How to Knit a Scarf for Beginners

Steps

1. 1. Gather Super Bulky Yarn and Size 15 Knitting Needles

   Two needles, one ball of yarn, a small pair of scissors and a blunt tapestry needle. That is the whole kit.

   Tip: Size 15 needles are heavy and a little clumsy in the hand. If your wrists complain after an hour, drop to size 8 or 9 with a lighter yarn.

   

2. 2. Wrap the Yarn Around Your Hand for the Long Tail Cast On

   Measure off a tail about 30 inches long and keep the ball on your left. Wrap the working yarn twice around your pinky, carry it across the back of your hand, then take it once around your thumb going clockwise.

   Tip: One wrap around the pinky instead of two gives you less tension and looser stitches. If your cast on row turns out too tight to knit into, that is the first thing to change.

   

3. 3. Cast On 16 Stitches

   Hold one needle in your right hand. Slide the tip up into the thumb loop from underneath, reach over the yarn at your index finger, catch it from above and draw it back down through the loop.

   Tip: Count twice before you move on. Norman counts his row, finds 17 and drops one. Miscounting is normal at this size, and finding the extra stitch now beats finding it twenty rows in.

   

4. 4. Knit the First Row

   Turn the needle so the stitches point left and the working yarn hangs behind the work. Wrap the yarn over your pinky and across the back of your hand again, then pick up the empty needle in your right hand.

   Tip: Keep the working yarn behind the needles for the whole row. Let it drift to the front and you get a purl instead, which reads as a gap in the fabric.

   

5. 5. Knit Every Row in Garter Stitch

   At the end of a row, swap the needles between your hands so the full one is back on the left. The working yarn will be sitting in front of the work.

   Tip: Run out of yarn partway and you can felt the two ends together instead of knotting them. Tease each tail into a fan, wet both, stack them and roll hard between your palms.

   

6. 6. Bind Off the Last Row

   Knit two stitches the usual way so both sit on the right needle. Slide the left needle into the second of those two from left to right, lift it up and over the first stitch, and let it drop off the end.

   Tip: Work the bind off at the same tension as the rest of your knitting. Pull it tight and the end of the scarf puckers inward, which is obvious once the scarf hangs.

   

7. 7. Weave In the Tails With a Tapestry Needle

   One stitch is left. Stretch it into a big loop, cut the yarn about six inches down and pull the cut end through the loop to lock it.

   Tip: Wool tails felt into place the first time the scarf is washed, so one pass is enough. On a smooth or synthetic yarn, go back a second time in a different direction before you trim.

   

8. 8. Add Fringe to Both Ends of the Scarf

   Cut a pile of yarn lengths about 10 inches long, one or two strands per fringe. Fold a strand in half.

   Tip: A tapestry needle does the same job if you do not own a hook. The knot looks flimsy while you are tying it and holds anyway, so pull each one firm and move on.