Well this is my second post asking the same question because I didn’t recieve alot of help.
I’m thinking of knitting/crocheting a scarf for my girlfriend who is living in North Carolina. I am completely new at this and am seeking help.
Thanks!
Your questions are sort of general…
First off, do you have any experience at all in either knitting or crochet, or is this just an idea you have? For the yarn, pick out one in a medium weight that feels soft and is smooth. Then you’d use a needle or hook about a size larger than the gauge on the label mentions. If you do have some experience, have you looked through any patterns yet?
Asking questions in multiple threads makes it harder to help you and for you to find our answers so try to keep one topic in one thread and give us time to help.
Be as specific as you can when you ask questions and be sure to answer our questions when we respond so we can help you better.
It sounds like you do not have any experience with either crochet or knitting. They both produce a fabric, but they look different from each other and the pattern stitch can can change the appearance. Knitting is done with two needles and crochet is done with one hook.
I don’t understand your second question. What do you mean by “don’t answer”?
A good yarn to start with is Caron Simply Soft or maybe Red Heart SOFT.
We can’t suggest patterns till we know what you want to do or your experience.
Ok I am literally 0 experience with both knitting and crocheting. From what I have found out, cashmere or merino is a good choice… Do you guys recommend anything different? (Price isnt really a big deal for me because this is going to be a Christmas/Birthday present)
Also what would be the better choice for a winter scarf? Crochet or knit?
Either will work. It’s a matter of personal preference. Take a look at the sites that Sue recommended and see which of the patterns appeals to you. Once you have a few patterns to consider, this will all become clearer. Then look at the Free Videos at the top of the page for directions on Getting Started for knitting or try Crochetville for crochet.
I was going through some at Raverly and found these… do you suggest any as a winter scarf?
Of the patterns, I think the Instant Gratification Scarf might be the best one to use since you’re a beginner. You really don’t need a pattern to knit or crochet a scarf. Decide how wide you want it to be. Skinny scarves can be four inches wide. Fatter scarves can be six or eight inches wide. Cast on (for knitting) or chain (crochet) enough stitches to reach the width you’ve selected. In knitting, the simplest way is just to knit every stitch and do the whole thing in garter. For crochet, it’s probably best to do this in single crochet. The holes are smaller and it ends up being a warmer scarf. You would knit or crochet the scarf until it is 6 or 7 feet long. What I like to use for something like this is Lion brand Wool ease yarn. You might also try it in the thicker bulky weight. The scarf would knit faster, especially with larger needles.
Anything [B]will [/B]work really, whethrer knit or crochet. The needle size depends on the yarn, but if you use a medium thickness yarn and larger needles it doesn’t take as long. The problem with a scarf for a first project is that it can take a long time and gets boring so you need something to keep your interest, whether it’s learning new stitches or varigated yarn.
I think first you need to learn the stitches - get some inexpensive yarn that’s labelled a ‘4’ at the store, and a size J hook or 10 needles. Then practice the stitches by following a video along. See which you like better, because a pattern as well as which craft is mostly personal preference.
Crochet tends to be a more open stitch and knitting less so unless you needles larger than suggested for your yarn. It’s personal choice. My choice is knitting although I can do both if I have to.
This is an excellent scarf to start with and is only knit and purl and can really use any yarn with an appropriate size needle. I suggest worsted weight and size 8 needles.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/scrunchable-scarf
Cashmere and merino are good, but if she’s extremely sensitive skinned even some of those may be itchy. I’ve been searching for one I can wear and so far it’s a no go. I tend to stay with a very good acrylic,
Cotton, bamboo, and silk. Usually one or more of them blended rather than alone.
Hey Jan!
Thanks that was helpful! The thing is I dont exactly know what is doesnt like. She tried on my friend’s scarf once and like you could see little fiber hairs from the scarf… i think that irritated her neck and made it itchy…
I just want a yarn that will let me be 100% it wont irritate her so that my hard work doesnt get thrown under the bed for the next 20 years.
