I’ve been thinking a lot lately about learning how to knit, and what would be helpful or what essential skills are needed to get from that first project to other projects with confidence.
I know a lot of people start with a garter stitch scarf, but I also know that can get boring once you feel like you have the knit stitch down. And there is more to learn that you could learn faster if you threw in some other stitches.
What I came up with was this sampler scarf knitting pattern.
It’s made with bulky yarn so it works up pretty fast, even for a new knitter, and it’s easy to see your stitches because they are big.
It starts with garter stitch, of course, but then moves on to stockinette so you can learn how to purl (and learn about the dreaded stockinette curl) and then to ribbing so you learn how to switch between knits and purls in the same row. Then you repeat the stockinette and garter sections to finish the other side of the scarf.
The beauty of this one is you can make it as long or as short as you want. I have versions in the post that are 6 feet long and a little over 3 feet long, depending on how much yarn you have and how much time you want to devote to this project.
It also includes the option of increasing a few stitches before the ribbed section so the width of the scarf stays consistent, and decreasing them on the other side. We also take a closer look at each kind of fabric we’re making, how to count stitches and rows and what the stitches look like on the needle.
There’s a lot going on but I really thing this would be a great first project because you would learn so much so quickly. Check it out and let me know what you think!
