Craft Tip Thursday - Substituting Yarn In Your Knitted Project

It never seems to fail...does it?

You find a wonderful knitting pattern on Ravelry or Knitty--perfect for the fall, for an upcoming baby shower or great for a holiday gift.  With the anticipation of a kid headed out to her first carnival, you print out your pattern and hurriedly run down to your local yarn store (LYS) to run your fingers through the luxurious yarns that await.  It's all too exciting!!

Once in the door, you ask the sales associate, "where is X yarn?" and at the same time you're wondering about the enormous amount of colors.  "Um..." she says as she checks her computer, "we don't carry that yarn."

What??

Oh no!  What do I do now???!!!!

If this has ever happened to you, then--deep breaths--all is certainly not lost.  In fact, even if your LYS does carry the yarn, but carries only colors that don't really suit your tastes or the project, there are easy ways to substitute yarns.

Here's how to substitute yarns!

1.  Substitute yarns with the same yarn "thickness."  For a hat I was knitting, the yarn specified by the designer was 1 skein of "Madeline Tosh, Tosh Merino in DK weight."  Unfortunately, the Tosh products at my LYS were not really the right colors for my project, so I had to find a different yarn to use.  "DK" is the weight, so I knew that any substitute yarn would also need to be "DK" or"Double Knit" weight.  DK, by the way, is fairly thin yarn.

2.  Find a Yarn with the Same Weight and Length.  By checking the label on the yarn that was specified for the project (Tosh Merino DK), I could see that each skein was 100 grams and had 225 yards of yarn in the hank.  So not only was I looking for a DK weight yarn, but I wanted one that was 100 grams in weight and had between 200-240 yards of material in the 100 grams. 

3.  Check the Gauge!  If the manufacturer has been kind enough to provide you with a diagram of the material's gauge (how big it will be knitted up), compare this gauge with the gauge on the pattern's specified yarn.  Provided you've completed Steps 1 and 2 above, chances are very high that the gauges will not only be similar--they might match exactly.

Of course, if you have any trouble at all, talk with the sales associate at your LYS.  They are not only familiar with all the yarns in their inventory, they've probably worked (knitted) with most of the yarn and can tell you how well your substitute yarn might look with your pattern.  This is one of the reasons that I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to support and shop at your Local Yarn Store.

After just a short period of time, I found a lovely blue yarn by another manufacturer that was 100 grams, 210 yards of material and had the exact same gauge as the Tosh yarn.  It's going to be a great hat, and my friend is going to love it.

Next time you're in the mood to knit or crochet and can't find the project yarn or want a different yarn, use the steps above to find a great substitute yarn!
 

Hand Finishing Your Metal Jewelry (Without the Pickle Pot)

If, like me, you're a jewelry hobbyist/crafter and not a full-time jeweler with plenty of cool tools, or are on a limited budget and don't want to buy a whole lot of new "stuff" for your metalsmithing hobby, or--as is my case--are not a big fan of toting around a pot of bubbling acid to clean your metal work, then this little Tuesday "tools" blog is for you!

Today, we'll discuss how to make your metal go from this:

Here is a blackened piece of 14 gauge copper wire that has been torch soldered with a small butane torch.  The black surface discoloration is called "fire scale" (a misnomer, actually, since true "fire scale" occurs both above AND beneath the surface of the metal).  Surface discoloration occurs as a result of oxidation.

Scale or surface discoloration happens to "most" jewelry grade metals when torched, and must be cleaned in order to look like this...

This is the same 14 gauge copper wire, hammered and then cleaned to a gleaming, coppery shine.  I've added a few additional bands because one is the loneliest number...

So how did I make it go from "black" to highly polished copper in just about 15 minutes (for all four bands)?

