Marked in a Fine Way

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

I have been making quite a few bookmarks lately. I’ve been a little obsessed, actually. I want to share a few new bookmarks I just whipped up in Spud & Chloë Fine. After you finish your Fine socks here is a wonderful little project to use up your odds and ends. Fine is thin and will easily slide between the pages of your novel or knitting book without too much bulk. Before I get into the stitch patterns I used for the bookmarks let me tell you a little about this spectacular yarn.

Fine is a fingering weight or sock weight yarn. This means it is perfect for making socks, baby items, shawls, scarves and sweaters, not to mention gloves or mittens and hats. Sometimes a lightweight yarn is simply more comfortable to wear. It is a delight to work with because the blend is a bit different from other sock yarns you may find. Fine is 80% superwash wool for softness and convenience and 20% silk for strength and body. Plus the silk adds a luster and sheen that I adore. The yarn is designed to soften with washing. You will be amazed at the softness and durability of Fine after washing. Here’s why I know this as a fact.

Coming up, I have a free sock pattern for kids made out of Fine. My daughter, some of you may know her as The Collector, modeled the socks for a few photos. After I was done taking the photos for the pattern she left her new handknit socks on and ran around outside on the cement driveway and our yard without shoes for a long time. I didn’t know this until I found her socks later.  They were really dirty on the bottom but even after being worn shoeless on cement they were still in great shape. I threw them in the washer and then the dryer on low and they came out like new! Plus they are softer then ever! Check back next week sometime for this upcoming free sock pattern. You will love the pattern and the yarn.

Now, back to the bookmark madness. The leafy bookmark, above, is my favorite version. I made it for a gift so I will have to make another one to keep. The leaf stitch pattern is found in a wonderful book called, Super Stitches Knitting, by Karen Hemingway, on page 128. (This is a terrific stitch dictionary if you are interested.) I made my bookmark in Fine using Cricket #7804. I used US size 2 needles and worked the stitch pattern 6 times. Lastly, added a 3 stitch I-cord for about 2 inches to make a knot at the top.

Next, I want to knit this exact same stitch pattern in Outer in Peat on size 13 or 15 needles for a gorgeous leafy scarf. Are you with me? You’ll see my leaf scarf soon, I promise. 

After my leafy adventure I pulled out my size E crochet hook and whipped up three little sassy bookmarks. Don’t they look like candy?

From right to left:

The bookmark on the right is crocheted in Clementine #7802, Glow Worm #7801, Anemone #7805, and Popcorn #7800. With my E crochet hook I made a chain that measured 10 inches. Then I did 2 rows of single crochet and a chain 1 at the ends when turning in each of the colorways. 

The second curvy bookmark from the right is crocheted in Tutu #7807. For this version I started with a 10 inch chain with an E crochet hook and then did one row of single crochet. Then for the next row I repeated the following to the end:

(single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, double crochet)

Next I cut the yarn and went back to the first chain row. I did one more row of single crochet. Turned and completed the repeat row one more time.

For the third bookmark from the right I crocheted in Popcorn #7800, Tutu #7807 and Dachshund #7803, ice cream colors. I chained with an E crochet hook for 10 inches. I did one double crochet row with each color and a chain 2 at each end when turning.

I heavily steamed each bookmark with my iron to make them lay flat and to make the stitches crisp. I let them air dry.

There you have it! I hope you will try a bookmark for yourself or for a quick and lovely little handmade gift. A sweet gesture like this could really brighten someone’s day.