People write to me all the time about knitting scarves with no prior knitting experience. This is the most common item that people want to make as a gift for someone else.
To make a scarf you will need:
1 pair of knitting needles (S$8-23)
4-6 balls of yarn ($$30-90)
Depending on how fast you knit, how thick the yarn is, the size of the knitting needle and if you want tassles, it will take about 20-24 hours to knit if you can already knit well. It will take longer far longer if you have never knitted before because you will lack speed and will make mistakes that need to be corrected, the tension will not be even – the stitches will not all be the same size, the edges will not be straight and there may be numerous holes because of mistakes. Also a scarf requires between 4-6 balls of yarn, most beginners underestimate how much knitting one ball of yarn requires. A scarf is not a small fast to knit project.
Scarf with tassles
The above scarf is knit every row, which is very easy if you can knit. How hard can it be if you have never knitted before? Here’s what else you need to make this scarf:
4 knitting lessons ($100)
You need to learn:
Cast on
Cast off
Russian knot to join yarn
Tension
Attaching the tassles
Finishing your project
1 month of practice before you start scarf
Just the scarf alone costs between $38 – depending on the yarn and knitting needles. Add 4 knitting lessons of $100. Your hand knitted scarf is $138-$213. This does not include the opportunity cost of your time, practicing and knitting it. You get a really basic looking scarf. You would be better off buying a really nice pashmina or cashmere scarf for a lot less. Its expensive and just not worth the effort, unless you are genuinely interested in learning to knit.
Knitting looks very easy in the hands of an experienced knitter. To get to that good, you will need to learn to knit first. That is the easy part. The hardest part is getting tension even and correct – meaning that all stitches are even and regular, not too tight and not too loose. This takes about 4-8 weeks to master.
My suggestion is if you really really want to make a scarf but are not interested in learning to knit as a hobby, make one with a knitting loom. It looks just like knitting. But its very much easier, as there is no need to learn to knit, worry about tension or practice. You need 3 lessons for this.
Hi! Thank you so much for this detailed post. You have no idea how glad i am to chance upon it after searching for various things into google. You’re right; I have never knitted before but am truly interested to learn how to knit. I’ve googled for suggestions for where I can learn to do so but to no avail as most shops in singapore have closed down or am simply too far away (in the west but i live in the east)..
Thus, would truly be very glad if you can recommend a good place for me to learn. I wish to knit a scarf for my boyfriend who’s in someplace cold for a long term period for studies and i couldn think of anything else that will convey my message and care for him apart from a hand-knitted scarf cause buying a pashmina will just not cut it.
Thank you soooo much in advance and truly looking forward to hearing a response back from you. I hope to complete my project by May so that I have sufficient time to ship it to him before our anniversary.
Hope you understand..
Cheers,
Yvonne
I would only recommend learning to knit if you are interested in knitting.
Very sorry at this time I am not conducting any classes. Please contact Golden Dragon directly http://www.goldendragon.com.sg. for more information on their classes.