There are basically two common methods to cleaning metals.  The first involves the use of something called "pickle", which is absolutely NOT something you'd ever want to pour over cucumbers, but is, in fact, an acid used to "eat" the discoloration from your metal. "Pickle" can be purchased from a jewelry supplier like Rio Grande or made from a number of acidic items (vinegar, sparex, citric acid, pH minus, etc.) and is warmed in a "pickle pot" or crock pot that won't be used for food at a later date.  (By the way, my favorite pickle is 2 cups vinegar to 1 tablespoon salt--it's not the fastest method of pickling, but it is the most environmentally "friendly" version)  Pickle solution works fastest when its warm, but any acidic solution will eventually clean the metal.  Soldering expert Kate Richbourg, in a pinch, uses a common household cleaner called "Penny Brite" (which can be used on your copper pots) to clean her copper metal after torching, so there are convenient alternatives to a hot bubbling pot of pickle.  After taking any item out of the "pickle pot", it's best to dunk it into a container of water containing baking soda to neutralize the reaction of the acid.

The second method, and the one that is the most "portable", is the use of abrasives to hand polish your metals.  Hand polishing takes longer to clean the metal, but the abrasives available today are SO good at their intended task that it doesn't take much time at all to polish even larger projects.  Also--silly me--but I rather like to work metal with my hands and to see the high polish come forward through my own work.  And, of course, buying your own abrasive materials is incredibly easy on the pocketbook, so its one of the most affordable means to polish your metals.

So here are my "abrasive" friends for cleaning metals..

 

Above, starting from the left, my trusty Scotch Brite pad (the red one), then my 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper, my "000" (or "triple aught") steel wool, my slightly used Pro-polish pads, my Connoiser's Polishing Cloth and my favorite car metal cleaner and wax.  And, in fact, you'll use some or all of these products in roughly the same order as I've noted in the picture.  The best news--everything, with the exception of the Connoiser's polishing cloth and the Pro-Polish pads can be purchased at your local hardware store--most of it in the paint aisle.  The Scotch Brite, the sandpaper and the steel wool usually comes in some pretty large sizes, so I'll take a set of OLD scissors and cut them down to a more manageable 2x3 inch size. 

 

So here's how I will polish up my copper and metals without using the pickle.

 

1.  A Rough Start.  We'll start with the most abrasive or "scratchiest" pad to remove the oxidation.  This means, working the metal first with the red Scotch Brite pad.  Whenever I hand polish something, I try to rub the metal in only one direction.  For a ring, there's only one way to sand the metal, but for other metals, I do try to keep moving in only one direction most of the time.  Using the red pad will remove most, if not all, of the very darkest discoloration.   Here I've used the red Scotch Brite pad on only 1/2 of the ring.  Notice that the side that has been treated is now completely copper in color again, but the appearance is very matte because the abrasive is so harsh.

2.  Refining the Surface. Then it's time for the steel wool.  For most of my jewelry, I'll use the "000" steel wool, which is usually "fine" enough to remove the remainder of the oxidation from my pieces, while also "smoothing" any of the sanding marks left from the red Scotch Brite pad.  If your piece has been sawed or filed, the 000 steel wool will also smooth the ends of the cut or sawed metal so that it's smooth to the touch.  The best part is that, if you're partial to a "matte" finish on your metal, the steel wool can leave a beautiful warm matte finish to silver and copper.  It works well to remove some, but not all, of any patina you've added to the metal too.  So if you're using Liver or Sulfur (smelly...) or "LoS", using steel wool to complete a final hand finish on your patina-ed metals will brighten the high surfaces, while leaving the lower sections with a warm, slightly worked appearance.

 

3.  Final Polish.  Once the discoloration has been removed or mostly removed, if that's your preference, then it's time for the polishing that will bring up the shine to a high glossy appearance.  Starting with the Pro-Polish pad or your metal polishing cloth, buff the metal to a high shine.  These final abrasives are so fine that it will remove only the smallest portions of the metal, while disturbing very little of the metal surface. If the metal has been patinated, then the final sanding should be done with great care to prevent removing all of your patina, which both the Pro-Polish pad and the metal polishing cloth can easily do.

