by Geannie M. Bastian

Any mother will tell you, the best gifts aren't the ones that cost the most, but those that take the most thought on the part of the giver. If you are looking for an easy project that Mom will love, try this fun and funky loom knit tube scarf. It's an easy project for teens and any beginner loom knitter.

Mother's Day Craft for Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Materials

One Knifty Knitter small blue loom. If you have to pick this up at a craft store, it will cost you about $7. It's a great investment for beginners, because with this loom you can make not only scarves, but baby hats, and adult socks slippers and mittens. It comes with a knitting tool and yarn needle.

Two skeins or balls of super bulky yarn. This will be the kind with a 6 on the back of the yarn label. I recommend Red Heart Light and Lofty or Bright and Lofty. They have a great funky texture that looks fun, and hides small mistakes well. If you want to use contrasting colors on your scarf, buy one of each color.

Mother's Day Craft for Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Casting On

1. Tie a slipknot on the holding pegs that sticks out on the side of the loom.

2. Take your working yarn -- the line coming from the skein, not the tail of the slip knot -- and zig-zag it between the pegs, front-back-front-back, until you have gone around the loom once. Half the pegs will have yarn on the outside, half will not.

3. Take your working yarn and make one circle around the outside of the loom. there will now be two strands on the outside every other peg, one on the others.

4. Working only with the pegs that have two strands, lift the bottom strand over the top one with your knitting tool. Once you have gone all the way around, all the pegs will have one strand on the outside. You are now cast on.

Mother's Day Craft for Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Bottom Drawstring

1. Wrap you working yarn in a circle around each peg. The yarn between the pegs should be on the inside of the loom.

2. There are now two strains on each peg again. As before, lift the bottom strand over the top one with your tool. Repeat these two steps nine more times.

3. Once you have 10 rows of knitting, remove the slip knot from the holding peg, and tug on the yarn tail. This should act like a drawstring and close up the opening in the bottom of your knitting, making the end of the tube.

Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Scarf Body

1. If you are using two colors of yarn, cut the working yarn of the color you have been using, leaving a couple of inches of tail. Tie the second color on the holding peg, and continue on with the new working yarn.

2. As you did for the last ten rows, wrap you working yarn in a circle around each peg. Remember, the yarn between the pegs should be on the inside of the loom.

3. As before, lift the bottom strand over the top one with your tool. Repeat this until your scarf is as long as you want it. Average scarf length is 48".

4. If you are using 2 colors, stop 10 rows before you have reached your desired length, and change colors back to the original color for the last 10 rows.

*Note: If you are using a single color and run out of yarn on your first skein, attach the second using the same method as the color change above.

Mother's Day Craft for Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Closing the Top

1. Cut your current working yarn. Using the same yarn, thread a piece of the yarn through the yarn needle, about 12"-18" long.

2. Sew up through each loop so that each loop is held on the yarn, making sure to go through the first loop again at the end. Ease the loops off the pegs.

3. Tug on the excess yarn. It should again act like a drawstring and close up the opening in the top of your knitting, making the other end of the tube.

Mother's Day Craft for Teens -- Funky Loom Kit Tube Scarf -- Finishing

1. Use the yarn needle and any yarn tails to close any small gaps in the top and bottom of the scarf or where you joined new yarn/changed colors.

2. Then work the tail ends into the inside of the tube with your yarn needle or fingers. Your scarf is done.

Source: Experience making past scarves.