Since its your first project I’d use one of those soft acrylics I mentioned. Not all acrylic is created equal.
Ok I will give it a shot! Thanks
Yes, acrylic can be quite warm and it’s easily cared for too.
I don’t know if you’re still trying to decide between knitting and crocheting, but here are my two cents anyway:
For me, knitting is much easier. Some say crocheting is easier to learn and get started, and I think there’s truth to that. But for some reason, I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. Counting is a huge, huge deal in crochet. It’s important in knitting too, but not as crucial, I believe. I think it takes a lot more concentration to crochet than knit.
That being said, knitting requires more coordination and can feel very clumsy at first. You use a needle in each hand AND hold the yarn AND loop it around the needles and it can be a frustrating endeavor in the beginning. When I first started, I felt like I needed an extra hand but I didn’t have any space for it! It can also take a while to get consistent tension and therefore, have your stitches come out even. But, in the end, it’s definitely worth it! I felt like I wasn’t making any progress as a knitter and then one day, things just clicked into place and I started seeing real improvement. And there’s nothing more thrilling than finishing your first project and it looking great!
A couple more things: knitting, as stated before, produces a smaller overall stitch. As a result, it will take longer to complete a knit scarf vs a crochet scarf of the same length. Crocheting can be much faster since the stitches are bigger.
You’ve gotten a lot of great advice already, so I won’t repeat anyone. I do agree that you should give both a try and see which one you gravitate to. I also recommend a light colored, non fuzzy yarn to learn with. That way, you can see your stitches on the needle more clearly.
Good luck and welcome to yarn crafts! It’s addicting and awesome. 
To give a bit of a different perspective, I found crochet MUCH MUCH easier than knitting. As Sands pointed out, crochet only uses one pointy stick rather than two–which for me was a lot easier.
Also, I’ve never found that crochet required that much counting–well, not anymore than knitting does anyway. And I find it much easier to count stitches in crochet than in knitting.
One other bonus about crochet is that it’s a whole lot easier to unravel and redo crochet than knitting. A big plus if you’re just learning what’s what!
With all that said, I love both knit and crochet and do them both frequently. I will second (or third or fourth) the suggestion that you try both and see which one clicks for you. If you have a small local yarn store in your city/town, you might see if the owner will allow you to “test drive” some of their hooks and needles. If that doesn’t fly, you might ask the owner if he or she knows of someone who might let you try out his or her own personal hooks/needles–without leaving the premises with them, of course. I’m hoping you can find an inexpensive way to dabble in both arts to see which one you like best.
Sometimes thrift stores will carry crochet hooks and knitting needles, too, but that’s kinda hit or miss. You could even search for a knitting/crocheting club in your community (you can search for these on ravelry.com–free to join). Someone there would probably love to show you the ropes and lend you the necessary tools and a bit of yarn, too.
I wish you success in whichever endeavor you decide to go with, and I hope your scarf is just the beginning of a fiber art love.
If you are still looking for some help and ideas, here are a few links to Hooked On Needles which is my needlework website where I share lots of video and picture tutorials, patterns and ideas for knitting and crocheting.
Knitting: http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2008/07/time-to-get-organized-knit.html
Crocheting: http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2008/07/time-to-get-organized-crochet.html
The videos will get you started with either method of stitching, and then you can check out the other posts for ideas and patterns to try.
I hope this helps! What a sweet gift you are making!
MGM
[COLOR=“DarkOrchid”]I think crochet is more forgiving personally. I taught myself to knit, and made my boyfriend a scarf with Wool Ease on size 8 needles (think they sell it at Michaels). It was soft and worked for our NY winters. The scarf wasn’t very pretty, and I put in stripes without knowing how or anything about the right/wrong side…he says he likes it.
Any hoo, basic crochet is simple and if you use a large hook, you can whip something out fairly quick. Large knitting needles are a bit clunky and might be harder to handle if you’re not used to it.
So my personal suggestion: learn the basics of crochet, and make a simple single crochet scarf with a large needle with a soft, bulky yarn.
Either way, good luck. :yay: [/COLOR]