Fiber Monday 303: Failure is Always An Option

In Which I Have Failed!

Yup, you read that right, I've botched it :)

But FC, you may be thinking, if you've botched it, then why do you seem so happy?

Ah, my friends, when you fail at one project, it opens the door to another.

My failed earwarmer

I was originally working from this pattern, but then the unfathomable happened: I ran out of yarn.

Normally, this would be a Very Big Problem, but since I was using leftover yarn to begin with, I decided that I'd fulfill one of my dreams this year. 2020 might just be the year of the Scrapghan!

What the heck is a Scrapghan?

So, you know how when you're working on projects, you'll occasionally have a few yards of leftover yarn? A Scrapghan is a blanket made from your leftovers. There are, of course, infinite versions of the Scrapghan, but I've come up with my own version of a Granny Square to do this with!

First, form a Magic Ring and chain 3, then yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, put it through the circle, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull all the way through.
Basically, you're forming a starting 3dc cluster!

From your first cluster, chain 3, then make another 3dc cluster and chain 3 again.

two clusters with chains after each

Then make two 3dc clusters without chaining between them, then chain 3.

I know, it looks a little wonky, but trust me!

After that chain-3, you make a 3dc cluster, chain 3, make two 3dc clusters, and chain 3. Then you slip stitch into the top of the first cluster you made!

Pull your magic circle closed, and you have a strange little flower!
How cute!

Now that we have our center spoke, the pattern is pretty simple.

You slip stitch over to the next ch3 space, chain 3, then dc twice. Then you ch3, then dc 3 times in the same space! You've just formed a corner.

My new starting corner.

Now, once you have a corner, you're just going to yarn over and slip your hook between the clusters that are right next to each other. Dc three times, then move onto the next ch3 space to make another (dc 3, ch3, dc 3) in the space. Repeat this all the way around. I know that slipping between the closer petals can be a pain, but it's worth it!

You can see a rectangle forming!

Don't forget to slip-stitch into the top of your starting ch3 and slip stitch to the next ch3 so that it's easier to start your next round.

A handsomely completed round!

Now keep doing that until you start to run out of yarn again. Once you're down to about a foot of yarn left, it's probably a good idea to slip a stitch marker onto the last stitch you completed and set the rectangle aside until you have more scrap yarn.

Which will take a while for this yarn, because I had gotten to 50 rows
on the earwarmer before I was forced to admit defeat...

So there you have it - you can turn negatives into positives through the magic of switching gears. Yes, this means no earwarmer, but! Now I have a fallback project for when I'm between designs.

I'll try to figure out a better way to write out this pattern (and possibly chart it for those of you who operate better with charts), but for now, I hope this helps you start your own vaguely rectangular blanket :)

Go Enjoy Something,
FC