by N Zinser

Created on: May 18, 2009

To a knitting beginner, reading patterns featuring words like "gauge" and "chart" can seem daunting. The best place for a new knitter to begin is projects where gauge is not that important, such as a scarf.

Scarves are relatively quick knits, and that's definitely helpful when getting started. The best, and easiest project that one can do is the garter stitch scarf. It's a long, skinny scarf that gauge is certainly not important with!

You will need:

Worsted weight yarn (One skein will do, approx 200 yds)

Size 8 needles

Tapestry Needle

Using a cable cast-on method, cast on 20 stitches. Knit every row, until the yarn you have left is approximately double the width of the scarf. Bind off knit wise, and using the tapestry needle, knit in the ends of the yarn.

Once you have the knit stitch down, you will learn the purl stitch, and maybe a few more combinations, such as knitting two stitches together (K2og) or the yarn over (yo). Once these are learned, you can move on to something that is a bit more complicated, yet still easy enough for a beginner, like the Montego Bay Scarf . The Montego Bay Scarf (featured in the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits Magazine) does have both of those advanced stitches featured in it, but it is repetitive, so once those stitches are down, it is a quick knit!

Once you have scarves down, you can move on to more complicated projects, but still easy enough for a beginner to tackle: a hat, washcloth, even a shrug! A great site to visit is www.knittingpatterncentral.com. They offer hundreds of patterns for free, separated by the project category. If you're finding the terminology is getting you stuck, most websites have glossaries featured within the pattern itself. The best, most helpful site for a beginner knitter is www.knittinghelp.com. It features videos of every knit and purl stitch combination imaginable, and also a glossary of common terms, with videos of some. It also has videos of color work knitting, demoing projects, casting on and binding off, and a message board for people to talk about knitting issues and tips. One more site that is great for beginners is actually a community for knitters and crocheters called www.ravelry.com. Ravelry is a networking site, much like Facebook, but on your profile, you feature your current and past projects, your "yarn stash", favorite projects, books, and your Ravelry friends. It is a great place for inspiration and help on any and all projects, and it also helps to see projects people make with different yarns,to better plan your own projects.

If you're a beginning knitter, the obvious first project may be a simple garter stitch scarf, but with a few knit and purl combinations learned, the whole world of knitting is open to you!

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