 

4.  Sealing and Preserving.  Since I really like a very high shine on most of my pieces (I'm not a huge "crystal" fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like the "bling), I'll use a good car metal cleaner and wax to impart the final cleaning and sealing of my metal.  For patinated metals, you can apply a spray acrylic sealer over the metal or use a metal sealant, like Renaissance Wax (available from RioGrande.com) to put a protective coating on the metal. 

 

 

If, like me, you're forever making "tool marks" on our metal, fear not, because these can be "softened" during the cleaning and finishing process.  Even if you are not "torching" your metal to a blackened state, you can use these same abrasives to sand and finish your metal work.  Several light swipes with the red Scotch Brite pad or the 600-1000 grit sand paper, will remove the "high spots" from metal "whoopsies" and can make most of the tool marks on your wire work begin to disappear.  Use the steel wool, more aggressively, to lower the profile or scratches on the metal, and then, finally, use the Pro-Polish pad, which is also an abrasive, to remove any final marks or minimize the look of any deep gouges. 

 

Once your know how to hand polish and finish your metals, you might never or hardly ever touch that pickle pot again.



 

Way Back Weekend - Modernists Elsa Freund and Art Smith

It's the dream of every artist, I believe, for his/her works to be loved and admired well beyond the span of one's lifetime.  Certainly, such goals are achievable for painters, authors, poets, composers, and musicians, but such accolades seldom befall a jewelry artist--except in rare circumstances.  Happily, such are the circumstances for modernist artists and jewelers Art Smith and Elsa Freund.

Elsa Freund was a one-time school teacher who later, with her husband (a muralist), founded an art school at Hatchett Hall (former residence of Temperance movement leader and hatchet wielder Carrie Nation).  Elsa's jewelry is as modern and wearable today as it was in the 1950s when she first made her jewelry which features both her exquisite wire work and her use of enamel and glass over ceramics.  Elsa also created lovely paintings, which she sold under the name "Elsie."  Here are just a few examples of Elsa's work!


Sterling silver pendant with glass on ceramic centerpiece (circa 1950s).  For more information,  or to purchase this piece, go to www.trocadero.com









Here is a lovely sterling silver wire bracelet.  This one features Elsa's beautiful ceramic with enamal and glass coating in blue.  Circa 1962.  This beautiful piece is housed at the Yale University's Museum of Art.

http://www.925-1000.com/amx_freund.html

 

Dazzling ceramic necklace, c. 1960, enamel on Terra Cotta, Museum of Fine Art, Boston.

Although many of Elsa's pieces still exist today, she soon abandoned manufacturing her popular jewelry due, in part, to having to make so many of the same pieces over and over.  Still, her jewelry, with the "floating" centerpieces, are some of the most innovative and lovely designs 60 years later!

Picture courtesy of www.artsmithjewelry.com

Arthur "Art" Smith was a talented jeweler who lived in the Village in the early 1950s.  From a very early age, Art exhibited signs of great artistic talent.  After winning honorable mention in a poster contest, he was encouraged to follow a career in the arts, and won a scholarship to Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.  He studied commercial art, and after graduating, took courses at New York University where he studied jewelry design.  After working with another black jeweler, Winnifred Mason, he struck out on his own with his own studio and label.  Life was not easy for gay, black man working in the arts, and often encountered discrimination and violence.  He persevered and sold his pieces across the country.  Eventually, his designs were used in stage and dance productions, which led to his making pieces on a grand and large scale.  Art's beautiful work lives on today.  Above, one of his large scale necklaces.  Check below for even more artwork!

 

www.craftcouncil.org

 

 

A beautiful Art Smith silver necklace made with Turquoise and Rhodochrosite. c 1958 from the Daphne Farago collection.

 

What Jewelry Wire Should I Use and Why?

When I began knitting again, 10 or so years ago (after an absence of more than a decade), I was thrilled to find these wonderful little labels on each skein of yarn.  As you can see, the label recommends both a knitting needle and crochet hook size AND gives the crafter care and laundering instructions!  Hallelujah!

