Infinity Scarf using the Broomstick Stitch

This is my first ever crochet project, and as such it doesn't make as much sense to write a tutorial on it (especially when such an amazing one already exists on b.hooked crochet - Click Here for the real deal).  So instead I decided I would write more of a review of the project and my take on it being something for a beginner like myself.

Hints, Tips and Tricks

Let me start out by saying I love this scarf and I am so glad I picked the broomstick stitch as a first project.  I give it 5 stars all the way.  As I mentioned before, I have some experience with knitting but this project was just so much more fun!  I am terrible at counting stitches and remembering where I left off but the distinctions on this stitch are so easy to tell apart you can literally mess up TONS of times and be able to pick up where it looks right.  The best part is how FAST it can go.  I love that you can really see progress in just a few hours because how wide that big row is.  I was down to about 13 minutes per row (That's one skinny and one wide) when I got the hang of it.  You'll be a pro in no time!

#1 -Tip - Use the yarn they recommend.  If you want the gradual color changing look of final project, this yarn is absolutely perfect for this project.  It changes just slow enough to get a whole row in of a color but fast enough to see a difference in the rows.  I used "Dragonfly" like they did because those are my colors, but I also bought "Candied" to make for my mom. Highly recommend.


#2 -Hint - You don't have to do much to make it have that color changing look but if you want to make it line up as best as possible a little planning goes a long way.  It takes about 6 or so wraps around the ball to make a wide row when you use a size US 50 knitting needle,  If I saw a transition coming up I would adjust the wraps around the big needle looser or tighter to make the change line up with a skinny row.  Same with making the crochets a little bit looser or tighter as needed.  I am a little bit of a perfectionist but if you just change the tension a tiny bit, 30 loops later you can have a significant impact.

#3 -Trick - On the last stitch between one broom loop and the next you are going to want to make that crochet fairly tight no matter what.  It does make a funny looking gap if you leave too much slack.  Not that that would be the end of the world but it looks neater.

#4 -Tip - Speaking of neater I did my stitches "on the needle" so my loops would be more even when I secured them.  This is up to you as she said in the video but I really think it helps keep everything were its supposed to be.

#5 -Hint - I am a stickler for trying to figure out which way the looks are supposed to go on the needles (is it clockwise, counter-clockwise, does it matter if it gets twisted??).  I played around with it and I truly could not tell the difference whether I kept the working end on top or bottom.  I would recommend that you try to be consistent if possible in case I missed something.  But honestly I don't think it makes a difference in the final product.

My Changes

It really wouldn't be me if I didn't deviate from the pattern somehow but I made 2 changes on this one that I think worked out really well.

#1- Length- The original pattern calls for it to be 35 "rows" long before it gets attached to itself.  I actually changed this to about 39 rows.  I had 2 reasons for this.  First, I thought that 35 was a little tight personally.  I live in a place where it doesn't get very cold so this would be a fashion accessory only.  Since I didn't care about being bundled up, having it longer made it more comfortable.  Secondly, I spent all this time having these nice gradually changing rows, I didn't want the last bit to be awkwardly different.  I basically just put in enough extra rows to make it back to a similar color to what I started with and tied it off from there.

#2 - The attaching stitch- In the video she uses a "whip stitch" to secure both ends to each other.  I didn't love the look of having the yarn wrap around the top like it did in the video.  I stitched back and forth under the braids for a more hidden seam.  I may have sacrificed security for looks on this one, but I don't plan on machine washing or being rough on it anyway. As you can probably tell below the binding seam I made is the second one over from the left and the working yarn is almost completely hidden below the braids.