Hi everyone,
I’ve just started taking up knitting 
I’m planning to knit a scarf for my boyfriend. Just a really simple one. What do I need and how do I start. How long will it take for me (a beginner) to finish it? I know it will depends but just want to know.
Thank you :))
You’re certainly right that it depends: on how long you want to make the scarf, how thick your yarn is, how big your needles, and how much time you have to knit. Plain garter stitch can be done with all knit stitch and it will lie flat. You’ll be proficient by the time you’re finished. A stockinette st scarf (knit stitch on one side and purl on the other) will curl unless you use a good sized edging of say, garter or seed stitch.
Why not find a pattern that you like online or at the yarn store and start with that?
Thicker yarn and bigger needles make it go faster than thin yarn and small needles. But a lot depends on the pattern, and its boredom factor, and if you need to rip out a lot because of mistakes or if you just compensate for them and keep going. You’ll get more experienced as you go along too, so while it may go slow in the beginning, you might get more efficient after a while and it’ll speed up.
[B]A easy-peasy FAVORITE scarf of mine is:[/B]
Using worsted weight ‘textured’ yarn and size US15 needles, cast on 17 stitches. Work garter stitch (knit on RS & WS) until the scarf is as long as you like. I’d usually go until 50-60". But longer for a tall guy. A scarf of this length can be worn doubled in half and the ends tucked up and over the fold.
(worn like this scarf on my daughter, Lauralee…it is 73" long!)
Knitting a garter stitch scarf using BIG needles with worsted weight yarn creates a great look, regardless of gender. And the knitting goes FAST, but looks like you labored forever! :teehee:
Here is a scarf that I knit up, using the ‘pattern’ above. It used a dk cotton held together with a ‘flag’ yarn…but equivalent to a worsted weight when held together:
[B]Up close:[/B]
I knit one in oyster, too:
[B]Up close:[/B]
[B]Here’s another really easy scarf, great for men. It takes Knits and Purls, called ribbing.[/B]
[B]It’s a K2-P2 rib. Here’s my “recipe”:[/B]
With a bulky weight yarn:
[B]Cast on 18, US 15
Pattern Row: K3, (P2, K2) x 3, end P3[/B] [B]
Repeat Pattern Row til length desired.[I] Bind off loosely.[/I][/B]
(note: the first and last stitch of every row will not look like rib…it will look like garter stitch…it is called an ‘edge stitch’)
My particular scarf needled blocking. I was able to coax it out to 5" x 52" when it was damp. I used blocking wires in the edge stitches, but you can use pins just as easily. After it was pinned out, I misted the tar out of it. Leaving til bone dry.
[B]This scarf went really fast!![/B] I used 88 yds of the dark chocolate, and 65 yds of the multi.
(It was leftovers yarn from a Vogue Cape.)
No knots when changing colors for the uneven, assymetrical striping. Since the yarn was wool, I was able to ‘felt join’ the dark chocolate end to the multi-color end, and vice versa. Amy has a video here at KH about how to ‘felt join’. Some knitters call it ‘spit splicing’. Ew. Let it be know…Artlady would never [I]ever[/I] use spit to join two ends of wool yarn. :pout:
BOTH OF THESE SCARVES CAN BE KNIT UP IN ONE GOOD NIGHT OF TV! A LATE NIGHT, BUT A NIGHT. 
That would be great for last minute Christmas presents.
when i first started knitting i made a scarf i am 12 years old and started when i was 8
my scarf was a simple one where i didn’t do any purling or anything
and kept it the same colour
i finished in about a month but it had tons of holes from stitches i dropped if you did the same it would probably take you two weeks if you worked hard
Hope this helps! Kayley
Thanks everyone :)) I will let you guys know how I progress 