Yarn manufacturers finally understood that most of us knitters didn't know a blessed thing about how to judge the quality or thickness of the yarn, let alone what needle to use to knit or crochet with their product.  And how many of us have shrunk, scrunched and damaged our lovely hand knits with improper care (my hand is in the air!)

Now when I make my annual trek to Stitches West here in Santa Clara, California, I can confidently purchase tons and tons of yarn (and I do buy tons and tons of yarn) with the knowledge that I don't know what I'll knit, but when I figure it out, I'll have a "road map" of sorts through these labels to figure out what yarns can be used for the various projects.

Sadly, no such label or "road map" exists yet for wire.  In fact, one of the most common questions I'm asked by students is "how do you know which wire to use" for different applications?

To answer that, let's look again at temper and gauge.  By the way, this is going to be a very "general" guide for my jewelry friends, so if you're an expert with more specific information, feel free to leave comments.  Thanks!

What is Temper?  Temper, as it refers to metal (and not to angry humans) is the measure of the wire's malleability or ability to be twisted and manipulated and it's relative "springy-ness" when bent.  In our case, wire comes in four "tempers":

1) soft or "dead soft" (everyone likes to say "dead soft"--it's that word "dead" at the front that gets 'em every time)
2) half hard or 1/2 hard or HH
3) hard or "full hard" (okay, just too many sexual jokes...sorry about that)
and
4) "spring hard" (which is an industrial version of hardness)

Going from 1 to 4, the metal is the most malleable with the least amount of "spring back" to metal that is rather hard to turn and will try to spring back to its original shape each time.  All metals can be "annealed" which is heated to become softer, but unless you have a torch, it's best to get a metal in the temper that you will need for a specific project.

What is Gauge?  Gauge refers to the diameter or "size" of the metal.  All metal wire is made the same way, by pulling it through metal plates that have successfully smaller and smaller holes in them--these are called "draw plates".  A long long time ago, metal was measured by how many times it was pulled through these wire making holes.  Thus, an 8 gauge wire was (presumably) pulled through
the draw plate 8 times.  A 36 gauge wire was pulled through the draw plate 36 times, so it was much much skinnier and smaller in diameter.  This is an easy way to remember that lower numbers in gauge are bigger wires while larger numbers mean skinny wires.  In reality, however, the AWG or American Wire Gauge system which is also the B&S system (for Brown and Sharpe) is based on the division of an inch into 1000s of units.  Interestingly, wire is most commonly manufactured only in even numbered gauges (4, 6, 8, 12, etc.), and seldom in odd numbers. 

In Europe, wire is sized in metrics, rather than what Irish jewelry designer Rachel Murgatroyd (YrDesigns on Youtube) calls the "Imperial" method in her YouTube vids or by a B&S gauge.  For jewelry crafters and handmade jewelry artists, here are some common metric to gauge conversions:

0.08mm = 20 gauge wire
1.024mm = 18 gauge wire
1.29mm =16 gauge wire
1.62mm=14 gauge wire

So What Gauge and Tempter to Use and When?

Here's where making recommendations can get a little tricky because every jeweler or wire wrapper I've ever met has their own "sense" of what's proper.  In fact, the longer someone seems to have worked with wire, the more likely they'll opt for the harder tempers and smaller (e.g. 10-14) gauge of wire when making jewelry.  On the other hand, as I've gotten older, I prefer NOT to fight with my wire each time I make something, so I've moved away from my trusty half hard wire and buy a lot more soft wire to use when making projects.  Soft wire is super easy to turn, but it is also super easy to turn "back" or bend in the other direction.  As a result, if I make jewelry "architecture" or "structures", then I have to slam the heck out of my wires to get them hard enough to hold their shape.  Sometime, when I'm playing with wire, I've no idea that the item I'm working on is going to become something more "structural," so I will admit that it is annoying not having started with a harder temper or larger wire first.  So keep in mind that as you get better (and you WILL get better and fast), you might find that the dead soft wire you bought two months ago is just too smooshy and bendy to be serviceable today.  But keep the wire, because as you get older, you'll find you prefer keeping your wrists in good working order to bending those steel girders like "He-Man" (or "She-WoMan" as the case may be).

