How to Put Fringe on a Scarf

Fringe makes a great, easy-to-apply finishing touch to a cozy fabric or knitted scarf. The steps below will help you add fringe to a long outdoor scarf, but the same technique can also be used for accessory scarves, shawls and ponchos. The exact amount of fringe you need will depend on the width of your scarf and the length of your fringe, but an example will show you how to figure this out one scarf at a time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scarf (women's or men's, knitted or fabric) Yarn in matching or coordinating color (2 to 3 yards) Large-eyed sharp needle Scissors Pins Measuring tape

Making Design Decisions

1. Use a few pieces of yarn to decide how much fringe is enough for your look. Try out different lengths. Cut 4 to 6 strands of yarn twice the length you want for your fringe. Keep in mind that each fringe loop will yield two strands of fringe. Fold your strands in half, to the final length, and then pin them at regular intervals to the edge of your scarf. Cut more lengths, longer or shorter; pin them closer or farther apart. Get the look you want and remove pins and tryout strands.

2. Figure out how much yarn you will need. Use your pins to mark the intervals where the fringe loops will be added. Do this every 1/4 or 1/2-inch across the hem of your scarf. Count up how many pins it takes to mark the intervals (for example, 12 on a 6-inch hem). Multiply this number by 2, as your scarf has 2 ends. Thus, 12 multiplied by 2 equals 24 loops. Choose the length of your fringe and allow a couple of extra inches for attaching. The math looks like this: Multiply fringe length (ex: 4 inches) by 2 (2 strands in each loop) and then by 24 (loops) to get 192 inches. Add 12 inches (for looping) to make 204 inches. Divide by 36 (inches per yard) and you get 5 yards and 2 feet of yarn.

3. Buy yarn and needle. Make sure the eye of your needle is large enough to hold your yarn. For knitting, a plastic needle will attach your fringe loops. For solid wool or acrylic fabric, you need a sharp, pointed metal needle.

Putting on the Fringe

4. Lay your scarf on a flat work surface, face up, with one end where you can reach it easily. Mark the intervals you chose to space your fringe loops with pins (that's the 12 intervals on your 6-inch hem--or whatever you chose when you figured out how much yarn you'd need). Use one pin for each loop. Repeat on the other end of the scarf.

5. Cut lengths of yarn very slightly longer than twice the length of your final fringe--just a hair over 8 inches long if you want a 4-inch fringe. Cut one length for each pin.

6. Thread your needle with a yard strand, leaving one end longer than the other. Do not tie a sewing knot. Insert the needle in the back side of the scarf and bring it up towards you. Stitch back down, leaving a loop of approximately an inch on the top side and leaving both yarn strands on the back side. Remove the needle. Place a finger or thumb in the loop and gently maneuver the yarn with fingers till both loose ends are the same length. Bring loose ends up through the loop and gently pull till loop tightens. Go on to the next piece, and the next.

7. Finish by trimming fringe ends to even lengths, and you're done. Next time, decide whether you'd rather have the attaching loops on the other side.

Tips & Warnings

• There are no hard and fast rules in how long or full fringe should be. Generally, 2 inches of fringe is plenty on a tailored project like a man's wool fabric scarf. For a long loopy knitted scarf, lots of fringe is part of the fun. The first time you plan a project, it may seem like a lot of pinning, planning and math, but once you've done it, you'll find that fringing is fast, easy and fun.