Tracie Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Hello knitting peeps Final-year-PhD stress means that I'm finding myself awake during the early hours with nothing to do! I can't be bothered to drag all my cross stitch stuff out at that time and inspired by em3978's thread about returning to knitting I thought I'd have a go at knitting something instead (it looks so relaxing! ). I spent a few hours early this morning going through the free patterns available online but I find being faced with pages of patterns a bit overwhelming. I do already have the Stitch and Bitch book and I thought I might try one of the easy scarves in that book. However, I really don't like the go-go garter scarf pattern, although as the first pattern in the book that seems to be the obvious choice for a beginner It looks very big and chunky to me and I know I'd never wear it - I much prefer the 'windy city scarf' on page 159. Could I tackle this pattern instead, or as a knitting newbie is that being too ambitious? Maybe the garter scarf would appeal to me more if I were to make with a different yarn? If I were to just choose a more delicate yarn though, I guess I'd have to use different needles from those recommended in Debbie Stoller's book? All advice gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 The garter stitch scarf: you don't have to follow the pattern in the S&B book, or any pattern really. All you need to do is choose a yarn you like, look on the ball band for the recommended needle size, and off you go, knitting each row til you get the required length. Do a test swatch first though, to see how many stitches you'd need in order to give the width of scarf you want. Don't just cast-on, say, 40 stitches and look how they appear on the needle though. Knit about two or three inches of garter stitch, because the fabric will be wider than what it looks like from just the cast on row of stitches. Yes, I reckon a beginner could easily do the Windy City scarf. The ribbing is easy, and the only vaguely tricky bit would be doing the opening, and that will be straight forward once you're actually knitting it. I don't think you'll get the Classic Elite wool over here though, so you'll probably have to substitute if you decide to go for that pattern. Let us know if you do, and I'll try to find a suitable alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracie Posted October 15, 2006 Author Share Posted October 15, 2006 Thanks for that Hecate - I didn't realise it would be as easy as just picking a yarn that I like and getting knitting! I did have a wander around John Lewis yesterday and I saw a couple of lovely soft yarns, but I didn't want to buy something on impulse that wouldn't be suitable for the scarf patterns or that would be a nightmare for a beginner to try and knit with. I would definitely like to try the Windy City pattern - I really like the finished item and I can see myself using it rather than shoved at the back of a wardrobe and promptly forgotten! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 If you're not following a pattern, and have a good idea of what you want the item to look like, then it can be as simple as going for the yarn that takes your fancy, with the usual common-sense provisos of matching it to the intended function. For example, the cashmere/angora blend RYC yarns are beautifully soft, but they do tend to shed all over the place, so if you use it for a scarf, all your clothes might end up looking a bit fluffy. A yarn that's too chunky might give a scarf that's a bit too inflexible, with little drape; plus it'll look like you're wearing a boa constrictor around your neck . I'll have a hunt for a yarn which will do for the Windy City scarf then, and report back . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitbird Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 There's also a hot water bottle cover pattern at John Lewis which is free if you buy the yarn. Here it is finished. It's a bit more complex than a scarf, but only because you have to decrease, and if you're stuck you can go in on Tuesday Wednesday or Saturday and the Rowan girls will help you. (They do classes too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc55 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 I've just made a garter stitch scarf - actually I made it several times. 1st time I cast on 30 stitches - WAY too many, so I unravelled (after using half the wool), then tried again with 20 stitches - still too many, so unravelled yet again and third time lucky used 11. I used the 'softie' wool from Hobbycraft, knitting two balls at once to give a lovely thick feel. Its taken me two nights to complete the final article. .... I haven't knitted for probaby 20 years and got on OK, but have forgotten how to cast off ! shall have to read the advice posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I've just made a garter stitch scarf - actually I made it several times. 1st time I cast on 30 stitches - WAY too many, so I unravelled (after using half the wool), then tried again with 20 stitches - still too many, so unravelled yet again and third time lucky used 11. I used the 'softie' wool from Hobbycraft, knitting two balls at once to give a lovely thick feel. Its taken me two nights to complete the final article. .... I haven't knitted for probaby 20 years and got on OK, but have forgotten how to cast off ! shall have to read the advice posts. Forgive me if I haven't welcomed you to the Knittiing Group, mc55. I've been running around doing about ten different things at once and am now trying to catch up with knitty stuff . So anyway, welcome to the Knitting Group . As for casting off the scarf, the main thing to remember is to do it loosely. If you pull the yarn too tightly, you'll end up with the ends of the scarf being a little more narrow than the main bit. As ever, the wonderful KnittingHelp is what you need for how to do a cast-off (called bind-off in America). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 ...I'll have a hunt for a yarn which will do for the Windy City scarf then, and report back . I haven't forgotten, honest. It's on the list of stuff to do . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracie Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Ahh, no rush - I've only just got back to Sheffield from a conference in London anyway, so I don't have any plans to start knitting immediately (I have far too many other things to catch up on first ) I have had a 'first attempt' at knitting though, using a combination of the S&B book, some 4mm needles I had from a previous, random desire to 'knit something' and some horrible, string like wool. I'n pleased to report that I can just about manage knit and purl, although I really do need to work on keeping the tension even... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 ...although I really do need to work on keeping the tension even... Have your tried the 'wrap the yarn around your little finger' method described in S&B? My tension was all over the place til I started to use that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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