Knitting has made a serious come-back in recent years and gained some street cred. Anyone who is anyone can be heard tapping away their needles, including celebrities like Julia Roberts and Ryan Gosling.
The benefits are seemingly never-ending as it helps with dexterity, brain function, concentration and stress to name just a few important reasons to take up this pastime. There is also a huge sense of satisfaction when you are able to give someone something you have made from scratch.
Though knitting is normally a solo activity, there are lots of knitting groups you can reach out to for help online. Often local knitting clubs meet up regularly in cafés or village halls, so it might be worth searching online to see if your town or village has one you can join.
It can feel like you will never get the hang of it to begin with but with lots of practice, you will soon be whipping up some exciting projects. One of the simplest things to start with is a scarf as the shape is easy to work with and it can be completed relatively quickly.
We have picked a simple garter stich pattern to use for our scarf. The garter stitch is easy for beginners as it only consists of one knitted row that get repeated to the desired length of scarf. It is a great project to really get to grips with knitting before moving onto more complicated patterns that mix different techniques together like row one knit, row two purl.
The garter stich is the perfect choice for a scarf as it is quite a close so the garment will be warm for winter and feel good against the skin on your face.
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What you will need
Knitting needles 9mm
Wooden needles are great for beginners as they are easier to work with. We have picked a larger size to make a chunkier knit but if you buy a set with a few different sizes in, you can pick your own preference for how big you want the knit to look.
Double knit yarn
It is entirely up to you the type of yarn you choose for your own scarf but we found double knit yarn to be easy to work with and washable, which is great for a scarf. Some yarns are hypoallergenic too which is ideal for people allergic to wool.
Storage bag
Though not a necessity for the project, a storage bag to store the yarn balls, needles and the scarf so it is safe between knitting is a great investment. Some bags come with a dispenser so you can feed the wool out through the bag to avoid tangling.
Step-by-step: knitting a scarf
If you are new to knitting or it has been a long time, we recommend getting to grips with a few rows and casting on and off before starting the actual project. You can then hit the ground running and make fewer mistakes on the real thing. You can also cast on a few different numbers of stitches to see which width you prefer for your own scarf.
1. Cast on
The amount to cast on is up to you depending on how wide you want your scarf to be. We went for 25 stitches for a wider scarf, though you could do a smaller number to make it narrower to suit the person you are making it for.
2. How to knit a row
Row 1: Knit to the end of the row.
To knit you need to go left to right and when the left needle is empty, switch hands. Wrap the tail of the yarn around your pinky finger twice, or in a way that feels natural. It should be pulled taut but not too tight.
Insert the right needle through the loop on the left loop. With your left forefinger, wrap the yarn around the right needle counter-clockwise. Next bring it back through the first loop with the left-hand side coming through too.
Slip the original loop off the left needle, keeping the new loop on the right needle and that is the first knit done!
- Repeat step 2 until the scarf is the right length for your project.
4. Cast off
The below video shows how to 'cast off' and finish your scarf. Or, we have a whole article dedicated to how to cast off.
Top 5 books to develop your knitting skills
If you are struggling to get the hang of it, buying this paperback book will harness your skills as you have the visual aid of photographs to compare to your work. Aimed at beginners, Rosie Fletcher, owner of Slipstitch in London promises to make it easy to understand. Visual and step by step guides for casting on and off will also help you start and finish projects. There are also 15 projects to complete in the book. You can follow Rosie on Twitter @rosieatlarge.
The editors of Vogue Knitting have put together an incredible visual book with over 800 stitching patterns included. Many will seem very complicated to a beginner but as you gain confidence you can follow the simple step by step guides included and increase your knitting repertoire.
Emma Osmond has some great ideas in this book and lots of small projects that can use up left over wool. There are patterns and steps for complete beginners through to slightly more complicated knits. The mug warmers are really cute!
Environmentalist and knitting blogger, Epipa, has put together 20 projects suitable for beginners looking at sustainable yarns and needles to make you more eco aware. It is practical and includes step by step guides to make it easy and enjoyable.
Once your confidence grows you can start with some more complicated knits courtesy of this official Harry Potter knitting pattern book. Tanis Gray breaks down 25 magical knits from the simple Harry Potter scarf to more complicated things like Mrs Weasleyu2019s home-made Christmas jumper. Imagine your children or grandchildrenu2019s faces at Christmas as you present them all with their own jumper!
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