Mardi Gras Magic Ball Scarf

So AFTER Mardi Gras, I decided beads just didn't hack it.   The colors are great but they aren't very warm..... I wanted to make something fun to wear for Mardi Gras on those chilly outings.

I couldn't find any yarn I liked so I decided to make my own magic ball of yarn and crochet a scarf like the ones I've done before....including this one.



I started collecting yarn and then my friend said she wanted to play too.  She is knitting her's using the Lady Godiva pattern.  I won't have a photo for a long time as she isn't making it until right before next Mardi Gras.  I went ahead though and just crocheted mine.  It is FAB!




Now for details.  If you want to make your own, you need to do some research.  I wanted a nice warm scarf with a little heft to it.  So, I made my ball a bit like the Alp Oriental with some heavy yarns mixed in with lighter yarns.  I also bought a couple spools of skinny soft ribbon and one spool of beaded thread.  If I could do it again, I'd buy more of the beaded thread...it gives an amazing sheen to the area it is in.  Having a person to share the cost and yarn with is a good idea.  We went through our stash and saved a lot of money but I spent $40 bucks after it was all said and done.  Jeannine had great yarns so she didn't spend a penny. I keep my "leftover" stash low on purpose....you might be able to make an entire magic ball without spending a cent.

Here is what I did:
*Go out and OVERBUY lots of yarn, ribbon, beaded thread, etc.  Save receipts you will be returning some.  You want thick and thin, basic and fantasy (eyelash is fantasy in my view), threadlike will offset super thick but make sure it won't get lost.  I used gold threads mixed with softer but heavier greens, etc.  You'll be in the yarn section a long time so plan on it!  I was approached 2 times by ladies who wanted me to teach them what I was doing.  One actually took notes!
*Take the supplies home and figure out which ones really work well together and put the rest back for returns.
*Weigh each ball or make note of what it says on the label. Since you are mixing and matching, this matters. Include ribbon, etc.
*Determine weight: I made a ball of 10 ounces.
*I held FOUR strands of yarn together.  All types.    The green eyelash was TOO much for me so after making the scarf, I went in and gave it a hair cut.  The purple and gold eyelash was perfect.
*CUT YOUR FRINGE before tying all your yarns together.  You want a good representation of all yarns and ribbons used.   I used a dvd case and went around it 20 times for each end.  Set aside in a baggie or safe place.

I decided to make each "cut" 4 arm lengths long. Then I just went through picking which yarns I wanted to hold together.   Ribbons and beaded thread were just added as I went along, to make it interesting.  I rolled as I went.  (NOTE, if you go along and don't like something, you can always snip that length out and swap it. )

***Once everything was done, I re rolled it starting from the end because I used my favorite yarns first.  (I hadn't noticed I did that.)  I wasn't really sure how thick I wanted to make it.  I'm glad I did it that way because I didn't make it as wide as planned.  Mine is about 7 inches wide.

To make, I used a P hook and chained until I felt it was long enough, (I'm short)  keeping in mind I was adding fringe. Then I worked a double half crochet throughout until it was wide enough.  When I finished, I added the fringe.

It was a very fun project and I'll be doing it again.  The prep work is easy to do.  Just pull stuff out, tie it together and go.  It is time consuming but I did it while watching a movie.