But if you're just starting out, here's a good general guide to working with wire:

Making Connectors (Hooks and Eyes for the Back of Your Necklace) - 16 Gauge Soft Wire (you will have to hammer with metal hammers) to harden the wire, or 16 g 1/2 Hard wire that is hardened with a rawhide mallet (thus keeping the "round shape).  Connectors can also be made from 18 gauge wire, but I would avoid anything smaller than 18.

Connector Wires for Beads (Simple Loops)- 18 or 20 g 1/2 hard wire is great to hold beads of any size.  The 1/2 hard temper will help hold the simple loops at the top and bottom of your bead from opening.  If you have to use soft wire in your simple loops, hammer the loops a bit to make them harder and less likely to open.

Connector Wires for Beads (Wrapped Loops) - 18 or 20 g sof wire to complete the wrapped loop. The wrapped loop is a loop that has been wrapped at its stem (similar to a hangman's noose).  The best loops are those that are made with soft wire, although I've seen some pretty impressive 1/2 hard wrapped loops too.  Use the soft wire and save your wrists...

Cord Wrapping for Leather - If using leather, pleather or cord components with your necklaces, wrapping the leather with 18 gauge 1/2 round wire in soft or 1/2 hard works great to close off the ends of the leather.  Once wrapped, a quick squeeze with the flat nose pliers will help keep your work neat and clean.

Bezels - I used to make wire bezels with 21-22 gauge 1/2 hard square wire.  Since then, I use soft wire and tumble the resulting bezels to harden prior to slipping the rock into the bezel.  If you can manipulate the wire with your fingers, 1/2 hard wire will provide the most security with the least amount of "after-fabrication" tumbling and adjustments.

Pearls - Pearls are both beautiful and fragile.  So much so, in fact, that drilling holes in pearls and trying to enlargen them through reaming can cause the pearl to snap right in half.  To avoid destroying the pearl, these luminous orbs are drilled with thinner drill bits.  As a result, use 22 gauge soft wire and wrapped loops when making jewelry with pearls.

Natural Stones  - The rule of thumb for wire and stones is to use a wire that is the as "large" as the hole in the stone.  Almost all stones are drilled first from one side of the rock to the middle of the stone and then from the other side of the rock to the middle of the stone.  Seldom is the stone drilled from one side or end to the the other side, as this greatly increases the chances that the stone will crack in half.  As a result of drilling from the outside to the middle, the holes in the stone may or may not be completely "straight"--there may be a small 'jog' in the middle of the stone that still presents a weak spot for the bead.  Most stones will accept a 20 gauge wire, but some (like Jasper) are often drilled with holes large enough to accept 18 gauge wire.  Depending on the fragility of the stone, you might consider soft wire to string the stone (to prevent cracking the stone if there is a noticeable "jog" in the drill hole).   

I hope this general guide helps in selecting the proper wire and temper when making your next piece of jewelry.

Happy twisting,
Grace

What the Talented Russians Can Teach Us About Wire...

I've often said that you can tell where a wire piece was designed by its "look." Those of us who bend wire for fun can easily spot wire work from South America with its curliqued jigged designs and fanciful filigree patterns.  Americans are currently all about the "Bohemian" style--mixing metals and making, well, "raw" and incongruent shapes and designs into bold fashion pieces.

But those are all things we've seen before...and, while pretty, it has never held my attention for long.

Enter the work of our "wired" sisters from the Eastern Europe.  Now, HERE is something different! As if made by fairies or elves, the crafters and wire workers of the former Soviet Union have kept their wire secrets hidden for years.  Take for example, this lovely fish made by one of my personal favorites, Alevtina Gersenko.  Alevtine crafts gorgeous animals from wire, including cranes and peacocks, tigers and lions. This fish is a classic example of her "paddle" wire wrap art, and it's beautiful.

