How to Add Fringe to a Scarf: Yarn Amounts, Knots and Trimming

Fringe is made after the knitting is finished: you cut a batch of equal strands, fold them in small groups, and knot each group through the cast-on or bind-off edge with a crochet hook. The knot is simple. The parts that go wrong are the planning ones, usually running out of yarn or ending up with strands of different lengths, so start with the numbers.

How much yarn fringe takes

Every strand is folded in half, so a cut strand has to be twice the finished fringe length, plus about 1 in (2.5 cm) that disappears into the knot and the final trim.

• Cut length = (finished fringe length x 2) + 1 in
• Number of strands = tassels per end x strands per tassel x 2 ends
• Yarn needed = number of strands x cut length

Here is that arithmetic for two typical scarves.

	Worsted scarf, 7 in (18 cm) wide	Super bulky scarf, 7 in (18 cm) wide
Finished fringe length	5 in (13 cm)	6 in (15 cm)
Cut length per strand	11 in (28 cm)	13 in (33 cm)
Tassels per end	12	8
Strands per tassel	3	2
Total strands, both ends	72	32
Yarn needed	792 in = 22 yd (about 20 m)	416 in = about 11.5 yd (10.5 m)

Round up by a few yards for strands you cut badly. Then set the fringe yarn aside before you knit the scarf, or at least before the last ball runs low. The yardage ranges in how much yarn for a scarf cover the knitting only, so fringe is always extra. If you are working a one-skein scarf and knitting until the yarn runs out, measure off the fringe yarn first and wind it into its own small ball.

What you need

• The same yarn as the scarf, or a contrasting color in the same weight
• A piece of stiff cardboard or a hardcover book
• Sharp scissors
• A crochet hook large enough to catch all the strands of a tassel at once; for worsted yarn, something around US H-8 (5 mm) or larger
• A ruler or tape measure

Cut equal strands around cardboard

Measuring and cutting 72 strands one at a time is slow and never quite even. Wrapping is faster. Cut a piece of cardboard whose width is half the cut length: 5.5 in (14 cm) for 11 in strands, 6.5 in (16.5 cm) for 13 in strands. One full wrap around the card then uses exactly one strand’s worth of yarn.

1. Hold the yarn end at one edge of the card and wrap the yarn around it, side by side, without pulling. Yarn wrapped under tension springs back shorter once it is cut.
2. Count the wraps: one wrap makes one strand. Wrap in batches of 20 or 30 so the layers do not pile up and lengthen the outer strands.
3. Slide the scissors under the wraps along one edge only and cut straight across.
4. Lift the strands off and keep them flat and straight.

Plan the spacing

Lay the scarf end flat and decide where the tassels go before you attach any. Put one tassel in each corner stitch so the fringe runs the full width, then divide the space between them. Twelve tassels across a 7 in end leave 11 gaps, so the knots sit roughly 5/8 in (1.6 cm) apart; in worsted garter that is about every second or third stitch. Thicker yarn needs fewer, wider-spaced tassels.

Count stitches rather than measuring with a ruler, and mark the positions with pins or scraps of contrasting yarn if it helps. If the count does not divide evenly, put the odd-sized gaps in the middle, where they are least visible. Make both ends match.

Attach each tassel with a lark’s head knot

Work with the same side of the scarf facing you for every knot, on both ends, so all the knots look alike.

1. Take the strands for one tassel, line up their ends and fold the group in half.
2. Push the crochet hook through the edge of the scarf from back to front, under both strands of the edge stitch, catch the folded loop and pull it partway through to the back.
3. Remove the hook and pass all the cut tails through the loop.
4. Pull the tails gently until the knot sits snug against the edge. Tighten each knot by the same amount.

Going under both strands of the edge stitch matters. A knot hung from a single strand drags that strand into a long loop over time. Do not overtighten either: knots pulled hard make the end of the scarf flare or pucker.

Trim the fringe level

Freshly knotted fringe is always a little ragged, which is why the cut length includes extra. Lay the scarf end on a table, comb the strands straight with your fingers, and place a ruler or the edge of a book across them at the finished length. Cut along that line with sharp scissors, a few strands at a time. Small snips are safer than one long cut, because yarn shifts under the blades.

Kinked strands, common with yarn that was wound tightly, relax if you dampen them and let them dry straight. If you plan to block the scarf, do it before adding the fringe or keep the fringe out of the way; the fiber rules in how to block a knitted scarf apply to the fringe as well, and acrylic fringe should never touch an iron.

When fringe is a bad idea

• Scarves for babies and small children. Strands can be pulled loose and end up in a mouth. Leave these plain.
• Loosely spun single-ply yarn. A cut end of roving-style yarn untwists, fluffs and mats with wear. Plied yarn holds a clean end far better; the constructions are compared in choosing super bulky yarn for scarves.
• Scarves that go through the washing machine often. Fringe tangles and frays faster than the knitted fabric. Wash it in a mesh bag or skip the fringe.
• When yarn is tight. Those 22 yd could be several more inches of scarf.
• Loops. An infinity scarf has no free ends to finish.