How to Knit a Scarf for Beginners

If you've mastered the basics of knitting--the knit stitch, casting on and binding off--you are ready for your first project, the knitted scarf. With all the new yarns available to today's knitters, you will be able to make many variations with this one easy pattern.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 7-oz. skein medium worsted weight yarn 1 pair number 8 knitting needles

1. Gather your supplies. For the beginner, it's best to start your first project with an easy-to-knit yarn such as a plain color, medium worsted weight yarn. You can purchase an inexpensive, 7-oz. skein in the craft department of a discount store. You will also need a pair of size 8 (U.S.) knitting needles.

2. Decide how wide you would like your scarf. They can be made very narrow and used more as an accessory, or very wide and used as a covering for both the head and neck.

3. Cast on the number of stitches you would like for the width of your scarf. Remember that once you start knitting, the width will expand slightly.

4. Knit, using the knit stitch, for every row until your scarf is the length you desire. Again, there is no rule about the length of a knit scarf.

5. Bind off when you have reached the length you would like the scarf to be.

6. Weave the yarn tail into the bottom of the scarf so it does not show. You have completed your first knit scarf.

Tips & Warnings

• When choosing yarn for your second scarf project, if it is not a medium worsted weight yarn, it may require different size knitting needles. The yarn packaging generally will tell what size needles are best used with that yarn.

Resources

• Knitting Basics