Hawkeye ShiBui

This scarf specifically instructs the knitter to use the long tail cast on and with 320 stitches, estimating enough but not too much yarn for the tail is difficult.  The first time I cast on (cringe -- I'll tell the story!) I had excess yarn in the tail, but only a couple yards, so not horrible.

Can you see the twist?  Neither could I!

And then the ubiquitous join being careful not twist got me.  The other instruction in this scarf  that I had gleefully ignored, was to use a 29" to 40" circular needle. I have 16" and 24" circular needles (and one 9" when I wanted to try the new, at the time, HiYa HiYa needles).  I scoffed at the longer needle as nothing but a waste of money.  When 320 stitches, of a black worsted weight yarn, are crammed onto a 24" needle, it is difficult to see the twist. It's difficult to see the yarn.  After 2 rows of the pattern, I began to have a bad feeling and I grabbed a second 24" needle on which to move my work and see it with some room for a better view.

Sure enough -- Twisted!

So before I could feel too sorry for myself and those 320 stitches, I ripped back and pulled up google for a two strand long tail cast on I knew I had read or heard about. The Two Strand Long-Tail Cast On worked like a charm.  I used 2-24" needles for the cast on and reviewed my work very carefully as I joined.  (Black yarn, winter evening -- not a good mix!)

The next night after work, I stopped and bought a 32" circular needle -- it was worth the 15.99 I forked over!