One of the first lessons my crochet mentor taught me was this: “it all start with a chain,” and today, after I had gotten caught up on house work and errands that I could not longer ignore, I explored the power of this simple stitch.

When I met my fellow crochet enthusiast, Eileen Tepper, she was wearing the newsboy hat she had designed, and an interesting crocheted piece around her neck.

Eileen was kind enough to share the directions for her neckwear with me. It is a quick, easy project that can be used to dress up just about anything.

Using an L hook and two strands of your favorite worsted weight yarn, chain 110.

Being careful not to twist the chain, join in a loop to the first chain made with a slip stitch. Make three, as are seen here:

I then did the unthinkable, and for the sake of expedience, I violated one of the tenants of crochet and tied a square knot:

Having survived that crochet heresy without being struck by lightning, I then gathered the chains together in groups of three:

and joined them together with 3 single crochet stitches using the L hook and two strands of the yarn:

Not wanting to aggravate the crochet gods any further, this time, I wove the ends in.

To use this decorative neckwear, you simply put them on as you would a necklace:

Then twist it once, and loop it over your head again (it’s easier if you don’t wear the hat during this process):

These chains are a wonderful beginning project and are an easy way to dress up any hoodie you might have in your wardrobe.

And if you happen to be a Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers fan, you can get started right now making yourself some fashionable cold weather gear to get yourself through the game.