As I write this, I am far, far from home and away from my studio. What better way to kill some time than to shop, right? So I head on over to my local Kohl’s Department store here in Grafton, WI, and I start shopping for a new winter coat and scarf. What I see in the hat/scarf aisle stops me dead in my tracks:
Can you believe it?? All of these hats and scarves are totally swiping the “handmade” look! Those stripey scarves look like the ones my knitty friends whip up to use up the last of the yarn from left over projects. I’m pretty sure that the “granny patch” one was developed by crocheters for the same purpose.
How do I feel about this? I mean, here is the hand-crafted look with out the hand crafting. You pay Kohl’s a pretty penny for something you could do yourself for free. And I’m pretty sure that these are manufactured overseas, by folks who are doing it…um..pretty much for free. (Not making a living wage, I mean.)
I’d rather see these at a local craft show and buy them from the makers, ya know?
But I guess what I’m distilling from this is that handmade chic has made it’s way into the mainstream. Goody for us!
HOWEVER, I’m still a fan of do-it-yourselfiness, (yes, that’s my own word) and I want to encourage you NOT to buy these super-cute scarves and hats for you and yourn, but rather go rummage up some needles and hooks and yarns and go MAKE.
Here are some links to get you started!
- Stash Scarf from About.com. This tutorial has a recipe for the stripes, and there are some videos on knitting and purling, just in case you are new to knitting or are maybe just a little rusty.
- Granny Square Tutorial from the Purl Bee. Great step-by-step pics of the basic square!
- Rolled Brim Hat from About.com. This is about the simplest hat there is. About.com is all about the video, so you can follow along and get those stitches right!
- Crocheted Cloche Hat from About.com. Cute, handmade look with an optional flower accessory. Still a beginner pattern!
- Single Crochet Hat from Suite101.com. Yup, you read it right. A hat using only singe crochet!! Great for new beginners and kids.
- Mitten Scarf by Cocoknits. OMG. Mittens and scarf, all in one! Very cool, especially if you used the “stash” idea of strips and/or embellished with a flower or two…
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