Help me find a good pattern for knitting my husband an infinity scarf
December 13, 2013 6:37 AM Subscribe
I am a fairly beginner knitter: I can knit, purl, decrease, increase, probably a few other things. I want to knit my husband an infinity scarf along the lines of this scarf in terms of size and length. Please help me figure out a really easy pattern so that I can do this without tears and drama.
I know I'm over thinking this, but it helps me when more experienced knitters can look at a pattern (or just devise one in their heads) and tell me if it's feasible for a beginner. I can learn new stitches that don't involve crazy dexterity.
I know I'm over thinking this, but it helps me when more experienced knitters can look at a pattern (or just devise one in their heads) and tell me if it's feasible for a beginner. I can learn new stitches that don't involve crazy dexterity.
Best answer: Are you on Ravelry? It's free to join; you can search for patterns, and narrow it down by a ton of factors (cost, difficulty, knitting/crocheting, yarn type, etc).
This one looks similar and is listed as a Difficulty 2 (out of 10). This one also.
posted by melissasaurus at 6:48 AM on December 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
This one looks similar and is listed as a Difficulty 2 (out of 10). This one also.
posted by melissasaurus at 6:48 AM on December 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is exactly what Ravelry is for...
Have you tried plugging in some of your search terms to ravelry? I just threw in cowl, a medium weight of wool, free pattern and got a ton of stuff which could fit.
For example, something like this brioche-infinity-scarf is pretty simple and similar to what you're looking for but bricohe stitch can be annoying, so maybe lets take a look at something more like this..
Ravelry is awesome becuase you can also search other people's projects, and see what the yarn/colors have been used for/how it knits up without painful hours put into a project that just does not work.
posted by larthegreat at 6:50 AM on December 13, 2013
Have you tried plugging in some of your search terms to ravelry? I just threw in cowl, a medium weight of wool, free pattern and got a ton of stuff which could fit.
For example, something like this brioche-infinity-scarf is pretty simple and similar to what you're looking for but bricohe stitch can be annoying, so maybe lets take a look at something more like this..
Ravelry is awesome becuase you can also search other people's projects, and see what the yarn/colors have been used for/how it knits up without painful hours put into a project that just does not work.
posted by larthegreat at 6:50 AM on December 13, 2013
Another reco to go to ravelry. They have a bajillion search facets, including difficulty level and gender. Plus, rather than get dribs and drabs of recommendations here, on ravelry you can see what thousands of other people thought of the patterns they knit.
posted by Kololo at 6:56 AM on December 13, 2013
posted by Kololo at 6:56 AM on December 13, 2013
Nthing "go to ravelry".
But you could also make up your own pattern by just picking a kind of stitch you know you can do, getting a couple balls of yarn, and then just using that stitch to make a scarf. And then when you run out of yarn, sew the ends together, and you're done.
The "moss stitch" looks kind of like what's in the picture, and that's dead easy - it's just alternating knits and purls across each row, and then from row to row. It's like the opposite of ribbing, where where you want to do a rib you go:
K-P-K-P-K
K-P-K-P-K
K-P-K-P-K
And with the moss stitch, you just go -
K-P-K-P-K
P-K-P-K-P
K-P-K-P-K
Once you've got the stitch down, then it's just a matter of casting on as many stitches as you want it to be in width, and then you're off.
And yeah, "pick a stitch and use it as an infinity scarf" is really easy. I made up my own pattern for an infinity scarf that way.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:25 AM on December 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
But you could also make up your own pattern by just picking a kind of stitch you know you can do, getting a couple balls of yarn, and then just using that stitch to make a scarf. And then when you run out of yarn, sew the ends together, and you're done.
The "moss stitch" looks kind of like what's in the picture, and that's dead easy - it's just alternating knits and purls across each row, and then from row to row. It's like the opposite of ribbing, where where you want to do a rib you go:
K-P-K-P-K
K-P-K-P-K
K-P-K-P-K
And with the moss stitch, you just go -
K-P-K-P-K
P-K-P-K-P
K-P-K-P-K
Once you've got the stitch down, then it's just a matter of casting on as many stitches as you want it to be in width, and then you're off.
