PNN's Teach Your Craft Contest: Learn to Knit a Chunky Scarf

Hello! My name is Britt Breu and I am a freelance writer who loves all things craft. My crafts of choice are those involving fiber - wool, alpaca, mohair, silk, soy, cotton, etc. I believe that craft has moved into a new era with new motivations. People are now interested in making something unique, ethically and sustainably produced and environmentally friendly; and craft gives them the opportunity to do this. Join me in looking at craft of all kinds. I will be bringing you tutorials, the best of the web, reviews, happenings and great projects you can do at home. Above all, I want to inspire you to get creative and be crafty. Enjoy the tutorial and vote for me in PNN's Craft Contest.

Learn to Knit

Knitting is all the rage these days and why wouldn't it be? With something as simple as two needles, the right yarn and a few easy-to-learn techniques, you can turn out one-of-kind garments, home and fashion accessories - the only limit is your imagination. Making your own knitwear is also easy on your wallet, kind to Mother Earth and gives a huge sense of satisfaction and pride in your work.

As part of PNN's Teach Your Craft Contest, I have put together a quick and easy knitting tutorial for beginners. The great thing about this lesson is you will be making something you can wear almost immediately. Our project is a slender scarf made out of chunky yarn, the perfect accessory for this season's knitwear-crazed fashion trends.

Knitting with larger gauge needles and bulky yarn makes for an easy introduction - even if you are all thumbs. Believe me, if I can do it, anybody can! If you have any questions during this tutorial, just send me an email and I will be happy to help you!

What You Need:

- One skein of smooth, bulky yarn (usually denoted in the US with a #5 or #6; when in doubt ask a sales clerk)

- One pair of straight Size 19 US (15mm) needle

- Tapestry Needle

- The video demonstrations of basic knitting skills featured here on the right     side of this page

Getting Started

Okay, once you have everything you need to get started, get comfortable and let's get right into it. The first thing we will do is cast on. Casting on is the foundation for anything you knit by putting those first stitches onto your needle.  Here I will teach you the easy variation of the 'long tail' cast on. It is called this because a tail must be long enough to cast on the number of stitches needed to begin the project.  To cast on, do the following:

- Make a slip knot

To make a slip knot, fold the yarn over on itself so it forms a loop. Make sure to leave a 12-inch tail at the end.

Take the top strand of yarn and pull it through the bottom of the loop. Now slip the loop over your needle and pull it tight. The slip knot counts as your first stitch. Viola! You now have a slip knot and continue casting on.

- Cast on

Holding the needle with the slip knot in your right hand, take the yarn tail in your left hand. With your left thumb pointing upwards, sweep it under the yarn to make a loop around your thumb. Pass this loop over the needle in your right hand. Pull tightly (but not too tight) around the needle.

Now repeat this step another eight times. Afterwards you should have 10 stitches on your needle and a small 'tail' of about six inches.

The Knit and Purl Stitches

The great thing about knitting is that it really only uses various combinations of two basic stitches: knit and purl. Combining these different types of stitches will give you a multitude of unique stitch patterns. Our scarf will be done in basic Stockinette stitch, or alternating rows of knit and purl stitches, which will allow you to become acquainted and easily differentiate the two.

- Row 1: Knit

To make the knit stitch, take the needle with the stitches into your left hand. Insert the other needle (called the working needle) diagonally into the first stitch. Take the yarn and wrap it over the tip of the right needle. Pull the yarn through and allow the stitch to fall off the left needle. See, that wasn't so hard.

Repeat this step 9 more times until you have reached the end of the row. The knit stitch makes a 'v' shape and looks like a scarf around someone's neck as knitting guru and author of Stitch N' Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook, Debbie Stoller, so accurately describes it.

- Row 2: Purl

The purl stitch is just as easy and goes something like this: with the stitches in your left hand, insert the right needle diagonally into the front of the first stitch. Wrap the yarn from the front around the tip of the right needle and pull the yarn through, allowing the original stitch to fall off.

Repeat this stitch 9 times until the end of the row. Now you know the very basics of knitting! The purl stitch  looks like a tiny noose (another brilliant coinage from Stoller). It is a somewhat morbid analogy, but you will never forget how a purl stitch looks! 

- Repeat Rows 1 and 2

Repeat these two rows until you have reached a length you are happy with.  100 rows total will produce a scarf around 50 inches long. If you want it a little longer, just continue knitting until you are satisfied or you run out of yarn - whichever comes first!

Finishing Up

So you have come this far and the good news is you only are minutes away from finishing your first knitting project. Isn't that exciting? To finish your scarf, you need to make sure the stitches can't come undone. This is achieved by binding off. 

- Bind Off

To bind off, hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and knit one stitch onto the needle in your right. Then knit another stitch onto the right needle. Now you will have two stitches sitting on the right needle. Insert the left needle into the first stitch on the right (the stitch closest to your right hand). Lift the first stitch over the second and drop it off the needle.

There is now only one stitch on your right needle. Repeat this until you are left with one stitch on your right needle. Slide the final stitch off and pass the yarn tail through the loop to make a knot. Cut the yarn from the skein, leaving around six inches of yarn at the end.

- Weave In the Ends

You will have two strands of loose yarn on your scarf: one at the beginning and one at the end. We are going to weave those tails into the body of your scarf so they aren't visible. Thread the yarn through the tapestry needle. On the purl side of the scarf, weave the yarn end into the stitches in the first and second row.

Congratulations! You've Just Finished Your Scarf!

