Scarves, scarves and more scarves

It's difficult to know where to start, this being my first blog entry, but my first few ever finished objects seems as good a place as any.

Like many other before me, I cut my knitting teeth on a series of scarves. It's easy to understand why - no need for increases or decreases or anything complicated like that, and you can start improvising fairly early on without going too badly wrong!

Scarf 1

November 2006

This is a simple improvised garter stitch scarf worked on 6.5mm needles in stripes of 1o rows over 18 stitches, making it 8" wide by 5ft long.

The yarn is Sirdar Denim Chunky in colourway 643 Aspen (Brown), 502 Denim Blue, 508 Ivory Cream and 644 Vintage (Black). I used less than one skien of each of them.

It was all purchased at The Spinner in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

At this point, I decided that 8" was probably a bit wide for a scarf - to me it all starts looking a bit "surgical collar" at that width, but it's obviously a matter of personal preference! Which brings us to...

Scarf 2

December 2006

Having learned to purl as well as knit at this point, I started to experiment with moss stitch, which I really like in a scarf, since it's easy, reversible and doesn't curl up like sticking stitch. It's also very pretty, especially in a tweedy yarn...

This is another improved pattern in moss stitch over 15 stitches, making it about 5" wide by as long as felt right. The needles were 6.5mms again.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed on 07 (Red), 11 (Green), 10 (Blue), 04 (Off-white) and 02 (Grey) - one skien of each. The width of each of the colour blocks in entirely random.

Scarf 3

January 2007

So keen was I on moss stitch that I stuck with it for my next project, this time using Sirdar Click Chunky with Wool.

I used two skeins of three different colourways:

a. 140 Treehouse (dark green);

b. 150 Green Apple (light green); and

c. 144 Downy (cream).

This scarf is 20 stitches wide, which is just over 4.5" and 72" long, not including the tassels. I used 6.5mm needles and an improvised stripe sequence as follows:

Panel 1: Cast on in a and work 8 rows.

Switch to c and work 4 rows.

Switch back to a and work 4 rows.

Switch back to c and work 4 rows.

Switch back to a and work 26 rows.

Switch to b and work 4 rows.

Switch back to a and work 4 rows.

Work one more 4 row stripe of b, then one more 8 row stripe of a.

Panel 2: One 8 row stripe of c, one 4 row stripe of b, one 4 row stripe of c, one 4 row stripe of b, one 26 row stripe of c, one 4 row stripe of a, one 4 row stripe of c, one 4 row stripe of a, one 8 row stripe of c.

Panel 3: One 8 row stripe of b, one 4 row stripe of a, one 4 row stripe of b, one 4 row stripe of a, one 26 row stripe of b, one 4 row stripe of a, one 4 row stripe of b, one 4 row stripe of a, one 8 row stripe of b.

Repeat panels 1 through 3 once, and then panel 1 once more.