And yeah, "pick a stitch and use it as an infinity scarf" is really easy. I made up my own pattern for an infinity scarf that way.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:25 AM on December 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Yea, my first reaction was Gap-tastic Cowl on Ravelry, as recommended by melissasaurus. The bonus of that pattern is that it's free and super popular, such that there are already 11,000 projects completed. So, you can read through the notes to see different yarns and needle sizes people have used. I would recommend using a worsted weight yarn instead of chunky though, to more closely match the photo you posted.
posted by cabingirl at 7:35 AM on December 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by cabingirl at 7:35 AM on December 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
You could try a Moebius Scarf a la Cat Bordhi. You need a VERY long circular needle and to get the hang of the caston, but once you do, all you have to do is k3/p3 or k3 rounds / p3 rounds until it's the size you want.
posted by KathrynT at 8:02 AM on December 13, 2013
posted by KathrynT at 8:02 AM on December 13, 2013
The most important thing may be to pick a pattern in which you are truly interested, which intrigues you or if nothing else, makes you want the finished object - that will help you power through the few moments when you might get stuck or lost.
You may feel like a beginner, but be honest with yourself about whether 600 yards of the same stitch pattern is what you really want to knit - I have a terrible habit of getting 40 percent of the way into a knitting project, realizing I have figured out what that project is about, and allowing creeping boredom to drive me on to the next thing. For this reason, if the Gap-tastic cowl is not quite it, I recommend the Eternity Scarf by Michelle Wang - it's a pay pattern, but relatively easy and the variations might be slightly more interesting for you.
posted by deliriouscool at 8:10 AM on December 13, 2013
You may feel like a beginner, but be honest with yourself about whether 600 yards of the same stitch pattern is what you really want to knit - I have a terrible habit of getting 40 percent of the way into a knitting project, realizing I have figured out what that project is about, and allowing creeping boredom to drive me on to the next thing. For this reason, if the Gap-tastic cowl is not quite it, I recommend the Eternity Scarf by Michelle Wang - it's a pay pattern, but relatively easy and the variations might be slightly more interesting for you.
posted by deliriouscool at 8:10 AM on December 13, 2013
Kathryn knitted one of those for me and it is quite fabulous. My favorite scarf for when I am shoveling snow.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:10 AM on December 13, 2013
posted by rmd1023 at 8:10 AM on December 13, 2013
Nthing Gap-tastic Cowl. I'm working on it right now and it's dead easy.
I would not do this with worsted-weight yarn unless you're willing to spend a lot of time experimenting with swatches and math, or a lot more experienced as a knitter than you imply that you are in your question.
A word of warning about the Gap-tastic pattern. If I had to do it again, I would buy a longer circular needle than the pattern calls for. For some reason it recommends a 24". I'm using a 26" one, and the stitches are still absolutely crammed onto it. Which made joining my first row into a circle an absolute bitch, because it was hard to tell if a stitch was twisted with them all crammed on like that. I'd get a 36" if I had it to do again.
posted by Sara C. at 10:04 AM on December 13, 2013
I would not do this with worsted-weight yarn unless you're willing to spend a lot of time experimenting with swatches and math, or a lot more experienced as a knitter than you imply that you are in your question.
A word of warning about the Gap-tastic pattern. If I had to do it again, I would buy a longer circular needle than the pattern calls for. For some reason it recommends a 24". I'm using a 26" one, and the stitches are still absolutely crammed onto it. Which made joining my first row into a circle an absolute bitch, because it was hard to tell if a stitch was twisted with them all crammed on like that. I'd get a 36" if I had it to do again.
posted by Sara C. at 10:04 AM on December 13, 2013
I've made the Gap-Tastic Cowl, and yeah, it's dead easy. And uber-comfy! The best part about it is, you can make it as long as you want, and as wide as you want.
I agree with Sara C.'s advice -- go for a bulky-weight yarn instead of worsted, and use at least a 36" circular needle.
posted by sarcasticah at 1:16 PM on December 13, 2013
I agree with Sara C.'s advice -- go for a bulky-weight yarn instead of worsted, and use at least a 36" circular needle.
posted by sarcasticah at 1:16 PM on December 13, 2013
N-thing the Gap-tastic cowl, especially because I made one last year with yarn almost the exact same color of the yarn in the photo you linked. I also used worsted weight yarn on size 11 needles and it worked perfectly. If you are on ravelry, memail me and I can link you to a photo of my cowl when it was finished. I am a pretty slow knitter and it took me a couple months to knit. You are probably faster, therefore it will take you less time to knit it!
posted by ruhroh at 6:52 PM on December 13, 2013
posted by ruhroh at 6:52 PM on December 13, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you don't want to work in stockinette ("plain" knitting) stitch, I'd suggest a linen stitch. It's very easy to learn and makes an interesting textured fabric that doesn't curl as much as stockinette.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:47 AM on December 13, 2013