Behind the Scenes: Ball-and-Chain
Do spouses automatically have to wear stuff we knit or crochet? There are several things my husband won’t wear, but he did say that if I ever made a ball-and-chain scarf, he would wear it. Ha! I’ll believe it when I see it.
I actually started one a long time ago (and by a long time ago I mean about five years ago), but ended up giving it to my niece when she got married. She used it in her wedding photos and it looked like a lot of fun. Now I kind of wish I had had one when I got married! Upcoming weddings have motivated me to brush off that old incomplete pattern and finish it up.
I experimented with a couple different sizes of balls and stitches for the links before settling on what I have here. The first ball I crocheted was rather small and my husband said he could easily walk away if he had a ball and chain like that! I made one a bit bigger, though it’s still not up to scale. A ball with a diameter of 5.9 inches would be a bit cumbersome as a scarf!
The scarf would be a great prop for plays like A Christmas Carol. Of course stuffing in the ball is rather light and wouldn’t provide much drag when walking across the stage, but a ball filled with popcorn would!
Wherever a little physical restraint is needed, the ball-and-chain is a perfect project.
Check out the Ball and Chain pattern in our shop.
Ball and Chain pattern available on Etsy.