Did you see the Lord of the Rings movies and, like me, marvel at the glorious wire work crowns supposedly made by Elvin Metalsmiths.  Well, those weren't Elves, they were Russian wire workers.  Here is an example of some beautiful work by Alba, who juxtaposes round with pointy and uses "layers" of wire to create an effect that appears almost "fantasy" like in quality and design.   Simple, beautiful, elegant, that's Alba's style.



Need more proof? Check out the work by the very talented Elena Strukova.  Here is an example of one of her pendants.  Elena has also turned the Egyptian Chain on it's "head" and mashed, smashed and destroyed the old "closed" spirals to create a crazy attractive chain that can be used for necklaces, bracelets and pendants.  You can see more at her site. Here's her pendant...lovely!


Check out the LiveJournal.RU pinterest board for even more fabulous wirework from Eastern Europe and marvel at the incredible talent of these wire bending magicians!

The Inevitable Evolution of Jewelry Crafting

People often ask me how I started in crafting jewelry (because, let's be serious, I'm a REALTOR and not a jewelry designer, so, at best, I'm a great "copy cat" and a good crafter--not to be confused with someone who makes the professional stuff that people actually want to buy...).  Frankly, it happened something like this...

I am and will always be, primarily, a knitter.  I love fiber arts and making fabric from thousands of little loops.  So when friends started having children, I began making lots of cute little outfits for babies but soon learned that almost ever "notions" section of my local hobby or sewing store seemed to carry only very common and ordinary buttons.  After spending hours making lovely outfits for new babies, it seemed a shame to "crown" them with buttons that did not seem just as cute or interesting as the outfits themselves.  So when I happened to pass a store called "Three Beads and a Button," my search for new and interesting buttons led me inside to my very first experience with beads and jewelry.  The materials and colors were so overwhelming that I had to spend a second visit at this great store, and was given instruction in how to make my very first, albeit, stupidly simple necklace...but how I loved to wear that necklace!

Soon, stringing a few beads on a bit of Soft-Flex or a piece of prestretched cord was not enough.  I bought my first set of pliers (still have them too), and taught myself how to make jump rings.  From there, I began making chain maille--lots and lots of chain maille.  Then one day, my friend, Joanne at the bead store said, "why don't you learn how to do something more with wire than simply to bend it into a circle, hmmm?"  And so she taught me a few fancy new moves with wire and pliers, which opened up an entirely new area of jewelry crafting for me.

As with all things in my life, curiosity led to investigation which grew to an obsession and culminated in an expensive hobby that started to consume much of my free hours.  I visited bead and jewelry supply stores from Monterey to Berkeley, California, had subscriptions to ever beading magazine available, and even traveled to bead shows to take lessons from some of the people whose names covered the reference books I coveted (like Mark Lareau, whose book "All Wired Up" was and is my "bible" for wire working). 

(All Wired Up Author and Wire Wrapping Guru, Mark Lareau waves "hello" in Spring 2012)

Finally, "real life" crept in--I married, had a son, and thought I had put all of this behind me, but I was wrong.  In November 2011, I began teaching (for the first time) a class that I began calling "Jewelry 1" here in San Jose, California with a group called Handmade Enthusiasts at www.meetup.com/handmade.  The first few "students" were very nice, waded through my muddled explanations with me, and have all (one year later) become extremely talented jewelry makers and metal smiths. 

Since then, I've taught some 200 people how to make jewelry, and it's been a great time!  There's nothing like seeing someone's face when they make the perfect wrapped loop or begin to realize that the necklace they're wearing is not that hard to replicate.  Because Jewelry 1 and 2 continue to be the prerequisite courses for other jewelry classes, I am often the first person that most of our new members meet, and it has put me the enviable position of being the group's organizer and "good will ambassador" of sorts in each individual's new journey toward jewelry making.  Hopefully, I don't scare too many people away from a great art!

So that's how I started making jewelry the first time and revitalized the craft for a second time almost a decade later.  How did you find your passion in this craft or another?  Share your story! 



 

Here Comes Spring...At least In Copper Form!

