Stock Up On: Wool Jersey
One of the things I'm going to be paying attention to this weekend is the shelf of beautiful 100% Merino Wool Jersey. Well, that and Liberty, but let's give the wool some special attention today. There are a dozen colours to choose from and at 54" wide, you get a lot of beautiful for your buck.
You only need a yard or two to knock out a few gifts for youself or someone who needs warming up. Wool scarfs and cowls make gorgeous gifts. You can customize the length and width of each scarf, and since it's jersey, there's no need to finish the ends to prevent unraveling. This is soft fabric with almost zero itch factor.
For this looped scarf, I sewed the ends together of one half yard of fabric. I stitched the seam allowances down using a running stitch (a great technique I learned from Natalie Chanin's books)-- I can wear it long as a scarf, looped twice as a loose cowl, or looped and pulled up over my head for a hood. They are easy to personalize with embroidery, stencils (Jaquard Textile color is a great choice), or simple appliques.
But don't let me stop you at scarfs. Do you remember the Origami Wrap pattern Martha published last year? Did you make one? They are gorgeous and achingly simple to put together. You can knock one (or two) out in a couple of hulu episodes of Mary Tyler Moore. That's right, I know how to party. I'm working on drafting out a pattern for one of those "cardigans with no discernable closures" that are so popular these days. I should probably add another yard or two to my list just in case.