Hooked on Knitting! Easy Beginner Scarf

Posted on May 17, 2021 By Shelby Bryon

Yes, you read that right, I've become a knitting addict!

Hey Yarnies,

You may have noticed that this last week I've traded in my crochet hook for some knitting needles. Needless to say, I have found a new love!

I was inspired to pick up the needles after seeing this beautiful scarf by Purl Soho.

I did make an attempt using 2 strands of Superb 4 and single crochets, but it just didn't have that beautiful texture you can only achieve with needles. This is when I decided to bite the bullet, and give garter stitch a go.

I cast on following a youtube tutorial for the long tail cast on, and then Mumma Yarnish showed me how to do the 'knit stitch'. After a few clumsy attempts at the English technique, I watched another video on Continental knitting, and then I was off!

If you've ever seen me crochet, you would know I'm pretty speedy. Imagine the blur from the road runner cartoon, as he's racing around... except it's my hands and my hook. It wasn't long before I was knitting like this too!

Of course, when you are crafting at the speed of light, it can be hard to pick up on your mistakes (and even harder to stop and count!). So, there are a few instances where I've missed a strand of yarn. I've decided to embrace these imperfections as it is my first ever knit project. I think it adds to the charm of it being handmade.

Here is the finished project. I had originally planned on making this a straight scarf, but my edges weren't quite neat enough for that. It's much easier to hide any imperfections when it's all twisted up.

How to make your own:

Whether you are a total beginner like me, or just looking for a simple project while watching Netflix, this is super simple and guaranteed to look fantastic in any chosen colour.

If using 2 strands of Superb 4 like I did, you will need:

Yarn: At least 3* balls of Fiddlesticks Superb 4 - 2 of your main colour, and then 1 of each contrast colour. I used a total of 3 colours, White, Beige and Light Grey, but you can use as many as you like.

*I used 2 balls of white, rather than knit from both ends of the ball. I have almost finished the ball that ran the whole length of the scarf.

Needles: 5.5mm, 40cm circular needles. I used a set of Knit Pro Zing (Fixed), but you can use your preferred brand. Straight needles also work, but I found them a bit awkward to hold onto. (Circulars FTW!)

Other supplies: at least 3 stitch markers (I placed one every 10 sts to keep my count), scissors, a needle and a tape measure.

Colour Ideas

I've picked out a couple of colourways that we would love to see knitted up!

Top Left: Off White (Cream), Light Pink and Coral

Top Right: White, Mint Green and Light Purple

Bottom Left: Black, Light Grey and White

Bottom Right: Mustard Yellow, Coral and Off White

You also don't have to use the lightest shade as your main colour, You could do the Light Grey as your main, and use White and Black as contrast colours. Be creative!

Get knitting!

I cast on 40 sts using the long tail method, with a stitch marker placed every 10 sts.

Then you knit... All knit, no purl!!!

To change colour, you Yarn Over with one strand of your main colour, and one strand of your new colour. After making a few stitches, I tie a single knot in the two tails, to stop them unravelling. You can sew the tails in once you've worked a few more rows.

I kept my colour changes random, as I felt like it. I did add a few feature stripes by knitting even amounts of white and even, smaller stripes of grey. For example: 8 rows white, 4 rows grey, twice, and then another 8 rows of white to finish that section.

I knitted until my scarf was about 115cm, which was a good length for a doubled over infinity cowl. I then cast off and sewed my two sides together. My seam is pretty messy, so no picture included.. (sorry!)

Just have fun with it, don't stress about keeping it perfect. Maybe don't drop any stitches though... (I did that once, but managed to fix it but tying on a new thread and knotting it around the loop. It doesn't look the best, but it's not going anywhere!)

Hooked on Knitting! Easy Beginner Scarf