12 Months Of Scarves: June

For this month's scarf, I wanted to work with some slip stitches. I like the way slip stitches make a pattern that looks much more complicated than it is.

This is a stitch pattern I got from an online stitch dictionary, www.knitca.com. It's a 6 st + 5 pattern, to which I added a slipped stitch on the beginning of every row to give it a nice, smooth edge. I used Red Heart Classic, a worsted weight yarn, in Purple.

Let me just say something about Red Heart, here. RH gets a bad rap among some crafters. I hear people talk about "squeaking" and "rough" and "plastic-feeling" and I can't help but wonder where they are getting their yarns. Don't get me wrong, I know exactly what they are talking about when they say these things, but I have not experienced any of that with any Red Heart yarns I've bought in the last 25 years. (And, to be fair, it was not just RH that had the plasticy yarns. It was all the major brands you see in the big box stores.)

All the RH I've bought in the last two and a half decades has been at or above my expectation. It's a nice, affordable, soft (though I will admit it's not the softest yarn on the market, it's plenty soft), and has a wide selection of colors. Those colors don't fade and are pretty even throughout. RH also doesn't tend to pill, even after repeated washings. I think it's a great yarn for kids' items, afghans, or anything you plan to wash a lot.

I think the detractors are maybe speaking from an experience they had many, many years ago. Or perhaps they are talking about yarn they inherited from their mom or grandma or bought at a yard sale--old yarn. Or they are just repeating things they've heard others say. I may get some hate for saying that, but I have talked to many new knitters who are just trying to sound like they know what they are talking about. "Oh, I never use acryllic yarn. Ew. It's so squeaky and cheap!" With some of these, I'm pretty sure it's the fact that they paid $4 a skein and not $40 that they object to.

Listen, I have heard these same people go on and on about some pretty expensive yarns and how soft they are. And some of them are. But some are just expensive. Frankly, there are some expensive wool yarns that I think are not nearly as soft as some of the wool blends or acryllics out there.

But, you know what I always say: If you don't like a yarn, don't use it. No one holds a gun to your head and makes you knit with a yarn. But also, don't hate on others for their yarn choices. You're not "helping them make better decisions." You're being an ass. And nobody will thank you for your opinion. They'll just avoid you next time.

Okay. That's my rant on yarn snobbery. Here's the pattern:

SLIPPED? CHECK!

Materials
1 Skein Red Heart Classic (or two, depending on how long you want it)
Size 8 knitting needles

To Knit

Cast on 25 stitches (This is 3 pattern repeats, plus two edge stitches)

Knit 2 rows in garter stitch.

Row 1: Slip 1, then (P2, K1) across.
Row 2: Slip 1, then (K2, P1) across
Row 3: Slip 1, P1 *Slip 3 wyif, P1, K1, P1* ending Slip 3 wyif, P1, K1
Row 4: Slip 1, K1, Slip 3 wyib, *K1, P1, K1, Slip 3 wyib* ending K1, P1
Row 5: Slip 1, (P2, K1) across.
Row 6: Slip 1, (K2, P1) across.
Row 7: Slip 1, P1, *P1, K1, P1, Slip 3 wyif*, ending P1, K1, P2, K1.
Row 8: Slip 1, K2, P1, K1, *Slip 3 wyib, K1, P1, K1* K1, P1

Repeat these 8 rows until scarf is as long as you'd like. Then, work 2 rows in garter stitch and bind off.

You can add fringe, if you like, or leave it plain like I did. This is a highly textured, very warm scarf.

Notes
Slip all stitches P-wise
WYIF=slip the stitch with the working yarn held in front of the work
WYIB=slip the stitch with the working yarn held in back of the work