February 26, 2010, Newsletter Issue #84: The Fringe Factor

Tip of the Week

Ah, you've just finished your fabulous scarf or blanket and want to add a fringe trim. What are some different ways to do this? First, you might want to consider, at the beginning of your project, leaving long "tails" of yarn when changing colors or starting and ending rows.  These tails can blend into the fringe that you add at the end and can serve as a good way to measure how long you want your fringe to be when adding more at the end. 
If you're adding fringe at the end of the project and the pattern hasn't given you any instructions to follow, then the first step is to decide how long you want your fringe trim to be. Take that number, say 4 inches, and double it, then add another inch (for the knot!), and that's how long each strand of yarn you cut for the fringe should be (in our case here, 9 inches).   Don't pull the yarn too tight when measuring it, it'll end up being shorter than you think; in fact, err on the side of making the strands too long -- you can always trim the fringe once you've finished attaching it all.
 
Next, decide how thick you want the fringe to be. I usually combine at least 4 strands of yarn because, when folded, it'll be 8 strands, and I like a lush, thick fringe. Then, figure out at what intervals you want to attach the fringe segments, which will help you figure out how many strands of yarn you ultimately need to cut to finish your project. 
 
Now it's time to attach our fringe.  Use a big crochet hook and insert it into the joining point. Take the strands of yarn you want to use for that fringe segment and fold them in half. Slip the created loop at the top over the shaft of the crochet hook and wrap the ends of the yarn over the head of the hook and pull them through and tighten. One fringe segment has been completed!
 
At this point, things should go pretty quickly since you've done a great job prepping.  Just be sure to be consistent in the technique you use to finish up the rest of the segments. Oh, and be sure to buy extra yarn at the beginning of your project if the pattern doesn't give specific measurements or directions.

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