Anyone who knows me is aware of my crafty sensibilities, especially with yarn crafts... and by "yarn crafts," I specifically mean crochet, because every time I have tried to knit, I have gotten bored, frustrated, etc. and given up. Well, this time, I was determined to expand my yarn crafting capabilities and get basic knitting glued into my brain for good! Plus, with all of the crocheting I do for others, I did not even have a thick winter scarf. I must have made 20 scarves and hats this year, and I still don't have a scarf to keep myself warm! I figured if it was really ugly my first try, it was for me, so it didn't matter. Thankfully, it didn't turn out too shabby :)
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| It took a lot longer than crochet would have, but I did it! |
A HUGE help to me was a book and DVD set I bought online a couple years ago,
Knitting 101 (linked here to its Amazon page) by Carri Hammett. The DVD shows the 4 steps of basic knitting: casting on, knit stitch, purl stitch, and binding off. I was able to pause, re-wind and re-watch the segments as needed, and as a visual learner, it was a huge help to me!
Here are the yarns I used: Bernat Softee Chunky in Pumpkin (a size 5 bulky yarn) and Lion Brand Homespun Yarn in Fiesta (a size 5 bulky yarn). I am showing the yarns here in a natural light (left) photo and with flash (right) photo so you get an idea of what they really look like. Both yarns called for 5mm (US size 8) needles, and I used Boye metal 5mm needles.
I knitted almost 18 inches with the Pumpkin yarn and then decided, "I think I'll add a Fiesta strip here, just for the fun of it." the book helps you with color changes, but basically you just tie the yarn you're using to the yarn you want to use and switch the one you're working with. The Fiesta yarn was different on the needles; because it is spun unevenly, it can be a little awkward, especially for a beginner like me.
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| I knit with a finger cap, because those needle points hurt after a while! They are actually Mod Podge Finger Caps to protect you when working with hot glue. |
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| Working in the second Fiesta stripe after another 6" or so of Pumpkin. |
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| Working in the third Fiesta stripe! |
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| Pretty even stitches, just not edges... |
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| Scarf body and striping all done! This used all but about 15" of the Bernat Softee Chunky yarn, which is a 100g or 3.5 oz. skein at the recommended 5mm knitting needle. |
After the main scarf body was finished, I had very uneven edges the whole length of the scarf from not having even tension in the yarn as I worked. For my second try ever, it's not bad, but it's not the best either! I had a lot of Fiesta yarn still, so using an 8mm (US size L or 11) crochet hook, I crocheted edging the entire way around the scarf. Then, using the same hook, I added a chain fringe, which basically consists of making a chain (the basic start of any crochet project) and connecting it to itself to make a loop, as tight or spread out as you'd like. My scarf was 11 knitted stitches wide, and after crocheting I had 10 across the edge, so I did 10 chains for fringe on each end. For all my crochet needs, I refer mainly to
The Ultimate Crochet Bible (linked here to its Amazon page) by Jane Crowfoot. It's an amazing reference and has great pictures, drawings, history, glossaries, and more.
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| My super reference guide! |
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| Edging & fringe done! |
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| All done! |
My scarf ended up about 54" long including the chain fringe on the ends, which is nowhere near as long as I prefer my scarves, but for a functional winter scarf it's perfect for the gap at the top of my coat. It's growing on me!
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I did end up getting a little tired of this project a few times, since it was taking so much longer than my usual crochet work does, so I started a second knitting project. This is going to be an infinity scarf, and it is loosely knit, which means I am using a smaller yarn and large needles to make the stitches large and loose. The yarn I am using is a soft yellow that doesn't have its label anymore, but by comparison I think it's about a size 2 fine weight yarn, and it feels soft yet 100% acrylic. I am using a pair of Susan Bates 10mm needles (US size 15), and they are very long and kinda awkward to keep in line sometimes, but it's a good challenge for my hand control with this new craft. It's going a lot faster than the normal knit stitch with correctly sized needles does, and I think it's super pretty. :) It's also cool to see what the knit stitch actually looks like - I think the way the yarn is intertwined is really interesting.
Happy Yarn Crafting!
Emily
