How to Knit a Scarf

Guide Note Scarves are easy to knit and are an excellent way to practice your knitting. They make great on-the-go projects and wonderful gifts, too. How to Knit a Scarf walks you through getting started with your very first scarf.

Table of Contents

Scarf Knitting Tips

  1. Think simple to start.
  2. Use a non-fuzzy yarn for your first scarf.
  3. A garter stitch scarf involves only the knit stitch.
  4. Add fringe to change the look of a basic scarf.
  5. Vary the width of your scarf to fit you personality.

Crafts and Hobbies How Tos

Introduction

  • A hand-knit scarf is a perfect way to develop and show off your knitting skills. If you know the knit stitch, you can make a scarf!
  • The scarf is a very versatile accessory to knit. You can make thin scarves. Or thick scarves. You can knit a scarf in lace-weight yarn or in bulky yarn. Your scarf can be solid or striped. It can have cables or texture. Or, it can be plain, letting the yarn and the color of the yarn speak for itself. Ultimately, a handknit scarf lets you show off your style... and your knitting.
  • Knitting scarves is a popular pastime among knitters of all levels of expertise, but new knitters often start with a scarf as a first project. There's a reason for that! All you have to know to knit a scarf is how to cast on, do the knit stitch, and bind off. A basic knit scarf requires no formal pattern. There is no shaping required in a scarf, and when knitting a scarf, gauge really doesn't matter. That you can toss a scarf-in-progress into a small tote and carry it with you to work on during a break or an unexpected traffic jam makes it a perfect on-the-go project.

Step 1: Gathering Supplies

  • When starting a basic knit scarf, selecting your yarn is the first step and can and should be a lot of fun! There are, however, a few things to keep in mind to keep things as easy as possible:

Visit Your Local Yarn Shop

  • (Creative Commons photo by Betsy Fletcher)
    (Creative Commons photo by Betsy Fletcher)
    You can do more than just pick out specific yarn while you're there. Many yarn shops have a display of sample hand knit scarves.1
  1. You may find inspiration for the perfect scarf or the perfect yarn in a scarf on display.
  2. Yarn shops often provide notes on their samples, including:
    1. The type of yarn
    2. Required needle size
    3. How many stitches were cast on to make the scarf
  3. If you see something you love, don't hesitate to ask the shop personnel.

Make Some Choices

  1. Select a yarn. Almost anything can be used for a scarf. Things to keep in mind:
    1. Find a yarn you love for its color or for the feel of it.
    2. Fuzzy or "eyelash" yarns aren't always best for a first scarf.2
    3. Heavier or "bulky" yarns are common for winter knitting.3
  2. Buy enough yarn. Your scarf can be as long as you'd like, and you can simply knit until you run out of yarn. As you buy, keep in mind that:
    1. Most scarves can be knit with one-two skeins of yarn.
      • - Depending on the weight of the yarn.
      • - Depending on the stitch pattern you use.
      • - Depending on the desired length.
    2. Don't hesitate to ask the shop owner for advice on how much to buy.4
    3. Be sure and ask about the return policy for unused yarn.
  3. Select needles.
    1. You'll need one pair of straight needles in the appropriate size for your yarn.
    2. Check the ball band for information about the gauge and recommended needle size for the yarn you chose.5
  • NOTE: For a more loosely knit scarf, use a needle larger than the recommendation.
  • Now that you've selected the proper materials to start the project you have in mind, it's time to get to work!

Step 2: Select a Stitch or Pattern

  • A wide range of stitch patterns can be used for a scarf. Two you might consider for a first project are:
  1. Garter stitch.6
    • - Garter stitch involves knitting all stitches, on every row.
  2. A rib (a repeated combination of knits and purls).7
    • - A rib is a combination of knits and purls that is repeated across a row.
  • There are many books and sites available that contain patterns for more elaborate scarves. Once you're comfortable with the basics, you'll be able to branch out and begin combining stitches.

