Why was my scarf curling at the edges?

[sophiec1979 10]

well, as mentioned on the other thread, i took the plunge on thursday and had a crash course in knitting at the wool baa.

 

i was shown how to cast on, knit and purl and given a design of the 2 to make a scarf. i was advised to knit a row then knit 2 on the next row and purl until the last 2 stitches which should be knitted again and this would prevent my scarf from curling at the edges.

 

however, something went drastically wrong in the middle and i ended up starting again with an aid memoir from youtube on casting on.

 

i was getting along famously with over half my wool actually on the needles and no dropped stitches in sight.....but my edges were curling in.

 

so in a fit of annoyance, i unraveled the lot again and im ready to start again.

 

can anybody advise as to what i may have done wrong and what the best basic (and i mean really, really basic!) pattern would be best for a 6" ish wide scarf with an overall finish of purl stitch?

 

many thanks,

 

x

[Guest]

It sounds like you're knitting a stocking stitch scarf (knit one row, purl one row so that the fabric looks like all Knit stitch Vs on one side and all purl stitch bumps on the other), with a border of garter stitch (looks like purl bumps on both sides of the fabric) on each of the long sides, is that right?

 

If it's curling inwards, then adding a border of garter stitch along the short sides too (top and bottom) will help to minimise it

 

Start the scarf with four rows of garter stitch (knit every stitch on each row for four rows), then switch to what you were doing (so on row 5 you knit every stitch, then on row 6 you K2, P to last two stitches, then K2. Repeat those two rows.) until the last four rows where you'll knit each row. That will give you a border on the top and bottom as well as on the long sides.

 

You could do a ribbed scarf (like this) which won't curl at all. ETA: Note that the number of stitches for that pattern is for a scarf knit in bulky yarn. You might have to alter the stitch count depending on what sort of yarn you're using.

[sophiec1979 10]

yup hecate, you are exactly right in what it looked like (before i unraveled it! )

 

but im a bit confused- the pattern i was doing was the same as you advise but i only did 3 rows of knitting before i started purling...could this have been the problem that there wasnt a 'strong' enough border at the bottom?

 

does the number of initial stitches made when casting on have an impact on the curling? my first attempt was 20 across but i felt it was a bit skinny, so when i tried for the second time i upped it to 30. would this have a curling effect for any reason? the first attempt that i started in the shop didnt curl when it was thinner.

 

 

 

x

[Dark Moomin 10]

I know its not as interesting, but I have had no curling problems with a straight garter stitch for scarves. Looks nicer if your wool is a bit fluffy.

 

PS good on you for getting down with the knitting Soph! I have been too, have graduated to hats now!

[Lucy-Lastic 10]

Dark Moomin is right that a garter stitch (knit both sides) scarf will not curl as much as stocking stitch, however it doesn't really suit all yarns.

 

A garter stitch border will help a little with the edge curling of stocking stitch but it is unlikely to get rid of it all together from my experience (I have lovely lace scarves that have borders and still have a tendancy to curl). The bottom part of the border is unlikely to make the border stronger - especially as the scarf gets longer - so I wouldnt have thought that the 3 rows that you did would be worse than the 4 rows that Hecate suggested. You could do a slightly wider garter stitch (or moss stitch) border to see if that helps, although it will be more noticable than just doing garter on the first 2 stitches.

 

The best bet as Hecate says is to opt for ribbing if you cant get rid of the curling satisfactorally - possibly a K2, P1, k2 P2 or K3 P1 might look nice - you will need to experiment.

[Guest]

The thing with stocking stitch for a scarf is that the further you knit away from the bottom garter stitch border (whatever its size), the greater the tendency for it to resume curling inwards again.

 

Chunky/bulky yarns used with needles which don't give a loose fabric (smaller end of the suitable range) will counteract the curling a bit more, though it's not that suitable for a scarf which you want to have some flow and drape to it. It might look ok for a long, thin scarf where the style is for it to wrap a few times and for the free ends to dangle (if that makes sense), but it'll still feel a bit bulky(for my tastes anyway).

 

I must admit that I haven't knit a scarf in stocking stitch before, so I haven't played about with various stitch counts. My instinct is that a wider scarf will tend to curl more (more fabric on either side of the mid point to counteract the weight of the long borders).

 

Don't forget that once you've got it wrapped round your neck, the curling won't be as obvious, but if you really don't like the effect, you can see how a ribbed scarf tends not to curl in these two patterns. ETA: Oops. already posted a pattern above. These are nice too though .

[sophiec1979 10]

hmmm, i wondered if the width may be part of the problem.

 

im using a yarn similar to this as it is the perfect colour for my friend, but also because it looked like it may be a bit more forgiving if my tensions etc werent 100% all the way as a beginner.

 

but i dont know if this yarn would be suited to a ribbed scarf, hence the flat pattern.

 

will try again tonight with a narrower version and see how i get on.

 

thank you for you help....although i may be back for more yet!

 

 

x

[Guest]

Is the yarn you're using thick and thin like the Debbie Bliss SoHo you linked to?

 

If so, there's this, which is knit from SoHo. It's knit like ribbing, but offset by one stitch so it breaks up the pattern.

[Lucy-Lastic 10]

Is the yarn you're using thick and thin like the Debbie Bliss SoHo you linked to?

 

If so, there's this, which is knit from SoHo. It's knit like ribbing, but offset by one stitch so it breaks up the pattern.

 

Ooo I like that one - it looks like it has a similarish effect to the

which I also like and should look nice in something like the Soho.

[JillM 10]

A 2 stitch garter stitch edge would not really do much to counteract curling. Using this with a chevron pattern would help to keep it flat. You may be better off using a rib. Depending on how wide you want your scarf you could use a K3, P3 rib or a K4, P4 rib (i.e. cast on 15 sts for K3, P3, 20sts for K4, P4, 25sts for K5, P5 etc - you need to keep the symmetry for it to look right.) What size needle are you using? I am in the shop all week so bring it in and let me have a look.

[sophiec1979 10]

hecate: yup, it is the soho- but it was a bit of a guess as i was at work when i posted and couldnt check til i got home.

 

jill: im using 5.5 as recommended on the soho band.

 

i think i understand the ribbing pattern, so if i were to start again casting with 30sts the pattern would follow K6, P6?

 

ill have a go and then see if i can get by on saturday jill- unfortunately my enforced leave due to an operation the other week is now over and i actually have to go back to work this week. no more lady of leisure for me for a while!

 

i think im going have to have a practice with ribbing to start off with and see how i go before being adventurous and do mistake ribbing...maybe ill use that for my second scarf- i may have 3 to get done by christmas!

 

thanks again,

 

x

 

p.s. i never did get started tonight, tarot reading, huge call from my aunty and crhistmas cards got in the way. this is why im worrying about getting the scarves done in time!

[JillM 10]

jill: im using 5.5 as recommended on the soho band.

As it is a scarf you could use a bigger needle for a little extra flexibility

 

i think i understand the ribbing pattern, so if i were to start again casting with 30sts the pattern would follow K6, P6?

 

Correct

 

You'll get there in the end!!