Stockinette curls.

I live in Southern California, Socks, and am an Illinois transplant. So I could not knit anything that my kids would wear. But then they went away to college, and 2 of them live where they appreciate scarves. For my DD, I have made all kinds of fashion yarn scarves as well as regular yarn. She and her friends seem to love the scrap yarn scarves best, so I have made one for each of her best buddies, who will also be her bridesmaids in August. For my son I have made several, but he is not into coordinated accessories like his sister is. However, I am going to make him one more scarf next year, and in it will be the school colors of every school he has attended: preschool, elementary, 2 middle schools, high school, college, master's, and law schools. The colors may not balance, because I will put the 2 or 3 colors for each school in the order he attended and many have blues in them. However, it will be a nice conversation piece. I may use lots of ecru to space between schools. I made him a NYU college scarf. Since the colors are purple and white, I used just the white and knit their logo on one end (the torch of knowledge)and his initials on the other in relief. Apparently he saves that one and does not wear it, so I guess I should have used white and purple after all.

Thanks for the update Sheila. You are so creative and have had a lot of fun with those scarves! I did make a scarf for one of my son's friends going to school in Colorado. He was so delighted; he actually wrote me a thank you note (snail mail!).

So if we used garter stitch on the scarves, would they have a horizontal ribbed look and be very stretchy? How would they be different from stockinette?

Stockinette is knit one row and purl the next. It tends to curl. Garter is knit every row, and it does not tend to curl.

With the eyelash yarn and using garter stitch on needles I made from dowels as big around as my thumb, I did get pretty scarves that would stretch quite wide if you pulled them.

One hint for the fringe--knot each strand at the cut end with a little tight knot close as can be to the end. Then the yarn will not fray when you wash the scarf. I do not use wool because of allergies, so I use synthetic yarn for scarves and wash them before giving them away to remove the sizinf so that they will be soft. I also use fabric softener to help soften the yarn and to eliminate static electricity.

Garter does not give a ribbed look. Garter would make a nice background for a nice chain design on the scarf too. Or some other design with mostly garter making up the scarf.

sheilajoyce,
Here's a clever random stripe generator I found on someone's blog that might help you design your AllSchoolColors scarf. You choose the colors and it generates a pattern. It's fun to play with.

Oops, sorry, didn't put the link, did I? (Thanks, sock12345.)
It's www.kissyourshadow.com/stripe_maker.php

I might as well try using the forum's link setup for the first time. So... if I did it right, here it is.

Here is a link that might be useful: stripe maker

In my opinion, the best stitch for the HP/school color scarves is the simple k1, p1 rib. It looks like stockinette (from more and 2 feet away!), does not curl, and makes a wonderfully warm scarf.

The HP-type scarves shown in the Lions Brand newsletter had "irregular" color blocks - large blocks of the main color, shorter blocks of a contrast color. I wonder if this is the new look from the yet-to-be-released movie? Can't wait to see!

That sounds really good, Anne, but that's a whole lotta going back and forth! I guess I'd get used to it after a few hundred times! LOL

Socks, you are right - and HOW! Last winter I made blue-and-gold scarves for the 8 cheerleaders on our local HS varsity team (friend's daughter is one of them) and it added up to a lot of stitches! But the girls used them at every game - used them as props, too - and I was happy! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my creations in use.

You are so right! The expression "labor of love" comes to mind! You were so very pleased to see them in use, I know.

So how did you make those scarves? Equal amounts of each color? Knit one purl one? Fringe? Wool? How long, about? I love Wool Ease yarn, but I think even it itches a bit. And here in So. CA where you rarely need a scarf, to have an itchy one on isn't a good deal.

K1, p1; 36 rows of each color, gold fringe on both ends (next to blue panel). They were made with plain ol' Red Heart worsted - it wears like iron and lets the girls wash and dry the scarves as often as needed - they got caked with mud at one especially rainy game. Also, it comes in just the right colors. The cheerleaders asked for scarves as long as they are tall - including the fringe they were about 6 feet long.

Correction! Correction!
I used 36 STITCHES, not rows, says my knitting notes. Probably did 16 or 18 rows of each color - no notes on that. Remember an AWFUL lot of ends to weave in . . .

go to http://atypically.net/
She has better Harry Potter patterns on her site

To avoid the edges curling, you might want to try knitting all your first and last stitches in a row, even when it's a purl row. That way the edge is actually garter, but as it's just a single stitch you don't really notice it.

Cheers -
jd

Yes, thanks jd. Just one stitch can keep the curl down?

I *think* so, but it's been a long time. I would suggest experimenting with a swatch. :-)