One winter late Scarf and Kerchief

Last winter a friend asked if I could knit a hat and scarf for her little girl, and finally, one year later I got around to it. One of the reasons for the delay was searching out a pattern suitable for a toddler, reducing the choking risk as much as possible. Normal tie scarves are out. After much Ravelry searching I came across the 'Man About Town Neckwarmer' which sits loosely around the neck with a large button to hold it in place. This means the young one can't make it tighter, nor will it pull tighter if they do catch it on something. On the more fun side, it won't keep falling off, and if they do want to remove it themselves they can pull it over their head easily (okay, this could be a downside?)

Continuing with trying to bust my yarn stash, I had some beautiful bright pink Debbie Bliss Prima (80% Bamboo 20% wool), which is lovely and soft and has a nice sheen to it. Ironically it was in my stash as it was purchased, along with other yarns, for a dress to make for this same little one that I never got around too!

'Man about town neckwarmer with button' pattern by Alison Crutchley

I decided I wanted to add a crochet covered button, as this would be firmer in place, and I thought it might be a long mission to find a button of the right size and coordinating colour. I did have a chunky button with a shank in the button jar though, that worked perfectly for me to crochet a cover for. 

In place of a winter hat, I went with a head scarf, which will keep the ears warm but allow for little girl pigtails, and look oh so cute I think! Ravelry pattern searching to the rescue again.

Aisha's Kerchief by Katrin Sommerfeld

I've been busy reading my 'Knitting Masterclass' book, amazed at how much I don't know about knitting, and chose this as the perfect project to learn tubular cast on. OMG, that's it, I'm going to use this cast on for everything I can in the future, it makes such a neat professional looking edge, and makes the ribbing sit beautifully. It takes up a bit of time, as you start by knitting about four rows in waste yarn first, but the finish is so worth the extra time. It's difficult to show in a photo, but you end up with a neat, almost rolled edge, near identical on both sides (so much so I kept getting confused about which was my right side)

Can't wait to see a picture of this being worn. I'm still trying to decide if I could get away with one of the head scarves, I think it would be a much more hairdo friendly version of a winter hat.