First Project

The Knit Stitch Scarf That I Plan to Give as a Gift But Will Secretly Covet and if He Doesn't Wear It, I'm Taking It Back

You will use the knit stitch to make this scarf. You will want 14 stitches on your needle (so one slip knot and thirteen stitches cast on.)

You will always work from left to right. So the needle with all the stitches on it is in your left hand and your empty needle is in your right hand. By knitting, you will move the stitches from the left needle to the right needle. So when you finish your row, the needle in your left hand will be empty and the needle in your right hand will be full. When you get to that point, start over. So the needle with all the stitches goes into your left hand and the empty needle starts on the right again.

OK, ready? Organize your stitches so all the loops are on the top and all the knots are on the bottom. Here is how to make a knit stitch.

When you finish your row, organize your stitches again (they tend to twist around the needle as you knit the first three rows) and count to make sure you have ended up with the right amount of stitches. If you have too many or too few, see the "Common Mistakes" section on how mistakes happen and how to correcting them.

When you have four feet left of yarn, you will need to add your next ball. See the section "Cold Fusion" for instructions.

When you have about four or five feet left, you will want to bind off. See "Ties that Bind" for instructions on binding off. Then, using the remaining yarn, you will want to add fringe.

How long should your scarf be? As long as you want it. Generally I make mine fall right above my knee, without fringe -- but it's entirely up to you (and how much yarn you have).