handmade Partnerships Pip-Life

Make It! Five Finger Discount PomPom Scarf

April 13, 2016
pip scarf

(This post is sponsored by Spotlight)

Woolly news!

On Friday morning, I’ll be teaching a Masterclass in the fine art of finger knitting! It’s a Spotlight and Frankie Magazine joint venture and we’re going to be making these chunky and SUPER EASY pompom scarves! It’s to celebrate National Craft Month and I’m hoping it will encourage the world to make EVERY month National Craft Month! #Craft4Lyf

Don’t worry if you’re not able to come to the Masterclass though. You can TOTALLY do this at home, without any help from in-real-life me! Better still, you absolutely really can make a scarf in just an hour or two (depending on your dexterity!)

This scarf is super dooper long, so you can wrap it around yourself a few times and sport a stylish and fashion-y look. OR you could make it shorter, if you prefer. Or even a few short lengths that you could braid together. Really, the sky is the limit. Mix it up and make it your own, once you have the technique down pat.

I’m going to make a grey and HOT PINK pompom one next! And then I’m going to make some for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (because they need woolly things for the people they support!)

Here’s how to make your own…

 

F I V E    F I N G E R    D I S C O U N T    S C A R F

Supplies You Need
(all available at Spotlight)

1 x 100g skein of Marvel 12ply Acrylic in Mustard (for pompoms)
2 x 142g skeins of chunky Lion Brand Yarns Hometown USA in Montpelier Peacock (for scarf)
1 Birch Plastic Yarn Needle (94mm) or similar
Scissors
A large safety-pin to ’save’ your stitches

Optional:
A little bit of crafty time
Something good on the telly
A nice cup of tea

Also:
Pompom maker or cardboard discs to create pompom

NOTE: We are treating the held-together TWO strands of yarn as if they were ONE stuck-together strand.

 

how to finger knit onehow to finger knit two how to finger knit three

 

Let’s Cast On!
As shown above

Match the loose ends of your two balls of yarn.

Drape both yarn threads over your hand with the loose end tucked between your thumb and forefinger (leave a 20cm tail flapping about!) Clamp your thumb and forefinger tightly together to hold the yarn in place securely.  We’re going to weave/wrap the yarn around four of our fingers (not our thumb though!) to create our first stitches.

Still keeping the yarn tail pinched firmly between your thumb and forefinger, begin to weave the yarn OVER your index finger (keep pinching so your loose yarn doesn’t come adrift) UNDER your MIDDLE finger, over your RING finger and then RIGHT AROUND YOUR PINKIE.

Now back across UNDER your ring finger OVER your MIDDLE finger RIGHT AROUND your INDEX finger.  Now under MIDDLE finger, over RING finger, AROUND pinkie. Now UNDER your ring finger, OVER your middle finger and UNDER your
INDEX finger. Clamp the yarn (it’s the thread attached to the ball of yarn) in between your thumb and index finger to keep things secure.

You’ll have two ‘rows’ of stitches on your fingers – or EIGHT LOOPS – each loop contains two strands.

Voila! You have cast on! Hurrah! Knitting Nancy you!

 

how to finger knit four how to finger knit fivehow to finger knit six how to finger knit seven

 

Let’s Knit!
(As shown above)
Let’s begin knitting now by lifting our bottom loops (those closest to our wrist) over our top loops (those closest to our finger tips!)
This is how you finger knit! The back of your hand should be facing up (to make things simpler/less confusing.)

Starting at your pinkie, pull or carefully lift the bottom loop up and over the top loop and set it free/let go of it. You might need to bend your finger down a bit to make it work.  That is just fine!  You now have just one loop on your pinkie. Perfect!

Move to the ring finger, lift the bottom loop up and over the top loop and set it free. Now do the same for the middle finger. Bottom loop over top loop.  And finally lift the still clamped loose loop/yarn tail on your index finger over the top loop as best you can, loosening your grip a little if need be. Now set the loose yarn tail free, flinging it over the back of your work (towards your palm!)
You should now have a loop on each of your four fingers. GOOD WORK!