That's it! You are now the proud maker and owner of a chunky scarf! Now go out there and teach the craft to others!

And if you liked this tutorial and my site, please vote for me in PNN's Craft Contest!

craftcontest

Tutorial: Salvaging Yarn from an Old Sweater

As we recently wrote in our story on budget craft ideas, recycling old woolen garments from a thrift or charity shop can save you a huge amount of money. In this tutorial by Lee Merdith, contributor on Craftsylish, unraveling a thrifted sweater yields not only a beautiful new garment, but possibly a wholloping $60 on yarn! The step-by-step project covers every aspect of what to look for in a bargain sweater, how salvage yarn and how to prepare the material for reuse. This eco-friendly project is worth every minute spent unknotting and unraveling in my book.

Crafts on a Budget: Ten Tips

The credit crunch is effecting many of us and unfortunately hobby and craft costs are often times the first to be cut from the household budget. But cutting costs doesn’t mean you have to cut craft completely, though! You may not be able to go on wild shopping sprees at your local craft store or take those regular workshops at your LYS, but a little out of the box thinking can really make a difference. Here are ten tips on how to get crafty and stay within your budget:

1. Join an Online Craft Network Over the last few years, several craft-dedicated networks have popped up. Two of the more well known are Craftster and Ravelry; both of which offer free membership and loads of patterns and tutorials. Plus, membership offers the added bonus of making new friends. Sounds like a winner to me!

2.  Visit Crafty Websites Often  Beyond crafty social networks, there are hundreds if not thousands of crafty websites and blogs with projects and tutorials available to you just by doing a quick search. Type your craft of choice into a search engine and then add words such as ‘tutorial’, ‘how-to’, ‘pattern’ or ‘instructions’. You’ll be surprised what you come up with and the money you’ll save by not buying all those new craft books. Not Your Gran’s Stitchin also has a list of Mandatory Reading with some great links to crafty websites.

3. Enter Giveaways Time and maybe a few stamps are the only costs of entering contests. Magazines, blogs and websites are always giving craft freebies away. Ten minutes of your time each month can get you great new books and new supplies. I have won two giveaways in the last month, so it is definitely worth a try. Check out Crochet and Knit Giveaways or Craft Gossip’s Competition page for some current contests.

4. Use Your Library Card Most libraries now have catalogs online. Why not search these and place items of interest on hold? Then go through the books, use them for your project and send them on their way to another excited crafter. That is $15-$25 saved. 

5. Recycle/Reuse/Repurpose More likely than not, there are potential craft supplies lurking around your home. Those plastic food containers make great soap molds. Those empty toilet paper rolls could make for great gift boxes. That tired old sweater can have a new lease on life by simply unraveling it and reusing it to fab knit a new cardigan. There are no limits to the possibilities and craft savings except your imagination.

6. Swap Your Stash It is done with clothes, so why not with our craft stashes? Invite around 15 of your friends to bring over tradable stash items and some refreshments, and in two or three hours everyone goes home with new supplies, books and tools.  Read Jennifer Worick’s article on organizing a clothing swap to get planning tips. If a party is not in the budget or you really like the element of surprise, consider an online swap.

7.  Shop Thrift Shops  Some of my best craft finds have been at thrift and charity shops. Keep your eyes open for supplies, books and tools. Beyond this, be on the lookout for items you can salvage materials from (old sweaters for wool, old jewelry for beads and clasps, old bags for handles and buckles). 

8.  Surf Online Classifieds Websites such as Freecycle and Craigslist are veritable goldmines for craft supplies and it doesn’t cost a dime to post or respond to the ads!

9.  Borrow, Don’t Buy You have crafty friends, right? So why not ask to borrow their tools? Chances are they might have that super expensive paper cutter you need for your current project. Be sure to reciprocate and you will always have a borrowing buddy.

10. Make a Budget and Stick to it! I know how easy it is to become engulfed by the passion for your craft. Before attending a craft show or even going to the craft shop, make a list of what you need (not want) and create a firm budget. Taking enough cash to only cover the items needed for a project is a great strategy for preventing an overspend. 

Happy Crafting!

Want to Win Craft Goodies? Promote Your Blog?

The lovely ladies at Crochet and Knit Giveaways have come up with another fabulous contest for their readers and a brilliant opportunity for you to drum up business for your craft business or build a readership for your craft blog!

On October 11th, the site will be holding a Reader Giveaway. To take part in the giveaway (This is a serious craft blog/business promotion opportunity here!), you must 

- have a blog (TypePad, Movable Type, WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, and similar)

- have something to give away

- be willing to ship the advertised items at your expense

- Go to www.crochetandknitgiveaways.com on October 11th and place your link on the site.

This will create a portal for crafty giveaways! It is a win-win situation for everyone! For more information, please visit the Crochet and Knit Giveaways website. 

Now....what can I part with?

Not Your Mama's Craft

More people are doing it everyday: turning to craft in order to create something that is singular in a world of mass production, uniquely theirs and environmetally conscious.

Not Your Gran's Stitchin looks at everything happening in the whole wide knitting and crafting world. Craft has reached a new plateau as a lifestyle and not just a pastime. Tokyo to Toledo, we bring you press, projects, how-tos and curiosities created by the necessity to play with sticks and string, glue, scrap metal, glass, and repurposed objects in order to produce something unique, inspired and earth-friendly.

We honor and cherish the crafts passed down by our mothers for generations, but we also recognize the need to evolve and experiment in every art form. To all you teaching your chosen craft, thank you for giving others the ability to create.

Join us in broadening the horizons of traditional craft.