I have a couple of scarves that were made for me, both are crochetedThey are very flexible, and appear to be made of double crochet stitchesYou can take the scarf and stretch it from it's original width of say 6 inches to probably close to 10 inchesWhen I make them, they tend to be very stiff and not stretchyI thought this came from using a small hook, so recently I tried making a scarf with a K hookI used one strand of worsted, and one strand of a thin novelty yarnI was doing half-double crochets and they were pretty loose.This thing turned out almost like a potholderPerfect square, no stretching, no bendingBut not very comfy to wear around the neckI wish I would have gotten a pic, but I unraveled it when I realized there was no one anyone would wear thatSo what am I doing wrong? Different hook size? Looser stitches/tighter stitches? Different type of stitch? Anything???
AbsolutelyIt's also OK to go to a page on dollar origami and see how to make a nice ornament for the package from a $1 bill or two or more:-) This would show that you're frugal (economical) rather than cheapMe, I get solid-color wrapping paper at the after-Christmas sales and use it throughout the yearThe main problem with using newspaper, etc., as wrapping paper is that the color often rubs off onto other items.
That doesn't sound goodIs it really christmas-y paper or is almost do-able for any event? I have some christmas wrap that is blue and silver and I use it all yearDo you have a dollar store, 99cents only, dollar general, everything's a $1 or something similar near you? You can get a big roll for $1Walgreens sells small packs of gift wrap paper for like fifty cents in their card aisleWant to be more creative? You could try tissue paper and decorate it with ribbon/bowMake it fancier by inserting plastic flowers into the bow.
When they open the present, the receiver defiantly will see the Christmas sideIf it's someone you know well, it would be fine as a joke and say hey, i was out of wrapping paper! But if not, I would buy a cheap roll of wrapping paper that you can use on any occasion, because Christmas paper may seem tacky.
There is nothing wrong with re-purposing wrappingYou could spend some time decorating the white side of the wrapping paper to jazz it up(I have stamp-ed plain paper and had the kids decorate paper of the gifts they are giving.) You could write on the outside of the wrapping special thoughts on the occasion or memories, etc People toss the wrapping away after they tear it open, so it really doesn't matter over-allI would never even think to criticize the wrap of a giftWhat's inside the wrapping is the gift, not the outsideSave yourself the $4 bucks or so for wrapping that will jsut get tossed and put the extra $ towards the gift itself or towards a future gift.
Many novelty yarns have little to no stretchTug on it gently and see how well it stretchesIf the yarn can't stretch the way you want, the fabric you make from it isn't likely to be much more flexible Since you've tried larger hooks and you crochet loosely, its time to try an actual technique to add stretch to your work For crochet you usually pick up both of the top loops of your work when you are making a new stitchTo add a little stretch, try working only in the front loopsPick up only the top loop that is closest to you as you work back and forthThis will create a little stretch that should be sufficient for making a scarf comfortable If you want a LOT of vertical stretch in your fabric, you can work only in the back loops of your crochetThis will give you even more stretch than the front loops techniqueThis does create a fabric that will stretch itself out over time, so if you hang your scarf in a closet over the summer, do not be surprised if it is longer the next winter There is also a technique for working in alternating loopsYou work front loops for some stitches and back loops for others All of this front or back work does leave a ribbed texture on your workIf you want a perfectly smooth panel of crochet, try the alternating technique to limit the ribbingYou can also use a fuzzy yarn to cammouflage the texture There are also yarns in the world that have more stretch than those available at Hobby LobbyIf you don't get enough stretch with these tricks or you don't want textured fabric, finding a stretchier yarn is your best bet You can find detailed directions on all of these stitches by typing in how to make stretchy crochet and other such phrases into your favorite search engine.
