by Rachel Fahnel

Created on: June 09, 2009

Do you know how to knit in the round? Would you like to learn? All you need it an 18-inch circular knitting needle in size eight, two Red Heart Super Savers skeins of yarn in colors that work for you, a size H crochet hook, and some spare time.

We are going to knit a scarf in the round. I know it sounds a little strange but trust me, you're going to like this. This tubular scarf is a solution for those who aren't too sure about the purl stitch yet, those who don't want to worry about their creation curling up on them, and for those of us who want something nice and warm to wrap around their necks this winter. It is also, as I mentioned before, a great way to get used to a circular needle. NOTE: This is written for right-hand knitters.

Cast on 130 stitches, being very careful not to twist the cast-on row. Make sure everyone is in line and pick up the needle that has the first stitch (it has the short yarn tail hanging from you, where you started casing on) in your left hand. Now, if you've knitted at all, you know what to do. Insert the needle into the first stitch, wrap the yarn coming from the skein around once and bring it back out the the loop, Voila, the first stitch of your new scarf.

Go around, just keeping knitting. This stockinette stitch is a bit loose and truth be told would probably be too loose to be very warm if not for the two layers. You can make it as long as you want it to be, but don't go too crazy, you don't want it to end up looking like it could wrap around the world a time or two. That has never been a problem for me, since although I enjoy knitting I love to get my projects done.

With this project it is easy to get into the rhythm and get lost in the stitches. Once you've been doing it a while, you may not even have to look at what your hands are doing. You can add variety to the pattern, but remember to keep track of the rows if you're doing a counted pattern. This scarf would look nice in Seed Stitch, but I don't know if it would turn out well in rib stitch.

When you join the second skein of yarn, should your scarf get that long, just knot the two ends together with enough left out to weave the ends in with a tapestry needle.

When you decide it is long enough, bind off, then lay it out on a large, flat surface and finger-press it flat. Pin it in place, then starting at one end at the right-hand corner, use the crochet hook to single crochet the two layers together. Repeat at the other end, turning it over so you're achieving a reversible effect with the crochet stitches. Weave in all the tails with the tapestry needle, remove the pins, and admire your handy-work.

I hope you like this little project, and it is both a handsome accessory and a toasty comfort for you in the cold winter months.

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