Garter Stitch Scarf

This scarf is probably the simplest knitting project to complete. To master the Garter Stitch Scarf you will need to use a basic knit stitch and join several balls of wool, weaving in the ends of wool as you knit.

Using extra chunky yarn makes this project quick to build. This great statement piece for your wardrobe will keep you warm and cosy all winter. This scarf makes a perfect gift as it can be completed in an evening or weekend.

The scarf pictured is 9” x 80” (23cm x 203cm) which is long enough to wrap around the neck twice or to tie around the collar of a coat. As a general guide a scarf for an adult should be equal in length to their height.

Following the pattern below will produce a 9” x 80” (23cm x 203cm) scarf, if you would like to increase the size you can a) add extra rows which will make the scarf longer, b) add extra stitches to make the scarf wider. The pattern indicates where to add extra rows and stitches to alter the size.

You can download a free PDF version of this pattern here.

 You will need:

• · Chunky wool – I used Cygnet Seriously Chunky Wool – 4 x 100g balls*

• · 12mm knitting needles

• · Crochet hook / large blunt needle for weaving in the ends

* If you chose to increases the size of the scarf you will need to increase the amount of wool accordingly

Abbreviations:

St – stitch

K – knit

Gauge

Measuring a 10cm (4”) square of the scarf you should see 6 stitches across and 9 rows. If you find that your working is tighter you can add more stitches until you are happy with the width of the scarf.

Scarf Pattern

Cast on 15 stitches – to make the scarf wider increase the number of stitches here.

Row 1: Knit all stitches

That’s it! Just keep knitting all stitches of every row until you have the desired length.

Cast off all stitches and weave in the ends of wool. NB You will need approximately 50” – 55” to cast off your knitting so make sure to measure before starting to ensure you have enough wool to finish!

Alterations & Inspirations

The garter stitch is a knitting staple and is a great stitch to use for a range of products. The garter stitch gives a stretchy feel and stops the edges of your work from curling up. You can use this stitch with any wool and for a great range of projects.

Changing Colour & Joining a New Ball

When joining two balls of wool it is important to make the smallest join to avoid large knots in your knitting. The easiest way to do this is to join your new wool at the end of a row. This will mean that the join is at the edge of your work which make it easier to hide.

Continue with your first ball of wool until you have ~4” remaining OR you have reached the end of your row with not enough wool remaining to complete the next row.

Take your new ball of wool and begin to knit with this new strand. Once you have knitted 4 or 5 stitches return to your two loose ends of wool. Tie the ends together pulling gently to ensure that the loose stitches are the correct size and tension.

Now that your ends are secure you need to ‘weave in’ your ends. That means taking a needle, or in the case of very chunky wool you can use a crochet hook or your hands, to tuck the loose ends into the surrounding stitches to hide them and to stop them from unravelling.

Waffle Wash Cloth Knitting Pattern

Washcloths are great beginner projects and quickly become a must-have item for your home. They are infinitely reusable if washed and cared for correctly.

This pattern is quick and easy to follow which uses just two stitches - the knit and purl stitch.

You will need:

• 50g cotton DK yarn

• 4mm knitting needles

• Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends

• Scissors

Needles - I prefer to use bamboo needs as I like that they are very light weight and have a soft grip to keep your stitches in place while you knit without causing any snagging. KnitPro and Pony are good, reliable brands - you can find a Pony Bamboo pair of needles here.

Tapestry Needles - tapestry needles are large, blunt needles with a large ‘eye’. These needles allow you to thread your loose ends and to weave these in to finish your item neatly. You can find a Pony brand set of needles here.

Sizing and Tension

A washcloth for the bathroom will usually be between 6” - 11” square, you can choose the size that is best for you. As a guide, the washcloth pictured is 6” square. To adjust the size of your cloth you will need to add more or fewer stitches when you cast on making sure to keep the total number of stitches cast on in multiples of three.

This pattern is simple to master and the Waffle Stitch can be used for many items such as blankets, dishcloths, and scarves as the pattern creates a nice, flat piece without the need for a border.

Download a free PDF version of this pattern here.

Knitting Abbreviations

K - Knit

P - Purl

Pattern

Cast On: Begin your cloth by casting on 24 stitches, I like to use the long tail cast on method for a neat cast on edge.

Row 1: * K1, P2, repeat from * to the end of the row.

Row 2: *K2, P1, repeat from * to the end of the row.

Row 3: Knit all stitches.

Row 4: Purl all stitches.

Repeat these four rows until your piece measures 6”. Bind off all stitches and use your tapestry needle to weave in any loose ends.

Finishing

Finish your cloth by blocking to create the desired shape. Dampen your cloth then pin this onto a soft, clean, flat surface and allow to dry; a towel on a table top or large cushion works quite well for smaller items. Make sure to use pins that wont rust and to measure your item to get the sides pinned to an even shape.

