How Long To Knit A Scarf

How to knit a scarf for beginners – Footstep by Step

A gratis knitting blueprint for knitting an piece of cake scarf in garter stitch for absolute beginners. How to start it and how to finish a basic scarf.

Then, y'all want to knit a scarf? Great! Scarfs are 1 of the easiest and most fun knitting projects for beginners. In this tutorial, I'thousand going to show you step by step how to knit a large mesomorphic scarf, fifty-fifty if you never knitted a unmarried stitch. This volition exist a elementary scarf in the easiest knitting stitch known as the Garter Stitch (because it doesn't coil)

Consider going through my free knitting schoolhouse before y'all starting time, equally it'southward loaded with a lot of helpful tutorials to get yous started as an absolute beginner. I will exist linking you to the most important lessons here likewise, so no worries. If you lot want to receive all my gratis patterns, consider subscribing to my newsletter.

Reading tip: ten easy projects for knitting beginners

Earlier we start: Materials you need to knit a scarf

Note: I earn a modest committee for purchases made through links in this article.

The materials you will need to knit a scarf for beginners: yarn, needles, tapestry needle and scissors

Y'all can't knit a scarf out of sparse air. Before you start knitting my pattern, yous volition have to buy a couple of things. But certainly remember to ask around – mayhap somebody in your family already has what you lot demand!

#ane Yarn

Knitting professionals tin can spin magic out of every yarn, but as a beginner, you lot are a bit more limited. For this scarf, I recommend yous to get some adept quality wool for needles size 15 (no blend, but 100% sheep wool) in your favorite color. I used Malabrigo Rasta in this tutorial.

You'll observe a very detailed guide to the all-time yarns for beginners hither if y'all have problem picking the right wool.

For this pattern, we volition need around 160-180 yards which will yield a scarf of around one.6 yards. Depending on your body size, you may want to knit a longer scarf and buy more than yarn. So, here's a detailed tutorial showing how to calculate how much yarn you need for a scarf.

#2 Knitting needles

It probably won't surprise yous either, that you will demand knitting needles. I put together a very detailed buying guide to finding the best knitting needles for beginners here.

The short answer: Buy some bamboo single-pointed bamboo needles size fifteen. Like these Takumi Clover needles

If you have some other needles in that size around the house, you tin, of course, use them as well. But bamboo is great for beginners equally the needles are not as slippery.

#3 Scissors & TAPESTRY NEEDLE

You volition accept to cut the yarn at one point and yous too will want to create some dainty little fringes. You won't demand any special scissors. They should be moderately sharp so you can get a nice make clean cut out of them, though. To weave the ends in, you'll need a tapestry needle. (No worries, I'll prove y'all how later on on). Here's a link to Amazon for a squeamish tapestry needle and pair of scissors.

Of import notation: I firmly believe that size six to eight needles are the best for beginners. The reason, why I recommended bigger needles for this project is not considering they are easier to knit. In fact, because they are so large and heavy, they are actually a flake harder to knit. BUT the unproblematic Garter Stitch pattern looks better with big wool & it'due south faster to knit. It's a fine line, though and you can easily adapt this pattern & instructions to smaller needle sizes.

Tip: Here'southward a more than detailed postal service about the basic knitting supplies every beginner needs

how long does it take to knit a scarf?

knitting an a scarf easily for beginners on big needles

Information technology will take you lot between four-vi hours to knit a short scarf in Garter Sew together. You lot can take pauses in betwixt. A lot of knitters pick upward their project for an hour or two in the evening while watching TV. And nothing speaks confronting you doing the same.

Some expectation direction at the start. It took me 2.5 hours to cease this scarf. But I'grand a fast knitter and I know what I'm doing. If you never knitted a single stitch, you will probably need 2 hours to learn the basics, and and so the kickoff couple of rows will be irksome going. You will probably terminate up with a fault or ii. From experience, chances are loftier that you might have to unravel the scarf on your starting time try. But don't exist afraid – I'm going to testify y'all some tips how to avert that so you tin can hands stop knitting your showtime scarf.

I bankrupt down this simple scarf knitting pattern into three easy steps. I volition exist highlighting the essential instructions in bluish boxes. Read this tutorial, if you don't know how to read a knitting design even so.

Step ane: How to commencement knitting a scarf

Casting on 16 stitches for a scarf knitting pattern for beginners

So, yous've got your yarn, you've got your needles, and you lot are ready to start knitting a scarf. Bang-up. Stretch your hands and let's swoop correct into it.

Footstep 1: Cast on 16 stitches with size 15 / 10 mm needles

You lot probably don't know how to cast on stitches yet. Here's a detailed bandage-on tutorial where I show you three like shooting fish in a barrel methods for beginners stride by step. And of course, in that location is also a video included. Just if you watch the total video tutorial for this scarf I included in this post, you'll see my preferred version step by step: The long-tail bandage on. It just looks neater and is like shooting fish in a barrel to knit. But if you lot know the single-bandage on, you lot can besides use this method for this beginner scarf.

Step 2: Knitting the Scarf

In one case you cast on your stitches, nosotros tin offset with the actual knitting. This simple scarf is knitted in the Garter sew together. So, yous only need to know how to knit the knit stitch. No other, more complicated stitches are required, isn't that cracking?

Here'due south the design:

Row 1: Knit every stitch in the knit run up
Turn the workaround once you reach the cease of your row and remember to bring the yarn to the dorsum!
Row ii: Knit every run up

Continue working in Garter Stitch (that'south how the design is called when y'all knit every run up every bit a knit sew together) until your scarf is around 1.six yards long. This ways, repeating row ane and 2 over and over again.

