This light grey fleece resembles spring showers as a neutral backdrop for these lovely shades of amber, gold, and burnt orange flowers. I originally made this scarf as an entry to a fleece contest (I’m still waiting to hear the results) but, liked it so much I decided to post it on my Etsy shop. My favorite part is where the narrower strands of the plait criss cross to create see through lattice windows.
When I was considering the various ways I could dress up the plain grey fleece, I pictured something like a cable knit which led me on a long google search and much experimentation on plaiting. I started out with a search on fancy braids which showed mostly hairstyles, then I perused the braided horse tack and many other keywords and finally ended with a search for braided belts. From photos of belts, I learned the fundamentals of this braid then added more strands to achieve the width that I needed for the scarf.
I added grey organza ribbon to the braid for extra dimension and texture. The centers of the flowers are enhanced with shiny rayon embroidery and freshwater pearls and seed beads of varied sizes and textures in colors of sea blue, amber, pearl, gold, and bronze.
The main stickler for this scarf came in the form of having to tack down the plait and embroider and bead the flowers while allowing only the occasional tiny stitch to show on the opposite side. All in all, I would say it was well worth it and it turned out to be a very enjoyable project regardless of the sore back I contracted by my poor posture when I was handsewing, lol!
Woohoo! It won 1st prize locally, now it's being sent to nationals!
Congratulations! Your win is well deserved. The scarf is gorgeous.