This is the story of my first knitting project. It’s a story that spans 50 years. It’s about yarn and memories and connections that come full circle. And it includes a free beginner pattern.
This striped garter-stitch scarf is a good beginner project for novices who have the patience to knit a whole scarf. Don’t want to knit so much? Make it a coaster or cowl instead.
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In the Beginning
When I was about six, one of my favorite books was A Gift from the Lonely Doll, by Dare Wright. In the story, The Lonely Doll —whose name is Edith—knits a scarf for her dad, Mr. Bear. She knits diligently at every possible opportunity and (spoiler alert) the scarf ends up too long. It’s worth reading the book for all the adorable details.
Like my doll heroine, I wanted to knit a striped scarf for my father’s Christmas present. The scarf must be red and black, the team colors of his beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs.
My First Knitting Project
My maternal grandmother lived with us and was happy to teach me to knit. We started with a skein of black Germantown worsted wool, some leftover bits of red Germantown, and a pair of straight needles. She showed me how to cast on—the German twisted cast on, no less!—and how to do the knit stitch.
I knit and knit. The stitch count changed from row to row, but that didn’t matter to me.
I knit and knit and knit. I learned to change colors, although not always on the correct side.
I knit and knit and knit. The scarf grew slowly. Yarnover holes and incomplete stitches magically disappeared overnight. It’s the only time in my life that the Knitting Fairy has corrected my knitting.
I knit and knit and knit and knit and knit. Now it was starting to look like a scarf. I tried it on frequently to see if it was long enough.
I knit and knit and knit and knit and knit and knit . Nana kept urging me to knit a few more rows, but I was on deadline and anxious to finish on time. (Sound familiar?)
Just in time for Christmas, the scarf was long enough. Because the edges were so wobbly, Nana single crocheted around the whole thing to tidy it up. We wrapped it up in anticipation of the big reveal the next day.
On Christmas morning, Daddy opened the package. He made all the appropriate noises about how beautiful the scarf was, and how hard I must have worked to make such a special gift. Apparently it was the best gift ever!
I never saw him wear it, and I eventually forgot about it.
About 25 Years Later
Visiting my parents’ house, I caught a glance of red and black rolled up in the back of a drawer. It was my first scarf! Daddy had saved it all those years!
But that photo doesn’t really do it justice. Let me help you understand the scale of this scarf.
It is 4″ wide x 22.5″ long. Despite all my efforts, and even trying it on my skinny six-year-old neck, it was way too small to be worn by an adult male! Furthermore, we lived in Georgia where scarves aren’t even needed. The scarf came home with me, to remind me how much my technique had improved.
About 25 Years Later
As I wandered the aisles of a trade show, my eye caught a familiar sight: Germantown yarn from Kelbourne Woolens. I’m pretty sure I squeed out loud. I may have jumped up and down a little bit.
About Germantown Yarn
For that first scarf, and for many projects after that, Brunswick Germantown Worsted was my go-to yarn.
Knitters who have been around for a long while will remember this ubiquitous yarn. There weren’t nearly as many yarns available as there are now, but Germantown was a classic worsted weight standby that came in many colors.
Read Germantown: Redesigning a History for the story of how Kelbourne Woolens revived the brand, then read A Brief History of Germantown Yarns for a fascinating look at this American yarn. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you do that.
When Kelbourne Woolens owner Courtney Kelly heard the story of my first scarf and what Germantown meant to me, she immediately suggested that I make another scarf, and provided the yarn for me to knit it.
My First Scarf Knitting Pattern
So here, fifty years after the original scarf, is the pattern for My First Scarf. This version is meant to be easy enough for new knitters to knit, and long enough and warm enough to actually be worn by an adult.
Presented in Georgia Bulldog red and black, of course. Note that black is not the best choice for beginners; feel free to use different, lighter colors for easier visibility.
The free pattern is below; you also can purchase a printer-friendly pdf.
Want to knit it in Germantown yarn? You’ll get 10% off the price if you use code EDIEECKMAN at checkout here.
Materials
Kelbourne Woolens Germantown (100% North American wool, 220 yds/201 m, 100 g), 1 skein each #005 Black (A) and #625 Scarlet (B), or colors of your choice.
US size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles or size to obtain correct gauge
Stitch marker or safety pin
Finished Dimensions
3.75″ (9.5 cm) wide x 61″ (155 cm) long
Gauge
20 sts and 39 rows = 4” (10 cm) in garter stitch (knit every row)
Gauge is not crucial in this pattern, but for best results match the gauge of the pattern. Watch How to Measure Gauge in Knitted Garter Stitch.
Pattern Note
Leave a 4-5″ [10-13 cm] tail of yarn each time you change yarns so that you’ll have enough yarn to securely weave in the tails. Each time you change yarn colors, the yarn tails should be on the rightmost edge of the scarf.
Instructions
With A, long tail cast on 19 sts.
Row 1 (Wrong Side): Knit.
Turn the work and place a marker on the right side to help you keep track of the right and wrong sides.
Rows 2-15: Knit.
At this point you have a total of 8 garter ridges and you have ended by knitting a wrong side row.
Cut A.
Rows 16-27: With B, knit. End by knitting a wrong side row. You have 6 garter ridges of B.
Continue working alternate stripes of 8 garter ridges (16 rows) in A and 6 garter ridges (12 rows) in B, until you have 20 stripes in color B. End by knitting a wrong side row.
Last stripe: With A, knit 8 garter ridges (16 rows). End by knitting a wrong side row. Bind off on a right side row.
Weave in all ends. Block.
“Yarnover holes and incomplete stitches magically disappeared overnight.”
Such a sweet story.
Oh and I still have some vintage Germantown. I hope the new stuff meets my squooshiness standards! It’s a joy to knit with such bouncy yarn.
I can remember my first attempts at knitting. It was those covers for coat hangers. They looked pretty much like your scarf though smaller. I had the same thoughts – I’m on a deadline – I’m anxious to finish my project. I’m sure my Yarn Fairy worked overtime as well.
I don’t have those first projects like you do. What a gift your father gave you after all these years! Thanks for a memorable story.
I love this story! It reminds me that every effort to be creative–especially in a child–should be appreciated and celebrated. I got my “spark” from my grandma too, which is now over 40+ years ago.
This story is so wonderful! I learned to knit when I was 7 years old back in the 60s and I also made a scarf. I have no idea what the colors were now, or where that scarf ended up. I do remember it had holes but I didn’t care. I was knitting! That started a lifelong passion for making things. Thanks so much for sharing your story. It really brightened my day. ♥
Bev of bevscountrycottage.com
Your first scarf is adorable! This is such a great story, thank you for sharing