Patchwork Blanket Pattern - Part 2

You can find Part 1 of the Patch Stripe pattern on my blog here

Step 3 - Stocking Stitch

Stocking stitch is the second stitch pattern that any knitter must learn - the stitch uses just knit and purl . The ‘right side’ of your work is knitted and the ‘wrong side’ is purled which gives you one smooth side and one more textured side.

The smooth side of stocking stitch…

…the textured side of stocking stich.

Stocking stitch has less vertical stretch than Garter stitch and makes a great base for all knitting projects. In this blanket is makes for a smooth stripe to contrast with the more textured stripes.

To work your Stocking Stitch stripe work these two rows:

Row 1: Knit all stitches

Row 2: K10, Purl all stitches to the last ten stitches, K10

Repeat these two rows until your new stripe measures 5” (13cm). The K10 at the start and end of each wrong side row will create your garter stitch side borders.

Step 4 - Moss Stitch

The Moss Stitch is formed by alternative knit and purl across each row. The moss stitch is reversible, meaning that is looks the same on the right and wrong sides, and is soft, textured, and has a unifrom stretch. Moss stitch is great for blankets and scarves and it is reversible and, as used for borders, the edges wont roll.

To make your moss stitch stripe work the following rows:

Row 1: K10, ^K1, P1, repeat from ^ to the last 10 stitches, K10

Row 2: K10, ^P1, K1, repeat from ^ to the last 10 stitches, K10

Repeat these two rows until your stripe measures 5” (13cm) finishing on an odd side row with a right side row facing for your next stripe.

Your blanket should now measure 15” (38cm) in total.

Patchwork Blanket Pattern - Part 1

Knitting a blanket for your home or as a gift for a loved one is a traditional first ‘big’ project for new knitters. Those that are new to knitting, or those who are finding their way back to an old hobby, need to find a balance between a simple stitch that’s easy to master and a pattern that is intricate enough to keep the piece interesting. The Patch Stripe Blanket pattern uses a mix of essential knitter stitches to make a pretty, structured, and (almost) reversible blanket.

This pattern can be scaled up and down to make a bedspread or a baby blanket, this pattern is going to make the best gift.

I have broken down this pattern into steps which you can complete as you like; a goal of one stripe per week is reasonable and achievable but hardcore knitters will find a stripe per day is manageable. You can follow along here as I add weekly updates. You can find a PDF of the full pattern available to purchase from my shop here

You will need:

• 700g Aran Stylecraft Special in Duck Egg

• 5mm Circular needles

• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Sizing & Tension

The Patch Stripe Blanket is made from five different stitches each with similar tensions. Your blanket begins with garter stitch, a four inch square should contain 14 stitches and 28 rows. My blanket is 42” wide and 55” long, to make your blanket wider or narrower you can cast on more or fewer stitches

Step 1 - Casting On

Using your 5mm needles cast on 150 stitches using the long tail cast on method. The long tail method requires two lengths of yarn looped together to create each stitch. I find using two balls of yarn is easiest as you can cast on all of your stitches without the fear of running out of yarn. To begin, join your two strands of yarn with a knot. Use that knot to centre your length of yarn on your needles. hold each strand in your left hand with your needle in your right and begin to form your stitches.

When you have 150 stitches on your needle you are ready to begin your Garter Stitch border.

Step 2 - Garter Stitch Border

A border to your blanket will frame the piece and will also help to keep your edges straight and neat. Garter stitch is the ultimate beginners stitch which gives a classic, simple contrast to the blanket’s more intricate and textured stitches.

Garter stitch is the simplest of stitches created by knitting all stitches. To form your 5” border you will need to knit 34 rows of knit stitches. You will end on an even row (wrong side) ready to begin your next stitch on an odd numbered row (right side).

Thursday - Chunky Cable Hat Knitting Pattern

The weather has been completely up and down today and the need for knit wear is still very apparent! We’ve had rain, bright blue skies, snow, and hail. Some of my most popular knitted items and knitting patterns feature chunky wool and cables, there’s something quite special about a cable knit item.

My latest pattern uses plaited cables along side garter stitch to make a soft, repeating design which is easy to master for those just starting out with hat making. You can find the knitting pattern here or, if you’d rather have the hat ready made, you can find the hat with your choice of pompom here.

The hat is knitted from the bottom up with circular needles; this means that the hat can be made without the need for seams. Sewing seams is a great rival for least favourite thing to do, just one place behind weaving in loose ends…

I use Cygnet Chunky wool which is 100% acrylic, I like to use animal friendly materials where every possible and I love Cygnet products. The chunky wool is, as you might expect, lovely and chunky but also soft and itch-free for all of us who don’t like to wear animal wools. You could use any chunky wool for this pattern and, with a little scaling you could adapt this pattern for use with a thinner or thicker wool.

