Hi, Newbie Knitter Asking Opinions ...

[ingridmatthews]

I asked my circle this morning, but thought I'd ask here as well. I want to knit a scarf that's appearing in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes 2 movie (link below). I have the yarn, but I'm kinda paralyzed by what stitch to use.

Here's what I posted. Please note that I'm a newbie knitter, but have an okay hang of the basics.

Okay, flist, I need advice from my more experienced knitters. I've decided to knit the Hotson Scarf of Ultimate Warmitude but I'm paralyzed deciding the stitch.

1)Garter. Pro: easiest and fastest for me, won't lose track and mess up. Con: doesn't look particularly pretty or polished, but maybe that's just me.

2) Stockinette. Pro: pretty and professional looking. Con: Heard it curls and doesn't hang awesomely. Is this really inevitable? :(

3) Ribs. Pro: Very, very pretty and soft, hangs well. Con: Will lose track very easily and the original scarf looks nothing like that to me.

Thanks for any input!

Comments

[pinesandmaples]

That's a stockinette scarf that was knit in the round. It's all knit stitches.

[hugh_mannity]

I'd go with stockinette. Either with a seed stitch border (5 or 6 stitches) on each side or knit as a tube with fake seams (1 purl stitch) on each side to make blocking it straight easier.

[franzi1981]

To keep stockinette from curling (too much) you can add a few (e.g. 5) garter stitches to each edge. So what you'd end up with is, for example:

edge st, 5 garter st, x stockinette st, 5 garter st, edge st.

That's what I would do... and in the picture, it looks like the scarf curls a bit anyway.

[pinesandmaples]

...

Or just knit it in the round.

[rhivolution]

Stockinette will curl, yes, and the wrong side will look lousy, a lot of the time. I'd go with garter if you want something quite similar to that pic--I personally can't tell if the one in that pic's stockinette-based or garter based.

ETA: Actually, now that I look again, I must go with popular opinion and say that it does look like stockinette in the round.

[kareila]

If you want to use stockinette, you can reduce curl by doing garter or seed stitch on the edges. I never use stockinette for scarves, though, because it has a reverse side that looks all bumpy. Garter and ribs are both reversible, meaning it looks the same on the front and back sides.

I think the scarf in the picture might be ribbed, actually. A 1x1 rib usually collapses to look like stockinette on both sides. Google "Noro scarf" for some examples.

ETA: Or like the other commenters suggest, you could try knitting stockinette in the round for the same effect. It depends on which techniques you're most comfortable using.

[jumpuphigh]

It is a stockinette in the round but there is a way to do that without knitting in the round. It's been 20 years since I've done that but if you want, I can pull out some scrap yarn and mess about until I remember how to do it. I used to do all my scarves that way and it is super easy. Let me know if you want instructions. Now that I've got the idea in my head, I'm probably going to go figure it out for me. It will make a very warm scarf.

[franzi1981]

?

Are we talking about the same thing when we say knit in the round? How/why would you want to knit a scarf in the round?

[pinesandmaples]

Step one: Knit a long tube.

Step two: Wear as a scarf.

Optional step three: Add fringe.

A scarf would be knit in the round to avoid curling from stockinette knit flat. It's significantly less complicated to do one stitch for six feet than to add a border for six feet.

[franzi1981]

I'm not fond of knitting in the round for things where I don't have to (and I really don't want to have to do seaming for a scarf), so I prefer the border - and I don't mind the "wrong" side... but YMMV, of course.

[epershand]

It looks like a 1x1 rib to me. That's the most common stitch for scarves that look like stockinette on both sides. A 1x1 run scrunches itself together so you don't see the perled bits, and it lies flat.

[jumpuphigh]

There is a way to do this without knitting in the round or seaming. I'm currently trying to figure out how to do multiple strands of yarn with it since ingridmatthews wants a striped scarf but if you are just using one color, the pattern is:

Cast on an even number of stitches.
Each row: (k1,sl1) Repeat til end. When you slip a stitch, have the yarn to the front.
Bind off.

You'll have made a tube with both ends already closed.

[franzi1981]

Ooooooooooh. That sounds interesting! I'll have to try that eventually, thanks!!

