Introducing the Celia Circle Scarf

I’ve wanted a chunky circle scarf for a year, and when I finally decided to sit down and make myself one I discovered I don’t actually have any chunky yarn in my stash. And I needed to use stash yarn.

But I did have 400 yards of a delicious alpaca/wool yarn I bought in Colorado a few years ago when I did a book-tour stop at Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins in Boulder (that was the night I met Jill Wright and Marly Bird, which was a blast). With a 6mm hook, it was immediately apparent this scarf was meant to be. I’ve worn it pretty much every day since it dried after blocking, and I’m considering making another in some heavier yarn, too.

I named the scarf Celia because I was reading The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, the week I designed it. Celia is the protagonist of the book; she manages to grow into a confident, witty, passionate woman despite a harsh childhood. And she’s a magician. The kind with real magic. I feel like this scarf is magical – it transcends the simplest of stitches to be both casual and stylish, and damn practical.

The main stitch pattern is crumpled griddle stitch (hat tip to Jill for pointing me to the name) – alternating single crochets and double crochets to result in a texture a bit similar to knitted seed stitch. (But faster to make. Oh, so much faster.) There’s an off-centre panel of V-stitches to add both visual and crochet interest. And that’s it. The only for-whatever-reason-not-considered-basic technique I used is foundation double crochet for the first round, and I explain how to do that in the pattern.

It’s been very dark here since I finished the scarf, so I’ve had a tough time taking good photos of it (the yarn I used is actually grey!). But I couldn’t wait to release the pattern, for I love it very much. So my impatience is a bonus to you, because I’m compensating for inadequate photography by offering the pattern at half-price until I can take better photos. Tell your friends.

If you make one of these, let me know! I’m dying to see it in other colours.