I like to finish my hats with a pompom, sometimes a wool pompom to match the hat and sometimes I go all out with a faux fur pompom, you can find these hand sewn faux fur pompoms in my shop, too.

The pattern is available now in my shop and also on Ravelry. I would love to hear your thought on the pattern. If anyone is keen to start making their own hats but you’re unsure about knitting cables or about knitting in the round please let me know - I am always looking for new ideas for my ‘How to…’ blogs. Happy knitting, stay warm! SJ

The Provisional Cast-on Method

A provisional cast on uses a crochet hook to form loose, temporary stitches into which you can begin to knit. The loose, crocheted chain can then be removed to reveal live stitches. This technique is used with double brim hats such as my Aran Double Brim Hat Pattern.

You will need:

• A length of scrap yarn

• A crochet hook

• Wool and knitting needles for your project

Step 1: Using a length of scrap yarn form a slip knot into which you will insert your crochet hook. Hold your knitting needle with the crochet hook on top to form a cross.

Step 2: Take the yarn around the back of the knitting needle, hook the yarn and pull through the slip knot on the hook to form the first stitch. Repeat this process until you have the desired number of stitches on your knitting needle.

Step 3: Using the crochet hook and yarn only, make five more chain stitches, cut the scrap yarn and pull the tail of the yarn through the final chain to prevent this from unravelling. You are now ready to begin your knitting project as usual.

NB: The provisional cast on stitches will later be removed and so do not count as the first row.

Revealing Your Stitches

When you are ready to use your live knit stitches you will remove the crocheted chain. Have your extra knitting needle ready to pick up the live stitches as they are revealed. I recommend using a needle one or two sizes smaller to make picking up the stitches easier.

Step 1: Beginning at the end of the chain with the final five chain stitches unpick the chain and pull gently to slowly unravel the scrap yarn. As you pull the live stitches will be revealed, pick these up with your extra knitting needle.

Step 2: Once the entire scrap yarn chain has been removed and all live stitches picked up, you are ready to work your knit stitches.

 I hope that you find this method useful - I would love to hear your thoughts and comment and, as always, please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, SJ

Casting On - The Knit Method - A Beginner's Guide

Casting on can be done in a number of ways. Each method has its pros and cons and finding the right cast on method is essential for making right start to your project.

Perhaps the simplest cast on method is the Knit Cast On which uses two knitting needles, starting with a slip knot each stitch is knitted to form a new loop, this loop is then returned to the left hand needle and the process repeated until you have the desired number of stitches. This method is easy to master as it repeats a semi-knit stitch which is very similar to the knit stitch you will use with garter or stocking stitches.

This method produces a neat row of flat stitches which has some stretch so this can be used for cuffs and flat edges alike.

Step 1: Form a slip knot approximately 4” (10cm) from the end of your yarn. Slip this onto your left hand needle (LHN), this is your first stitch.

Step 2: Insert your right hand needle (RHN) through the first stitch on your LHN from front to back.

Wrap your yarn around the tip of your RHN from back to front and between the RHN and LHN. Slip your RHN down and out from the first stitch taking a new loop of yarn with it. Do not slip the first stitch off of your LHN.

Now, slip the new loop on your RHN onto the LHN, this will now become the first stitch on your LHN, you will now have an extra stitch on your LHN and no stitches on your RHN.

Repeat step 2 until you have the desired number of stitches on your needle. You are now ready to begin the first row of your pattern.

Have a question? Please leave a comment or contact us - I would love to hear from you, SJ.

Kitchener Stitch - A Beginner's Guide

The Kitchener Stitch allows you to join two rows of live stitches, that is joining the stitches without first having to bind off. The Kitchener Stitch creates a very thin seam which is suitable for toes of socks and the top of mittens.

You will need:

• · Two rows of stitches with an equal number of stitches

• · A blunt sewing needle

• · A tail of yarn approximately 4 times the length of your seam

Step 1: Holding your two knitting needles together you will work the stitches evenly pairing stitches on the front row and back row. Begin by inserting your blunt needle into the first stitch on the front row from back to front as through to purl this stitch and pull the yarn through. Now, insert your blunt needle into the first stitch on the back needle from front to back as through to knit this stitch, pull the yarn through.

Step 2: Insert your needle into the first stitch on the front row as though to knit this stitch, pull the yarn through and slip the stitch off the knitting needle. Now insert your needle into the new first stitch on the front needle from back to front as through to purl this stitch, pull the thread through but keep the stitch on the knitting needle.

Step 3: Insert your needle into the first stitch on the back needle from back to front as through to purl this stitch, pull the thread through and slip this stitch off the knitting needle. Now, insert you needle into the new first stitch on the back needle from front to back, pull the thread through but keep the stitch on the knitting needle.

Repeat Step 2 & 3 until all stitches have been worked and there are no stitches remaining on the knitting needles. Use your blunt needle to weave in the yarn tail and trim any excess.