Anyway to mimic a knit stitch in crochet?

[AmyLynn98]

Hi there. I am a long-time crocheter but somewhat of a new Whovian. That being said, is there anyway to mimic the knit garter stitch but do it in crochet? I want to make a Tom Baker-style Doctor Who scarf but I can't knit. I can definitely do it with single crochets, but I have seen the knit garter stitch and just love it so much.

Thanks!

[fantasticmio]

You might want to look into Knooking - that's knitting with a hook.  I found the technique to be a bit of a pain in the butt (especially compared to knitting with needles), but found that garter stitch was ridiculously easy to do. (It was only when you throw in purl stitches that it got annoying... but no purls in the Doctor Who scarf!)

[AmyLynn98]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm going to look it up right now.

[kimadagem]

You can also use afghan (Tunisian) crochet to make both knit- and purl-like stitches. Here's a video that shows how to make the knit stitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvwBsxqL2_I
(The video calls it stockinette but that's the fabric being made; the stitch being demonstrated is the knit stitch.)

And this shows how to make the purl stitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJz438LqKFY

To mimic garter stitch you'd have to alternate "knit" and "purl" rows. But it might depend on which scarf you're making; I think some were done in stockinette, which is all knit rows.

Afghan-crocheted fabric is usually thicker than regular crochet but that should be fine for a scarf, especially if you use a bigger hook than you normally would for whatever yarn you're using. But since afghan crochet puts all the stitches on the hook at the same time you would probably need an afghan hook, unless you can find a long enough regular hook for the width of your scarf.

There is one other thing about this method - your fabric won't look the same on both sides as it would with either knitting or the Knook method (which does produce a knitted fabric), so if that's important to you then you'll need to try one of those (IMHO, I think knitting is easier than Knooking). If neither of those will work for you then at least here's another option.

Good luck with your project!

Meg

[fantasticmio]

Yeah, I think knitting is a lot easier than knooking.  There are a couple of ways to do knit stitches in knooking, though, and one of them uses the same motions we're used to as crocheters - it's essentially the same as the Tunisian Knit stitch.  The problem with knooking is that if you make the knit stitches that way, the purls are stupidly difficult... in my experience, anyway.

[kimadagem]

Yeah, I think knitting is a lot easier than knooking.  There are a couple of ways to do knit stitches in knooking, though, and one of them uses the same motions we're used to as crocheters - it's essentially the same as the Tunisian Knit stitch.  The problem with knooking is that if you make the knit stitches that way, the purls are stupidly difficult... in my experience, anyway.

I just sold my Knook set on eBay (which should give you some idea of what I thought of it ). I didn't do more than just try it out and that was a while ago, so I don't really remember the different ways to make knit stitches, but I'm wondering if the problem you just mentioned with purling has to do with the way the knit stitch is facing. In needle knitting the right side of the stitch is supposed to be in front; if the left side is in front it's called a "twisted" stitch, which is supposed to be the "wrong" way to knit. Personally, I think it depends on what the knitter is most comfortable with, both in making the stitch and in what it looks like. But with the way you have to use the Knook I could see it being hard to make purls if the stitches were facing the "wrong" way, especially with having to work the stitches off something that isn't stiff - the cord. That was actually the biggest problem I had - everything was so loose that I just couldn't maneuver the hook into where it was supposed to be. Maybe it was because I was used to using needles so I had something to compare the process to. Someone who doesn't know how to needle knit might not find it that hard. But I definitely had trouble with it, and it was really slow to me. Needles are a lot faster, so I'm sticking with them.

I definitely think there is a place for the Knook; it gives crocheters another option for the kind of fabric they can make, something that's thinner and more flexible than crocheted fabric. And that's a good thing. It just wasn't for me.

Meg

[LyraAmbrose]

I had the exact same dilemma; I wanted to make a Doctor Who Scarf and can't knit. I picked up the knook and I really like it. My Doctor Who scarf is actually the project sitting in front of me right now.

The instructions in the book are ... okay but not great. It didn't click for me until I watched the tutorial videos they have online on the Leisure Arts website. I only bothered to learn the knit stitch, not the purl, since the scarf doesn't need any purl stitches.

I've found that the cords they provide aren't long enough to knook the scarf. I cut a piece similar nylon cording quite a bit longer (it's probably 3.5 feet, but I could get away with less), ran it through the hole at the end of the knook and then melted both ends of the cord with a match so it doesn't fray.

If you haven't been there yet, www.doctorwhoscarf. com is the best resource to make a Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf. They have patterns and even give recommended brands/colors for different types of yarn.

[kimadagem]

...
I've found that the cords they provide aren't long enough to knook the scarf. I cut a piece similar nylon cording quite a bit longer (it's probably 3.5 feet, but I could get away with less), ran it through the hole at the end of the knook and then melted both ends of the cord with a match so it doesn't fray.

About that cord - I was thinking it was the same kind of cord you could get at a fabric store or anyplace that sells trim. I used to work in a store like that and as I recall the cord came in different sizes (thicknesses). For anyone who needs more (I figure it will fray after enough use anyway), it would help to take a piece of the old cord with you so you can match the thicknesses. Just thought I'd pass that along for anyone who is knooking.

Meg