Easy Knitted Scarves
One Skein Scarf: An Easy Knit That Uses the Whole Ball
How to plan a scarf around a single skein: read the yardage, pick a width that leaves a wearable length, knit until the yarn is nearly gone and keep enough to bind off.
Simple Knitted Scarves, Beautiful Results
Beginner-friendly scarf tutorials with clear stitch counts, honest yarn and needle advice, and the finishing steps that make a handmade scarf look polished.
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Never knitted a scarf before? Work through these four guides in order.
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How to Knit a Scarf for Beginners: Your First Scarf, Start to Finish
A complete first scarf in garter stitch: what to buy, how many stitches to cast on, the knit stitch step by step, keeping count, binding off and weaving in the ends.
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Best Yarn for Scarves: Fiber, Weight, Softness and Color
How to choose scarf yarn by fiber, weight, softness against the neck, washability and color, with a simple default for a first scarf.
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What Needle Size for a Scarf? A Guide by Yarn Weight
Needle size for a scarf depends on the yarn weight. Here are the typical ranges, when to go up a size for drape, and how to choose between straight and circular needles.
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Scarf Width and Length Guide: How Wide and Long to Knit a Scarf
Typical scarf widths and lengths for children and adults, the height rule of thumb, and how to work out a cast-on number for the width you want.
Easy Knitted Scarves
Why Knitted Scarves Curl and How to Stop It
Stockinette stitch rolls at the edges because of how the stitch is built. Here is why it happens and the fixes that work: flat stitches, borders, tubes and the limits of blocking.
Easy Knitted Scarves
Garter Stitch Scarf Pattern: Knit Every Row
A classic garter stitch scarf on 28 stitches in worsted yarn, with a slipped edge option, a cast-on table for other widths and a simple way to count ridges.
Knitted Scarf Patterns
Ribbed Scarf Pattern: An Easy 2×2 Rib Scarf
A 2x2 ribbed scarf on 42 stitches of worsted-weight yarn, with a stitch count that makes both edges match and a bind-off that keeps the ends stretchy.
Knitted Scarf Patterns
Striped Scarf Pattern: An Easy Garter Stitch Scarf in Three Colors
A three-color striped garter scarf on 32 stitches, with clear steps for changing color on a right-side row and deciding when to carry the yarn up the side or cut it.
Knitted Scarf Patterns
Basketweave Scarf Pattern: A Textured Knit and Purl Scarf
A basketweave scarf made from 4-stitch, 4-row blocks of knit and purl on 36 stitches, with all 8 rows written out and tips for keeping your place.
Scarf Stitch Patterns
The Best Stitches for Scarves: What Lies Flat and Looks Good on Both Sides
A scarf shows both faces of the fabric and has free-hanging edges, so the stitch matters. Here are the traditional stitches that lie flat, with the stitch count each one needs.
Scarf Stitch Patterns
Seed Stitch Scarf: An Easy One-Row Pattern That Lies Flat
A seed stitch scarf worked over 31 stitches, so every row is the same: k1, then p1, k1 to the end. Includes how to read your stitches, move the yarn and keep the tension even.
Scarf Stitch Patterns
Moss Stitch vs Seed Stitch: The Difference and Which to Use for a Scarf
US seed stitch swaps knits and purls on every row; US moss stitch swaps them every second row. UK patterns use "moss stitch" for the first one. Here is how to tell them apart and choose.
Chunky Knit Scarves
Chunky Knit Scarf: An Easy Garter Pattern in Super Bulky Yarn
A 14-stitch garter scarf in super bulky yarn on US 15 (10 mm) needles, with the arithmetic that shows why it has about one-fifth of the stitches of a worsted scarf.
Chunky Knit Scarves
Chunky Ribbed Scarf Pattern in 1×1 Rib
A 1x1 ribbed scarf for bulky or super bulky yarn, worked over an odd number of stitches so both edges match. Includes cast-on numbers, yardage estimates and ways to keep thick rib soft.
Chunky Knit Scarves
Super Bulky Yarn for Scarves: How to Choose Bulky, Super Bulky and Jumbo
How bulky, super bulky and jumbo yarns differ, what single-ply, plied and chainette strands mean for wear, and how fiber affects the weight of a scarf around your neck.
Scarf Techniques
Gauge Swatch for Scarves: When You Need One and How to Measure It
When a gauge swatch is worth knitting for a scarf, how to knit and measure it, and how to turn stitches per inch into a cast-on number.
Scarf Techniques
How Much Yarn for a Scarf? Yardage Estimates by Yarn Weight
Typical yardage for a knitted scarf by yarn weight, why ribbed and textured stitches need more, and how to weigh a swatch for a closer estimate.
Scarf Techniques
How to Get Neat Scarf Edges When You Knit
Loose side edges come from the first stitch of each row. A slipped-stitch selvedge, steadier tension on the first two stitches and garter borders keep a scarf's sides straight.
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Seasonal Scarves
Cozy Winter Scarf Guide: Warm Fibers, Thick Stitches and Size
A warm scarf depends on three things: a fiber that insulates, a thick fabric that traps air, and enough width and length to wrap twice. Here is how to plan each one.
Seasonal Scarves
Lightweight Spring Scarf: An Easy Knitting Pattern in DK Yarn
An airy garter scarf for spring and fall, knit in DK-weight cotton, linen or a wool blend on US 8 (5 mm) needles. Cast on 36 stitches for a scarf about 8 x 64 in.
Scarf Finishing
How to Weave in Ends on a Knitted Scarf So They Stay Hidden
Both sides of a scarf show, so yarn tails have to follow the stitches and change direction to stay hidden. Leave at least 6 in (15 cm) and trim only after blocking.
Scarf Finishing
How to Add Fringe to a Scarf: Yarn Amounts, Knots and Trimming
Fringe is cut strands knotted through the ends of a finished scarf. Work out the yarn first: 12 three-strand tassels per end with a 5 in fringe take about 22 yd.
Scarf Finishing
How to Block a Knitted Scarf: Wet, Steam and Spray Methods
Blocking straightens the edges and evens out the stitches of a finished scarf. The right method depends on the fiber: wet blocking for wool, light hovering steam at most for acrylic.
Infinity Scarves
Infinity Scarf Size Guide: Circumference and Width for Every Wrap
Typical infinity scarf circumferences for a single loop, double wrap and triple wrap, the widths that suit each, and how to measure with a string before you knit.
Ready to cast on your first scarf?
Pick a yarn you like, learn one stitch, and keep going until it is long enough. Every tutorial on the site is free to read, no sign-up needed.