The basic knit stitch has 4 easy steps and requires y'all to agree the yarn in the back.

Step 1: Insert the needle from left to right.

Insert the needles into the stitch from left to right

Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the needle counter-clockwise.

wrap the yarn around the needle counter clockwise to do the knit stitch

Step iii: Pull the yarn through.

Step 4: And slip the stitch of your needles.

And slip the stitch off the needles to do the knit stitch we are using to knit this scarf

Continue repeating these four steps over and over over again. You lot tin can find my very detailed knit stitch tutorial hither. I am showing you the fast and piece of cake continental method here. Like I said above, you just repeat the same run up over and again until you reached the desired length of your scarf.

How to join in a new skein when your yarn runs out

You have several options to join new yarn. It starts as simple as tying a knot. Simply for a two-sided project that volition always exist a bit too visible for my gustation and leaves two tails you need to weave in subsequently on. For virtually chunky wool yarns, the felting method is probably the easiest and all-time for beginners. It's quite simple:

How to join two yarns using the felting method

Pick apart the terminate of the 2 strands with your fingertips and so you get a very fringy end (step ane). Then, moisture the two ends with a lilliputian spit (works best, merely apparently water works also), and stack them over i another (stride ii).

And at present, put them into the palm and rub your hands actually fast with the two joined yarns in betwixt (footstep three). This will generate a lot of heat and friction then they'll felt. Tada – you lot joined the two ends (step four). The yarn will be a bit thicker in this place but that cannot exist avoided. Here's my step-by-pace tutorial on the spit splice.

One time you lot joined the new skein, continue knitting every bit normal.

Footstep 3: how to finish knitting a scarf

One time you lot reached the desired length for your scarf, y'all are fix to demark off the stitches. If yous don't, they will unravel, and we don't want that, eh?

Cast off all stitches with that standard cast off method

It's fairly like shooting fish in a barrel to do so. Y'all'll discover my detailed cast-off tutorial hither (a unlike expression for demark-off y'all will notice in a lot of knitting patterns). But here's the gist:

Stride 1: Knit 2 stitches

knitting two stitches before you can start binding off the scarf

Step ii: Now you accept to stitches on your right needle. Lift the second stitch (the 1 father to the right) over the outset ane and drib it off the end of the needle. Now there's only one sew left

passing the second stitch over the first for the first bind off stitch

how it looks after the first bound off stitch

Pace 3: Knit another stitch (two stitches on the right needle over again)

Step iv: Lift the 2nd stitch over the beginning ane once again

passing another stitch over to bind off one more stitch of this easy beginners scarf

Repeat those last two steps until yous bound off all stitches.

Personally, I love to add fringes to a scarf. Maybe that'south simply me, but a scarf without fringes feels naked to my center. You tin hands add them past cutting strands of yarn double the length y'all want them to be long, and and so tying them to the scarf with a simple cow hitch knot.

adding fringes to a scarf with a crochet hook

I normally attach them to the last row of stitches. A crochet claw or the tapestry needle can assistance you to push the yarn through the loops.

An easy knit scarf in Garter stitch for beginners

Yous really don't need whatever special knot, in my experience, a hitch knot holds merely fine. Then, take out your scissors and cut the fringes to the same length.

Best fashion to weave in the tails

Weaving in the tails of a scarf after you finished with a tapestry needle

If you don't add fringes, you may want to tidy up the two tails from casting off and casting on. In this instance, take up the tapestry needle and weave the finish through the little ridges between the stitches.

Effort to separate the yarn with the tapestry needle. 2 inches in the i management and 2 inches back is commonly enough. Then cutting away the excess yarn with the pair of scissors and pull on the textile lightly to even it all out. Tada. You are finished. (read this guide if yous desire a more detailed looking at how to weave in ends in knitting)

how to block a knitted scarf

Blocking a scarf with simple fixing pins on an ironing board

I knitted this scarf with beautiful hand-dyed yarn. I actually love that information technology looks a tiny bit rough. But if you desire to bring your stitches to the side by side level, you need to block the scarf. For this, you need a soft surface and pins. There are special blocking mats (Here are the blocking mats I use), merely your ironing board or a towel on a rug will probably work for a start.

Then you lot have to pin your scarf to the surface in the shape y'all want it to be using either special blocking needles (or standard pins). This volition take some time and try to push the scarf into the perfect shape with the needles so both sides are parallel and the scarf has the same width from stop to end.

And now there are two methods:

a) you lot can either steam the scarf if your electric atomic number 26 has that function. DON'T fe the scarf – y'all volition press down the stitches and have away all volume. But hover the iron over the work and let it "exhale" in the steam. Then, permit information technology cool off/dry, remove the pins and your stitches will look similar you have been knitting for 20 years.

b) you can also wet the scarf thoroughly with a dispenser and allow information technology dry for a couple of hours. It's more or less the aforementioned process simply a bit slower (I'thousand impatient, so I never practise it that style). You tin also soak it in tepid water for 30 minutes, wring it out veeeerry gently, and then pin it to your blocking lath and let it dry. For this thick yarn, I don't recommend the soaking method, though.

As yous first out, I don't call up it's necessary to invest in all that special gear. Like a said, some pins, a soft surface, and a h2o dispenser, and some patience volition go a long manner. But be careful non to overstretch your project. This will wait a flake weird equally well!