Question about my finished project...

[anjalita]

Hey kids--

I just finished my first ever scarf knit lengthwise for the vertical stripes. I really love it, but it curls into a sausage...what can I do to prevent this? (I am a total knitting novice, sorry!)

Thanks for any help....

[creatingme]

You have to "block" it. There are a few ways to do that but the easiest would be to iron it with steam.

[anjalita]

Thank you!...I feel so silly  

[creatingme]

Don't feel silly.  That's so much to learn, I am always asking questions.  The best part is, there are 682 amazing, talented people here to help you.

[ada]

For the next scarf: things that are knit in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row) tend to curl.  So to prevent it you can use a different stitch (garter - all knit; rib; moss; there's lots out there), or you can put a garter-stitch edge on your knitting to try to stabilise it (basically, make sure that the first 5 or so centimetres on any edge are in garter stitch).

[Marnie]

For the piece you have, you can always pickup stitches all the way around and work a non-rolling edge, like garter stitch(k every row). This can be done in a different color to make a nice border.
If you happen to know how to crochet, you could crochet a flat border.
If you don't want to do either of those, you can knit another scarf in a complimentary color, of hte same length and sew them together, to make a reversible scarf.  

[anjalita]

eggsellent! Thank you for all the suggestions...I've been ironing my scarf once a week like a total idiot and wondering what the heck was wrong...yes, I did k one row, p the next...*sigh* But thanks to you all, I have a few options available now..