Berber Scarf - A Free Tapestry Crochet Pattern

Berber Scarf Tapestry Crochet Pattern

Worked in rows of UK treble crochets, this modern Berber-inspired scarf uses tapestry crochet to create a stunning monochrome design.

I'm so excited to be sharing this free pattern with you. This scarf was inspired by all the beautiful Berber rugs around at the moment, and made possible by some beautiful Phildar Nuage yarn from Hobbycraft. I really recommend this yarn, it's like working with fluffy clouds! Otherwise, any chunky yarn with a 7mm hook should work up nicely for you!

Materials

3 x Balls of Phildar ‘Phil Nuage’ in Flocon (50g, 72% Merino Wool, 28% Nylon) (Yarn 1)

1 x Balls of Phildar ‘Phil Nuage’ in Suie (50g, 72% Merino Wool, 28% Nylon) (Yarn 2)

7mm crochet hook

Scissors

Yarn needle

Gauge

10cm (4in) square = 12 treble crochet stiches x 7 rows

Gauge is not essential for this project. As a guide, the above worked up to a scarf with the finished measurements of approx. 25cm (9.5in) x 195cm (76.5in)

Abbreviations

ch           chain

sts          stitches

dc           double crochet (US single)

tr             treble crochet (US double)

Stitches

Double crochet (US single)

Insert hook into required stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops.

Treble crochet (US double)

Yarn over (two loops on hook) and insert into required stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops.

Bobble stitch

To make a bobble stitch: *Yarn over and insert into required stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through two loops – do not finish stitch. Instead, Repeat from * four more times (working into the same stitch on the row below each time) then yarn over one last time and pull through all the loops on the hook.

For a photo tutorial see: http://blog.hobbycraft.co.uk/crochet-bobble/

Pattern Notes

Starting chains do not count as stitches throughout.

There are six bobble stitches in the pattern, three on Row 33 and three on Row 93, they are marked by black rectangles on the grid.

Tapestry Crochet Technique

Tapestry crochet allows you to use two (or more) colours on the same row of a pattern. You will need to ‘carry’ your second yarn inside the stitches of your first yarn.

·         Begin by crocheting the foundation chain in Yarn 1 (Y1). As you start Row 1, hold your second yarn (Y2) alongside the foundation chain. As you work the trebles of Row 1 in Y1, work over the top of Y2.

·         When you get to the end of Row 1, you will need to turn and Ch2. Make sure you bring Y2 round to the back of the work too, and work your Row 2 trebles over the top of it in the same way. You will be able to see Y2 at the end of each row, but don’t worry about this as we will crochet over it later.

·         To change colour from Y1 to Y2, crochet the last Y1 treble before the colour change to the last stage of the stitch (when you have two loops on your hook) then instead of yarning over and pulling through the loops with Y1, drop this colour and yarn over and pull through with Y2. You will now have Y2 ready to make the next stitch in that colour. Make sure that you work over the top of Y1 when making your stitch in Y2, in the same way you did in Row 1.

·         Continue crocheting and changing colour based on the graph. The key is to always change colours at the last stage of the stitch before.

·         Keep your tension as even as possible, and ensure that the yarn you are carrying is not too tight that it is puckering the fabric, or too loose that it is looping out between stitches.

·         Where the colour changes from the last stitch of one row to the first stitch of the next row (for example Rows 17-18), you will need to change colour at the last part of the last stitch of the row, then chain in your new colour, ready to start the next row in your new colour.

Reading the Graph

Each rectangle on the grid represents a stitch. Start in the bottom right hand corner in the yellow square, next to the number 1, and work from right to left on the first row, then left to right on the second row, and so on until the end of the pattern.

Click here to see a zoom-able PDF of the graph.

Scarf Pattern Starts

Foundation  

Using Y1, ch31 loosely

Row 1

Starting in the bottom right-hand corner of the graph, next to the number 1, bring in Y2 and tr in the third ch from the hook, and in each chain along until the end of the row – make sure you are working your Y1 tr over the top of Y2. Turn and Ch2. (29 sts)

Rows 2-125

Continue in tr using the tapestry crochet technique, and following the chart. At the end of each row you will need to turn and Ch2 (does not count as a stitch throughout).

The three black rectangles on Rows 33 and 93 are bobble stitches – see Pattern Notes above.

Row 126

At the end of Row 125, turn your work once more, ch1, and work a row of dc in Y1. Turn. (29 sts)

Cut Y2, leaving a long tail to sew in later.

Row 127

Ch1 and dc in the first stitch. *Ch1, skip a stitch, dc. Repeat from * until the end of the row. Do not turn.

Row 128 (long edge)

To even up your edges and to hide the carried yarn, I recommend working a row of dc along the side of the scarf. Without breaking your yarn or turning, rotate your work 90 degrees clockwise, and evenly work dc along the long edge of the scarf. Work one dc into the side of each dc row, and two dc into the side of each tr row.

Row 129

Repeat Row 127 along the other short edge of the scarf.

Row 130 (long edge)

Repeat Row 128 along the other long edge of the scarf. Cut and fasten off Y1.

The main body of your scarf is now complete! Sew in any ends using your yarn needle.

