I’m making a scarf for a friend’s birthday. I’m fairly new to knitting so I’m after advice. The scarf is stockinette with two thin purl pannels. To start with it curled severely. Following internet advice I ripped the lot back and started over including an inch of straight knit border all round. It’s still curling! I read that if I make it twice as long, double it over and hem the edges it should lie flat. It’s a lot of work so I wanted some advice before I go any further 
Does it [I]have[/I] to be mostly stockinette? There are so many wonderful, easy scarf patterns out there that look amazing and stay flat without a lot of angst.
Hello Dragon and welcome to KH!
The garter stitch is a good option to prevent curling. I would knit the first and last inch as well as three stitches on each side in the garter stitch. This will minimize curling to a large extent; blocking your project when you are finished will further ensure that your project will lay flat.
Even with a border stockinette can still curl or fold along the border. :shrug:
Thanks for the great responses. Think I’m gunna throw in the towel and find a less rebellious pattern haha