Scribble Scarf

I used to braid rugs. I found a lot of beautiful wool and wool blend fabric that I couldn't bring myself to use in a rug. Many of these fabrics were unusual plaids. This project allowed me to combine my appreciation for these rare wool plaids with the overwhelming urge to scribble on them.

You can use any scarf shaped scrap of fabric that is the same on both sides.

You can use any yarn.

One of my scarves is listed in my etsy shop. Scribble Scarf

This is totally up to you. In this case I'm using a solid wool fabric so I wanted to use a bright, contrasting thread in my old, dilapidated sewing machine.

Another consideration is using yarn that's already in an impossible state of entanglement. It's satisfying to find a use for it besides tying up tomato plants.

There is a method to this madness.

In this step you decide on a pattern to repeat for your doodling, like circles, squiggles or straight lines. Now repeat it over and over by sewing the yarn onto the body of the scarf. DON'T PULL THE YARN WHILE YOU SEW....unless you want to. If you pull the yarn while sewing it will scrunch up the fabric. That might be an interesting design, too, but I don't want you to be frustrated if it isn't what you want.

You shouldn't have to worry about fraying edges because all the doodling with yarn acts to bind the edges.

If you have a fancy sewing machine you could sew the yarn on with a gourmet stitch and bright, contrasting thread, then appreciate the stitch on the other side.

Please don't worry about perfect replicas of your doodling. The doodling is fun because it doesn't have to be perfect. You can keep a theme, like circles, but all the circles are different.

I made a semi-circle theme, then I flip the scarf over and sew a semi-circle on the other side. You can leave the yarn hanging off the edge or cut it at the edge.

Alternating sewing your design between each side of the scarf will balance the doodling so each side is equally designed.....unless you don't want it that way. Maybe you only want the doodling on one side. It's up to you.

I doodle on each side of one end of the scarf then on each side of the other end. I keep repeating steps, #3 & #4, working my way toward the middle. You can do as much or as little design as you want.

...until you like the way the scarf looks.

...when you want to be.

Wool shrinks when machine washed and dried. I always wash wool by hand in lukewarm water and a little shampoo or mild soap, rinse, then gently squeeze the excess water out of the fabric. I lay it flat to dry.

To prevent moth damage you can shake wool from time to time. You can put it in the freezer over night. You can iron it.

Never machine wash it and dry it unless you want to felt it.

Solid colored yarn on plaid.

Multicolored synthetic yarn on a solid piece of wool in a straight line pattern.

Multicolored wool yarn on a solid piece of wool in a squiggle pattern.