 

how to finger knit eight

 

Add A Row
Now we are going to weave/wrap another stitch onto each finger.  We always need two rows of stitches (or 8 loops) on our fingers to start a new row. Grab your yarn (the strands that are attached to the skein) and, starting with your index finger weave/wrap your yarn OVER the index, UNDER the middle finger, OVER the ring finger and RIGHT AROUND the pinkie. Then UNDER the ring finger, OVER the middle finger and UNDER the index finger, clamping your yarn between the forefinger and the thumb once more to keep it secure

Knit!
Now starting at the pinkie, pull the bottom loops over the top loops one finger at a time until all four fingers have just one (two-strand) loop on them.

Add A Row
Wrap the yarn over the index finger, under the middle finger, over the ring finger, around the pinkie and under the ring finger, over the middle finger and under the index finger.

Loops over from the pinkie = knit
Then continue on like this, pulling the bottom loops over the top loops starting at the pinkie side of your hand until you have only one (two strand) loop on each finger.

Wrap/weave from the index = add a row
Then weave/wrapping the yarn over and under (as described above) beginning with OVER your index finger, under, over, around your pinkie. Then weaving under, over, under back to your forefinger.

 

Keep it up!
This pattern continues until your scarf is as long as you want it to be!  If you need to set your work aside, just loosen your stitches from your hand and slide a pencil or knitting needle (or even a nappy pin) through them to keep them safe.  Be sure to tie a piece of yarn at the PINKIE end, so you don’t put yours stitches back on the wrong  fingers!

 

Let’s cast off!
Cast off after your KNIT row (i.e. after you have lifted the loops over the end of your fingers and you have just four double-strand loops left on your hand.)

To cast off – Lift the loop off your pinkie and onto the ring finger.
Now pull the bottom loop up over the top loop on your ring finger and set it free.
Next lift the loop which remains on your ring finger on to your index finger.
Pull the bottom loop over the top loop and set it free.
Lift the loop on your middle finger off and on to your index finger.
Now lift the bottom loop over the top loop and set it free.
You have just one loop left now!
Cut your yarn to form a  longish tail (about 20cm) and remove the final loop from your finger.  Pull the loose yarn through this loop and pull tight to fasten off. Leave the tail for now. We will use it and then weave it in later.

 

five finger discount scarf wip pompoms five finger discount scarf wip no pompoms five finger discount scarf wip closer five finger discount scarf closer

 

Finger knitting tips
+ Don’t wrap too tightly
+ Wiggle your fingers to loosen tension
+ Push stitches down fingers gently to keep things in place

 

Attach the pompoms to your scarf ends
Make your pompoms using the method you most love. and then attach them to the ends of your scarf by threading the loose yarn tail through your wool needle.  Stitch it firmly into place using  lots of small, firm stitches. Fasten off and snip your pompom yarn close to where you fastened off.

Now take the loose tail from the scarf and use the yarn needle to thread the tail and then stitch OVER the woolly bits where you stitched your pompom on. This will ensure that it all matches. Knot your yarn securely when you are done, trim close to your work and push the knot/loose yarn end into the stitches to conceal.

And that’s it! PHEW! What do you think? Did you get the hang of it? Did the video help you make more sense of the instructions? Let me know if you make one, guys!!!

 

pip signature

more reading pink

Ten nice things to do for the favourite people in your life
How to use a Clover pompom maker
How to make a tea cosy!
How to make another tea cosy!
How to make a pompom
20 things to do when you are feeling slumpy

border pink

 

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2 Comments

  • Reply tanya April 22, 2016 at 7:34 AM

    What a fun scarf!! You make that look way too easy on the video 😉

  • Reply Little White Dove April 14, 2016 at 7:29 AM

    Such a cute idea! Yes the video helped me make sense of instructions and it’s now on the ‘to make’ list 🙂

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