How do I add garter stitches to eliminate curl?

20 years ago

I already made my daughter a scarf, just about done, already 3' long. It's my first project, done in stockinette stitch. But it's curled. I figured I'd deal with it at the end. I looked up this problem on this forum and found advice that I should add a few garter stitches at the end, or seed stitches, but it's too late for that now, I think??. Or I should double-crochet something at the edges. (Separately, maybe even a completely different yarn?)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Rose.

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Comments (4)

socks
20 years ago
It's too late to add garter stitch now. Not sure about the edging, maybe someone else here can help. Curly looks cute though!
anne_b
20 years ago
Alas, it is probably too late for this particular scarf. Your daughter could just wear it as is, and, if questioned, proudly proclaim: "It's the newest designer feature! Everyone is doing it . ." and she would NOT be fibbing! The dreaded stocknette curl has to be PREVENTED, not remedied. Starting, edging and ending a scarf with garter stitch or another non-curl stitch/pattern is the only thing to do.
But why limit yourself to stockinette scarves? If you can knit and purl, you can make wonderful, reversible scarves in interesting patterns. Try something in a rib - it will not curl, it is thick and cozy, and the pattern is the same on every row. Or seed stitch - if you cast on an uneven number of stitches, every row will be the same also (k1, p1). Or "mistake rib", which looks complicated and elegant - cast on a multiple of 4 + 3 extra stitches, and every row is *k2, p2*, repeat until you have 3 sts left; k2, p1. Looks especially good in a variegated yarn.

Have fun!
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sheilajoyce_gw
20 years ago
We do not know the type of yarn you are using, so that makes advising difficult. You can steam iron the scarf to help a little--just be sure you do NOT shove the iron around. Lift it up and set it down, holding it steady for a moment and then lift it again. I wonder if some kind of crochet edge might help a little, even a slip stitch edge. However, you will always have curl as it is not truly fixable after the item is made. You really need to make it with a stitch design meant to eliminate curl. Having said that, a couple of years ago GAP sold a completely curled in on itself long scarf, so I did one like that on purpose--but my son thought I made a mistake.
nosyrosie
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks all for your advice, I hope I can flatten it a little bit but it's still very nice. I will try to double-crochet on the ends (???--I'll have to try to figure this out) because on one of the threads somebody I think tried this and it worked somewhat.

I never really knew how to knit before; a director showed me the knit stitch to play a crochety lady in a play and that's all I knew, and remembered on my own with a knitting book from the library and figured out how to purl. (They did NOT warn about the curling stockinette stitch).

Thank you all again! I feel so much more confident now that I know it's not so terribly difficult after all.
Rose