Sophie Scarf Pattern Review
Sophie Scarf
Image from @petiteknit
The Sophie scarf is arguably the most well known knitting pattern at the moment and for good reason. It is a desirable garment and is very beginner friendly so it’s where most people seem to go when they want to get into knitting.
I had a slightly more ambitious approach… because I was a crocheter, I thought I’d pick up knitting instantly so originally tried to make a sweater. I think I got to about my third row of the collar before I gave up knitting. A few months later I got bombarded with posts about the sophie scarf and how ‘easy’ it was for beginners so decided to give it another go. Knitting is now my favourite thing to do ever so I guess the sophie scarf does deserve some credit…
The sophie scarf for those who don’t know (and would seem to have been living under a rock) is a small neck scarf knitted in stockinette with an i-cord edge that is wider in the middle so it can be tied into a bow.
It is very cute and I see why it is so popular especially because it is such a great intro to knitting.
I do have some notes though. For my first Sophie scarf, I knitted the small size using Drops Puna in the shade Taupe. It went relatively well (a few small holes but that’s expected for my first proper project) and I didn’t find anything wrong with the pattern. However, a few months after I looked again at the scarf (with a now more informed understanding of knitting) and realised it looks like the whole scarf was done in purl stitch (as in there’s no right or wrong side, it’s just wrong side). I definitely did something wrong… so maybe it isn’t as easy as everyone says it is.
Another point to note is that counting is a right pain. You have to count in rows and in groups of rows (that probably makes no sense but I don’t want to give details away about the pattern). Anyway I was so bad at counting that it was not at all even and if you fold it in half one side is about half the size of the other… oh well on to the next…
For my second Sophie scarf I made the larger size using Drops Alaska in the shade Off White. Thankfully this scarf had a right and wrong side but the counting problem remained and this scarf was even more lopsided than the first…
To fix the counting problem I would probably resort to using stitch markers to mark each group so that you don’t have to count, otherwise you’d need to fully focus on counting while your knitting (but I think most people prefer to watch/listen to something while they knit so this might not be ideal).
Overall I think it’s a great pattern and if you knit it alongside video tutorials on YouTube then it can be a great place to start out, I just don’t think it’s as easy as it is made out to be. As you can see below, both my scarfs are far from perfect and I think this isn’t a great pattern for masking mistakes. Also, if you would prefer a more substantial scarf/project then PetiteKnit also has a pattern for the Sophie Hood which is a similar construction but has a hood and a bigger scarf which is another great option if you are starting out.
If you have any questions about the Sophie scarf or other patterns or just want to talk to someone about a project you are working on then drop me a message by email (hotgirlsknit@gmail.com) or on instagram (@coolgirlsknit).
Until next time!