The "upside" to living in the San Francisco Bay Area (California) is the benefit that the weather is almost always pleasant.  The "downside" is that the weather is always pleasant...so much so, that we don't really have "seasons" here.   There is no snow, no excessive sweltering heat--just sunny days and rainy days.  And rain is NOT a season...it's just rain.

As a result, there are only two seasons that really interest me each year and which provide even the smallest form of seasonal changes...Fall and Spring.  Autumn because the leaves turn lovely shades of red, orange and gold, and spring because this is when we see all the lovely little cream and pink colored blossoms. 

As I sit patiently waiting for the arrival of the first buds of spring, I've been busy creating metal flowers to occupy my time.  These lovely copper flowers were made with 16 gauge copper wire, bent into flowers, hammered vigorously (because, frankly, there is no other way to hammer...but vigorously) and then adorned with a curliqued and beaded butterfly and beaded flower center.  The entire thing was then stuck on a pleather cord with hammered copper hook and eye to close the necklace. 

Obviously, I'm not the only one with a "hankering" for the delicate buds of spring time.  My pals at Handmade Enthusiasts here in San Jose, CA, will be joining me this month to smash out some more flowers for a great flowered necklace.  Pretty!!

What is a Zarf??

When I was first introduced to the word "zarf", it was as a curiosity presented on the Today show.  Then later, I found the word highly useful in my battles with friends across the globe in Word Scramble and Word Scrabble.  Recently, the humble zarf has become a great beginner project for my pals at our Handmade Enthusiasts meetup. 

So what is a "zarf", you ask?

A zarf is the cardboard ring that goes around the coffee cup to keep your hands cool when you are holding that morning cup of coffee.  But if you really want to be kind to the environment, you'll consider using a zarf that you make.  Coffee cozy or zarf, here's a SUPER easy pattern I've designed to make your own zarf.  And, best part, it can use up all those little yarn scraps you have lying about in the craft room.

Here it is...GRACE'S KNITTED ZARF

Materials:
1 Pair Size US 6 Straight Knitting Needles OR
1 Pair Size US 7 Straight Knitting Needles
1 small ball of Red Heart or Acrylic Yarn in Worsted Weight
1 Crochet Hook or Tapestry Needle

Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
M1 = Make 1by picking up the yarn between the stitches.  Place the yarn on the left needle, and knit into the BACK of the loop, 1 stitch increased
K1F&B = Knit into the front and back of the next stitch


If using Size 6 Needles, please cast on 34 stitches using the long-tail method
If using Size 7 Needles, please cast on 30 stitches
Leave a tail of approximately 10 inches.  We'll use this to seam up the zarf.

(The design for the larger Size 7 needles, appears in the parentheses)

Row 1 -3 - K all stitches
Row 4 - K 17(15) stitches, M1, K to the stitch before the end of the row, and K1F&B into the last stitch
Row 5-7 - K all stitches
Row 8 - K 18(16) stitches, M1, K to the stitch before the end of the row, and K1F&B into the last stitch

Row 9 - This is the start of the stockingnette stitch center, so feel free to change colors here if you'd like something stripey...  K all stitches in same color or a new color
Row 10 - P all stitches
Row 11 - K all stitches
Row 12 - P all stitches
Row 13 - K all stitches

(if you'used a different color in the stockingnette center, please change colors at Row 14)

Row 14 - K 19(17) stitches, M1, K to stitch before the end of the row, and K1F&B into the last stitch
Row 15 - K all stitches
Row 16 - K all stitches
Row 17 - K 20(18) stithces, M1, K to stitch before the end of the row, and K1F&B into the last stitch
Row 18 - K all stitches
Row 19 - K all stitches
Row 20 - Bind off all stitches fairly loosely.

Seam up the side of the Zarf using a tapestry needle and "whip stitch" or a crochet hook and a slip stitch.  Because this is something that will likely be washed a lot and used over lots of cups of coffee, the seam should be fairly sturdy, yet flat-ish.  Feel free to use "Dutch Knitting" to embroider initials into the middle "band" of your Zarf for easy identification by the Zarf's owner.

Enjoy!!