[novembersgirl]

As some have said, the scarf looks as if it was knitted as a tube in stockinette with either dpns or a circular neelde. For that I would say you need very fine yarn. The scarf in the picture was probably knitted with a machine. You would also run into the problem of closing the ends (kitchener stitch and three needle bind off probably).

I personally would go with 1x1 or 2x2 rib. Doesn't curl and looks neat. It's also not that difficult to keep track of the stitches. When you look at the stitches you will notice that a knit stitch looks different to a purl stitch. Also, knit 2, purl 2, knit 2, purl 2 can be quite hypnotic ;-)

My first knitting projects were all scarves done with ribs and it was good practice. You will also see very quickly if you went wrong somewhere and you can easily backtrack to the point where you lost track.

Hm, you might try and google the Harry Potter scarves to see what some other knitters have done with them. I think the ones in the movies were also done as tubes, but some knitters went with a different pattern because of the yarn they picked.

Hope that helps. And good luck! :-)

[jumpuphigh]

Ok. My verdict after playing for about an hour? Do a 1x1 rib. It won't be exactly the same as the scarf in the movie but doing stripes either with my method or in the round is probably a bit too fiddly for a new knitter and will frustrate you too much. My trick for not getting lost with a 1x1 knit is to understand how the previous row's stitches look so that I know without counting what stitch I should be doing. That's something that will just click one day and when it happens, it will be a major "a-ha" moment.

[apis_mellifera]

That technique is called double-knitting.

[jumpuphigh]

Cool. Thanks for the technique name. I never knew what it was called. I learned to knit when I was living in Mexico and my techniques tend to baffle most American knitters.

[apis_mellifera]

It's not a particularly common technique, but it certainly useful in the right circumstances. :)

[jumpuphigh]

My first project was done this way and I've made many scarves with this technique. Then I stopped knitting and when I picked it back up, I was living in one of the hottest places in America so making super-warm scarves just was not on the agenda. I may use it again for scarves for friends in colder climates or for bags. It's a really fun technique.

[sporky_rat]

I'm going to say knit in the round because I find that's the easiest way to do a scarf and that's what that scarf looks like. You could probably use the Hogwarts Scarf pattern like this one.

[ironed_orchid]

if you do a 1x1 rib, it will scrunch up and sit together like stockinette when you're done.

[foxyfurs]

Late to the party, but figured I'd throw my two-pence in, regardless.

Knitting in the round for a scarf (basically a long tube) was done mainly for warmth. If this scarf will be for you or a friend who lives in fairly cold climes, I'd recommend this. If you're like me and live in a Southern-y area, it's still nice, since I prefer to be *toasty* rather that just Not-Cold. You end up with a thick, drape-y, non-curling scarf that didn't have to be stitched together, and was all done WITH ONE STITCH. You knit *everything.* No purling!

Since you're a new knitter, I want to remind you that there are ways of knitting in the round that are not complicated. If you're staring in horror at five double-pointed needles, stop. You can do a tube with two same-size circulars much simpler. Great video to watch about it (four minutes long) = click here.

Made my fella a scarf knit in the round a couple years ago. Never had to worry about blocking, or turning, and just fringed it a bit when it was done! I highly recommend this method.

Easy peasy!

[ginny_t]

Has anyone suggested k1p1 rib? It wouldn't curl, and it can end up looking like a stockinette scarf unless you look at it closely. If so, have a look at the Noro striped scarf. It's rib, and it doesn't look like it. That's what I would do.

[hobbitbabe]

I'm currently knitting another one of those, because my first one turned out so well ... and I think it looks very like the one in the picture. They lie very flat, and if you use the trick of slipping the first and last stitches on every second row you can carry the non-working yarn invisibly up the side. That should work with wider stripes, just twist the two.


As for keeping track, it does help to get a little practice "reading" your knitting to see the rows of knits and rows of purls. And k1p1 is significantly slower to knit than all knit or all purl, because you have the extra step of moving the yarn for every stitch.

[ames]

I was scrolling and scrolling, hoping someone suggested a 1x1 rib. Lovely cushy scarf, looks like stockinette, doesn't curl. love love.

[ginny_t]

Good point about the slipped stitches: they make edges so much nicer. Instead of the first and last of every second row, though, I just slipped the first stitch of every row. You get the same result, or close enough.