Tassels

If you would like to add tassels to your scarf, cut the following:

Y1: 28 x 20cm (8in) lengths

Y2: 56 x 20cm (8in) lengths

Each tassel will use two lengths of Y2 and one of Y1 held together. Along the short edges of the scarf, locate the chain spaces you made in Rows 127 and 129.

*Insert your crochet hook into one of the chain spaces from front the back, and loop your 3 tassel lengths over the crochet hook. Pull up a loop with the tassel yarn, and yarn over with the rest of the tassel. Now pull through the loop on the hook to secure your tassel. Repeat from * 13 times, and then again at the other end of the scarf.

If you feel it needs it, trim your tassels. Your scarf is now complete!

I hope you enjoyed this @lottieandalbert pattern. Please let me know if you have any questions via Instagram or www.lottieandalbert.blogspot.com.

You are free to make items to sell from this pattern but please credit Lindsey Newns @lottieandalbert as the designer.

When you’ve made the scarf we would love to see it! Use the hastags #lottieandalbert and #shareyourknitcraft, or tag us as @lottieandalbert and @knitcrafthq

This pattern has also been published on the Hobbycraft KnitcraftHQ blog, you can see the post here: How to Crochet a Tapestry Scarf

Leopard Print Tapestry Crochet Afghan Square - Free Pattern

My leopard print tapestry square received so much love on Instagram, I thought I'd share the graph on here too, in case anyone wanted to make their own!

You may or may not have noticed, but this is only my second ever blog post since my Lottie and Albert Rainbow Blanket Tutorial (it's almost pointless linking it: as I said it's my only other post so very easy to find it if you'd like to, ha!). Partly this is due to lack of time (I blame my children, who are currently 1 and 2!), but mostly due to wanting to blog 'properly' and not having 'good enough' images, content, and so on.

Then yesterday I caught a live IG stories by one of the @ourmakerlife founders, who was chatting about all things Instagram and Etsy. A few of the things she said really struck a chord with me, one of which was, essentially, stop comparing yourself to those accounts that are already fully polished with wonderful photography, a fully stocked Etsy shop, etc, and if you want to open an Etsy/blog/start a YouTube channel then just, make a start! Put yourself out there, and focus on growing and improving as you go along. 

She also talked about writing content, and stopping worrying about what you think people want to hear, and start writing what you would like to share. It sounds so simple when someone else says it, doesn't it? So with that in mind, here's me making a move towards where I want to be. It's not perfectly polished yet but, if you are reading this, thank you for being here and following along with my journey! 

(PS Can someone invent a better word than the cringe-inducing 'journey'?!)

Leopard Print Tapestry Square

The graph below has numbers and rows that were auto-generated when I created the chart in Stitch Fiddle, but if you are familiar with tapestry crochet you will know that you need to start at the bottom right (37:18), so please ignore the numbers!

Pattern notes

Tapestry crochet is a popular form of crochet colour work, which is created by carrying all your colours at the same time, inside the stitch (unlike Fair Isle - which carries the other yarns on the Wrong Side in floats, and Intarsia - which doesn't carry the other colours, but requires a new ball of colour for each colour change).
Tapestry crochet is great in that the pattern works on both sides of the piece - you may see your other yarns at the ends of your rows when you turn your work, but this can be remedied by adding a border or double crocheting around the piece in your main colour at the end. Bear in mind it may create a slightly stiffer fabric, and will be thicker due to the carried yarns inside the stitches.

The main things to bear in mind are

The Graph

...At the end of each row when you have turned, remember to read the graph back the opposite way to the row before. You may want to print it off and mark the rows off as you go.
Happy Making! Feel free to use different weight yarns, to connect several squares together, or to expand the chart to make a longer thinner scarf, or similar!

I used: 3 strands of Stylecraft Special DK and a 3.5mm hook. The square is worked in UK treble (US double) crochet stitches, which created a 7in square.

This is not a stitch-by-stitch tutorial, but I have tried to give some hints and tips if you are new to the tapestry crochet technique!

Tension 

You may want to go down a hook size, as any gaps in your stitches will show the other yarn colours running inside the stitches.

Colour Changes 

To change colour, you will need to modify the standard treble (US double) crochet stitch. Yarn over using your first colour, and insert hook into stitch. Pull up a loop using your main colour (three loops on hook). Yarn over using your main colour, and pull through two loops. At this stage, let go of your main colour, and pick up with your hand the colour you want to change to, now yarn over using your new colour, and pull through the remaining two loops on your hook. You are now ready to make your next stitch in the new colour. Change colour in this way every time you see a colour change coming up, even if the end of the row is one colour, and the start of the next row (the stitch above on the graph) is another colour.


Foundation Chain: Ch40 in dark grey 
Row 1: bring in your light grey and cream yarns and, working over the top of them, treble (US Double) crochet into the third chain from the hook. Follow the graph below, starting in the bottom right hand corner, working right to left. When you reach the end of the row, turn your work. 
Row 2: Ch 3 (this is your turning chain and does not count as a stitch throughout) You are now reading the chart from left to right...

If you do make one, I'd love to see! 

Let me know in the comments, by tagging me @lottieandalbert on Instagram, or using the hastag #lottieandalbert