This project is perfect for the pre teen and teen age crafter. Duplicate stitch is an embroidery stitch that duplicates stockinette stitches to create a new design. It is used here to make a pretty design to liven up a tired old scarf.

Old tube scarf

Two colors of  Lion Brand Wool-EaseŽ.

Large eyed blunt needle

The project uses a very tired acrylic scarf that is several years old. Like many commercial scarves, this is a tube scarf (a cylinder) and is sewn shut at the ends. It has some lame little tassels on it that pretend to hide the seam. Because it is a tube, it is a good choice for duplicate stitch because the ends of the yarn from the embroidery can be kept inside where they won't show.

We started by picking the nasty little pills off and gently steaming it flat with an iron set on low heat.

To liven it up, we used duplicate stitch and embroidered a heart, using two colors of Wool-EaseŽ.

Click on Printables and print out the pattern for the embellishments. 

Using (A), we started in the middle of the scarf with a single stitch, then did a row of 3 stitches (centered) above it, two rows of 5 stitches centered above that, two rows of 7 stitches (centered), two rows of 9 stitches (centered), a row of 3 stitches, a space and 3 stitches (centered) and one stitch centered above each of the group of 3.

Above the heart, we embroidered three rows of color, one in (A), one in (B) and another in (A) where we simply did one duplicate stitch every five stitches, and beside the heart, we did a similar row of stitches in (B).

Because the scarf is a tube scarf, all the ends of the yarn are inside and nothing shows on the back side.
To make the end more attractive, we made tassels of (A) and (B).

Cut lengths of yarn twice as long as the finshed tassel plus one inch. For 4-in [10 cm] tassels, cut 9-in [22.5 cm] pieces.

Put the crochet hook through the scarf where the tassel is to be located. Use it to pull a loop of several strands through the scarf (three strands were used in the example.)

Pull the end of the tassel through the loop and tighten it.

When you are finished, trim the tassels to match the length of the original ones.

NOTES:

Select a yarn where the weight and fabric content is as similar as possible to the item on which you are working.

Thread the yarn into the large-eyed, blunt needle. Working from the back of the fabric, bring the needle up through the center of an existing stitch. Click on printables to see the diagram.

Follow the yarn of the stitch up, to the point where it goes under the next stitch above. Insert your needle at this point, so your yarn lies on top of the existing yarn in the stitch and bring it back up at the point where the yarn of the existing stitch comes back to the front. 

Following the existing stitch and insert the needle in the same loop where you started. Keep the tension loose so that your new color stays on top.

To continue to the next stitch in the same horizontal row, simply bring the needle up through the center of that stitch and repeat the process.

To skip several stitches, simply pass the yarn under as many stitches as you wish to skip, bringing it up in the center of the stitch where you want the bottom of your new stitch to be.

Keep the tension of the embroidery loose so it stays on top of the stitch you are duplicating. 

This craft reprinted courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn.