Croteching a scarf! HELPP!! - Page 2

Park123me · 08-07-2012, 12:57 AM

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.

Jan in CA · 08-07-2012, 07:59 AM

Since its your first project I'd use one of those soft acrylics I mentioned. Not all acrylic is created equal.

Park123me · 08-07-2012, 10:05 AM

Ok I will give it a shot! Thanks

suzeeq · 08-07-2012, 02:23 PM

Yes, acrylic can be quite warm and it's easily cared for too.

SandsLVT · 08-10-2012, 03:35 AM

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. :-)

Antares · 08-11-2012, 12:30 AM

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.

MGM · 08-11-2012, 02:52 AM

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/...ized-knit.html

Crocheting: http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2008/...d-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

MomoKnits · 08-15-2012, 04:04 AM

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.