Knitting a scarf is a quick and easy project. Learn the basics of knitting with these instructions and create homemade gifts for people of all ages.
A simple gift idea that works for almost anyone and almost any occasion is a hand-knitted scarf. Knitting is incredibly popular these days, and if you don't already know how to knit it is not that difficult to learn. You can pick up a book or visit any of several web sites devoted to knitting and follow the step-by-step illustrated instructions to learn the basics of casting on, binding off, knitting and purling. Or ask your friends and family; there's bound to be someone who knows how to knit and would be willing to help you with the basics.
The basics are all you really need to knit a great scarf. A wonderful project for beginners is a simple knitted scarf made of chunky wool or cotton. Look for the fattest, warmest looking yarn you can find at your craft store. On the package there should be a little chart that shows the gauge for the yarn and what size needle to use. Don't worry about gauge; it's pretty irrelevant when making a scarf, but do buy the size needles that it recommends. If you can't find this information or are using yarn without a label, use large needles (size 13 or 15, the larger number indicates a bigger needle). Fat yarn combined with large needles makes for very quick knitting, even for a beginner.
To make a basic knit scarf, cast on 12 stitches and knit each row until you are almost out of yarn, and then cast off. Weave the ends of the yarn back into the project, trimming some of the excess if you have a long strand left over. You only need one skein of yarn for this project, or you can use more than one and make a longer scarf. These scarves knit up quick, three hours or less, and are great for everyone on your list (even men).
If you're ready to graduate beyond the basic knitting stitch, you can knit an easy scarf with a ribbing pattern (either knit one stitch, purl one stitch on each row or knit two stitches, purl two stitches to make wider ribbing). For this project, try a lighter weight wool yarn. Cast on an even number of stitches (24 stitches will make a good width) on the size needles recommended for the yarn you are using (or around size 10 if using a medium-weight wool or cotton). Choose your pattern, knitting and purling either one stitch or two each cycle, and repeat the pattern across the row. Continue in this same fashion again until you are almost out of yarn (a couple feet are all you will need), cast off in pattern and weave in the yarn ends.
Once you have done a couple of scarves in basic repeating patterns where each row is the same, you will want to try something different, both in terms of stitching and yarn. Perhaps you'd like to try a funky scarf made of eyelash yarn? This fun yarn consists of a strand of thread with other threads hanging off it that sort of look like eyelashes. These yarns come in a variety of colors - solids as well as "prints" - and scarves made of this fun yarn look like a birthday celebration or just the antidote you need for the winter blahs.
This yarn is very light-weight, so to make a scarf from it, cast on about 30 stitches on a size 10 (or the size recommended on the package of yarn) needle. For a slightly more complex pattern that will give you lots of practice with the basic stitches, knit one row and purl one row. You'll probably want two skeins of this yarn to make a full-length scarf, because these types of yarns are usually sold in very small balls. For a different look you could knit half the scarf in one color yarn and switch to another for the second half. If you want a heavier-weight scarf, you can also knit holding two threads of the yarn at the same time, treating them as one thread, or even combine the eyelash yarn with a heavier-weight wool or cotton yarn to make a substantial scarf with a fun sprinkling of eyelash. This yarn is great to work with because it is very forgiving; those eyelashes hide a lot of mistakes. Use this once and you will come up with a ton of ways you want to use it again.
Perhaps you are already beginning to see the possibilities. Almost any basic stitch pattern you see in knitting tutorials online or in books could be used to make a scarf (for example the seed stitch: knit one purl one on row one, purl one knit one on row two, repeated; moss stitch: knit one purl one rows one and two, purl one knit one rows three and four, repeated; double seed stitch: knit two, purl two row one, purl two knit two row two, repeated; or the rice stitch: knit one, purl one row one, knit row two repeated). Each of these patterns gives your scarf a slightly different look.
As you get more experienced with knitting you can play with more complex patterns such as triangles, diamonds, the basket weave and parallelograms. Each of these patterns is more complex looking, but they are all made of knits and purls, so you should have no trouble with any of them once you master those basic stitches.
You can also play around with yarn when making scarves. Though most scarves are made of heavy-weight yarn you could make novelty scarves of almost any material found on the knitting aisle. Experiment, have fun and remember a scarf is an easy project, so make a ton to give as gifts or keep for yourself.
