scarf with a nice batiste or organdy.. beaded laces can be very scratchy to wear.

Knit fabrics should be knit to length by hand or machine.

Ok.. you now have the scarf.. add fringe if desired.  There are beautiful narrow ribbon, and gorgeous yarns available to make fringe which can be stitched on, or even thru the narrow ends.. use a large eyes tapestry needle and thread several strands thru at one time use a slip knot in the middle to hold firmly in place.

Turn the fabric wrong side out.

Fold in half matching the short ends in order to find the middle of the long edge.

Mark the middle with a straight pin

For the adult scarf mark from the mid way fold down 7-8 inches along one edge

or the children’s scarves mark from the mid way fold down 5-6 inches along one edge

Stitch from the fold to the mark. Give the seam a nice steam press open( do NOT iron polar fleece it will melt just finger press the seam)

Embellish as desired or wrap it up quickly, ready to give.......its done!

Panne Velvet Devore                                                Polar Fleece with Gimp Braid Trim

Machine Knit with an ancient standard bed machine  and trimmed with silk flowers stitched in        place

Polar Fleece with Dyed Rabbit fur trim. 

© 2002 Kaaren Hoback, Dryden, New York, www. patrns4u.com