I have problems knitting my scarf. The edges curl.

[ssaw2012]

I bought very chunky yarn, which is Sirdar Bohemia, and I cannot decide on a pattern mostly because I know very little about knitting. I have found this website to show you what I have tried www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php

I tried stocking stitch and I like how the scarf looks like but the sides curl. The scarf looks very nice on the side where you purl or how do you call it, which looks like waves. :)
I have tried The garter stitch, however, the scarf does not look nice. I use 15mm needles and not 20mm as recommended in the isntructions. Our John Lewis did not sell 20 mm needles.
Ribbing would not go with this yarn as the scarf will become to narrow and this is what I do not want.
I like this pattern www.knit1la.com/2011/11/save-date-knit-1-la-trunk-show.html but I do not understand how to knit it. I will try to find it on youtube to learn from the video.
Why did I not buy a thick hook as I can crochet?!

Have forgotten to thank you for reading my post.

Unfortunately that is a feature of stocking stitch. To combat that curl thing, you can do a garter stitch around the edge- ie you K every edge stitch, regardless of whether it's a knit row or a purl row. You may need to start again, depending on how far you've got, or if you're not bothered just carry on, doing the edge stitch from now. Good luck!

That Moebius cowl in your second link is much easier than it looks by the way- you could make your scarf into that quite easily- you just twist it before sewing or knitting the seam to join the two ends.

And when you say it doesn't look nice, what do you mean- does it look too tight? Or is it just the edge curl that spoils it?

If you want a wavy effect which will have less curl to it, you could try Chinese waves or as duchesse suggests, anchor the edges of your scarf by using a non-rolling stitch like knit (I would prob do two knits on each side but anyway).

I think you might be on a hiding to nothing with a needle size as different from the recommended one as that, though.

Agree Trib- that is a half cm in diameter difference- it will look very different from the pattern. Do you have any 2 cm dowels lying around that you could sharpen into knitting needles? Alternatively there are tons of knitting needles, including big pins, on ebay.

These for example.

The other thing to do is finish the scarf you've started and then pin it to your ironing board using straight sewing pins and press it under a damp cloth.
That will take out the curled edges but may also lose you some of the stretchiness in the scarf.
That may or may not trouble you.

Good morning and thanks for the responses.

duchesse, I think the scarf does not look nice with garter stitch because the rows too far from each other. I used this stitch before but on smaller needles and somehow I liked it better. Sirdar recommends 20mm for garter stitch but I think I will go for another stitch. Thank you for the ebay link. Did not think of ebay.
I would try a different stitch at the edges and see how it looks.

Is there a website where there are lots of stitches with pictures just like mine above? Unfortunately, that website has a few stitches only.

I also like this pattern in cowl scarf. Looks like the edges might curl too? library.ravelry.com/JaneRichmond/166697/Marian.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJNNSUP6J3RN4WZYQ&Expires=1353623586&Signature=DYE66aW7OI1VT0NCHcUvKGQ5i5Y%3D

Thank you again.

There is a way of fixing the curl of stocking stitch when you're on the last row. Google it - something like laddering? You drop a stitch near the edge and let it pull all the way down. It's actually quite attractive.

This blog post and the others in the series look idea for you, OP. I googled Flamingo's suggestion of a dropped stitch to prevent curling.

Loads and loads of stitchionaries around - Knitting Help, Vogue Knitting, Knit Freedom. Knit Freedom has lots of great videos.

Thank you, FlamingoBingo and tribpot. I wil definitely check the laddering and the links. I have stopped knitting till I find the right pattern. Yesterday I tried 3 purl rows and then 3 sock rows but still it did not look right. The sides did not curl but the bottom curled :))) But I will find something!
Thanks everyone for the help and for the great links!

FlamingoBingo, I can now see from tribpot's link to the blog post what the laddering means.

I really like the drop stitch but it is only for wool. My yarn is only 34% wool. The post says that anything else than wool would ruin the scarf.

I'm not quite sure what the author is on about with the drop stitch only working on wool. I've done it on the Clapotis as has virtually every knitter on Ravelry! In every imaginable yarn (mine was 100% cotton).

Yes, I'm not sure what the author is on about either!

The only time it would be hard to do would be on fluffy yarn or yarn that has been splitting while you knit, as then it can be difficult to pull apart.

You need to slip the first stitch of each row and this will reduce the curling... but the most important thing you can do is to block it properly when you have finished it.

LatteLady, thank you. I have tried it but it did not work. However, I have found out how to have even rows with garter stitches. You need one thick needle and one about 1/2 size of another one. Luckily I had 6.5 mm needle. And would you believe but it worked. I have finished my scarf and the rows are even, just as I wanted.

I still like the laddering and would like to use it in the future on a fine yarn. Sirdar Bohemia is chunky and slightly fluffy.

It is called a Condo Stitch where you use needles of different sizes.