Step 3: Do the Math

  • Unless you are following a formal pattern, you will need to figure out how many stitches to cast on for your scarf. It involves just a bit of basic math. There are a few steps to determine your cast on number:
  1. (Creative Commons photo by rmkoske)
    (Creative Commons photo by rmkoske)
    Decide on a width
    • - Decide how many inches wide your scarf will be. You can make a skinny scarf or a wider scarf.
  2. Note the gauge
    • - In most cases, before you start a knitting project, you have to do a "swatch" to determine your gauge. 8
    • - With a scarf, however, gauge is not critical. So, you can go with the information provided on the ball band. 9
  3. Multiply
    • - To get your "cast on" number, multiply the width by the gauge.10
    • - For example, if the band says the yarn works up at 5 stitches to an inch, and you have decided you want a 6 inch scarf, then you need to cast on 30 stitches.
  • NOTE: If you change needle sizes, or if you knit more tightly or loosely than the recommended gauge, your finished width will vary.

Step 4: Get Started

  • After you cast on the number of stitches needed to reach the desired width of your scarf, you are ready to knit the scarf:
  1. Work your pattern stitch back and forth on every row.
  2. Continue until you reach the desired length of the scarf, or until you run out of yarn.
  3. If you finish a ball of yarn and haven't reached the desired length, simply join the next ball and continue knitting.11
  4. When you reach the end of your yarn or the desired length, bind off all stitches.
  5. Finish off the scarf by weaving in the ends. 12

Variations

  • There are an infinite number of variations possible for making a scarf you will love or a scarf that is perfectly suited for a specific recipient. Once you are comfortable with the basic principles of knitting, you will have fun trying new stitches, color patterns, and yarns.
  • Things you might consider for your "next" scarf:
  1. (Creative Commons photo by Aine D)
    (Creative Commons photo by Aine D)
    Use a rib pattern.
  2. Use seed stitch.13
  3. Knit a striped scarf like the Hogwarts Scarf.14
  4. Add fringe to the ends of your scarf.15
  5. Working your scarf sideways, instead of lengthwise.16
  6. Take an angular approach. The Multidirectional Scarf looks like it is made of triangles, but it is really knit all as one piece!17
  7. A lace pattern.18.
  8. Use a reversible stitch pattern.19

Conclusion

  • As you continue knitting scarves, you will find much inspiration in the pages of scarf pattern books and online resources. Some additional resources you might want to try:
  1. Interweave Press: Scarf Style
  2. Amazon.com: Celebrity Scarves
  3. Amazon.com: Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks
  4. Interweave Press: The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns
  5. Knitty: Back issues: Scarves
  6. Better Homes and Gardens: Easy Scarves You Can Knit

References for How To Knit

  1. ↑ sheep in the city: My So-Called Scarf
  2. ↑ Easy Knitting Patterns: Eyelash Yarn Scarf
  3. ↑ Suite101(TM).com: Yarn: Weight and Style
  4. ↑ Planet Shoup: How Much Yarn
  5. ↑ Craft Council: LEARN TO KNIT - THE BASICS
  6. ↑ About.com: Beginner's Garter Stitch Scarf
  7. ↑ About.com: Stitch Glossary: Single rib
  8. ↑ About.com: Knitting a Gauge Swatch
  9. ↑ About.com: Knitting a Gauge Swatch
  10. ↑ Learn How to Design Your Own Knitting Scarf Pattern
  11. ↑ About.com:How to Join a New Ball of Yarn
  12. ↑ About.com: Weaving in Ends
  13. ↑ About.com: Seed Stitch: How to Knit Seed Stitch
  14. ↑ atypically.knit: Hogwarts Scarves
  15. ↑ Deep Fried Kudzu: Putting Fringe on a Knit Scarf
  16. ↑ DIY Network: Skinny scarf
  17. ↑ BurningBright.com: Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
  18. ↑ Knitty: Branching Out
  19. ↑ Free Knitting Patterns: Reversible Scarf Patterns by Catherine Wingate




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