How To Knit a Scarf for Beginners

Today, I’m sharing a simple starter project perfect for anyone just learning to knit. Follow along as I walk you step by step through how to knit a scarf for beginners step by step.

With just a little patience, some yarn in a color you love, and a pair of needles, you’re well on your way to knitting your first scarf.

Materials Needed:

• One pair of knitting needles (I recommend a size 10, nice and chunky so you can really see what you’re doing).
• A ball of yarn in a color that makes you happy (thicker yarn weight is best for beginners). A soft chenille yarn has a velvet like fiber content that makes this project soft to the touch!
• A pair of scissors [Yes, just the basics!]

Check out my in depth post What Do I Need To Start Knitting? that talks more about all of these supplies.

how to knit a scarf for beginners Step by Step

Step 1: Make a Slip Knot

Your project begins with a slip knot. Here is a in depth video how to make a slip knot. Slip this knot onto one of your knitting needles. Tug gently so it’s snug but not tight — you want your needle to slide comfortably.

Step 2: Casting On Your Stitches

To learn how to knit a scarf for beginners, you will be casting on 15 stitches.

Hold the needle with your slip knot in your left hand. Pick up and hold the other empty knitting needle in your right hand.

Insert the right needle tip into (under) the first stitch on the left needle. With your right hand pick up your working yarn end and loop the yarn around the tip of the right needle. Pull this yarn through to make a new loop. You should now have one loop on your right needle. Slip this stitch from the right hand needle onto the left hand needle. You now have two loops on your left hand needle, and we count those as 2 stitches.

Repeat this motion of inserting needle, looping yarn, pull up a new loop, slipping stitch from the right needle onto left needle until you have cast on 15 number of stitches.

Step 3: Knit Your First Row

Okay, this is where the magic starts. Hold the needle with your cast on stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

Slide the right needle under the first stitch, bring your yarn around it, and pull a little loop through. Then slip the old stitch off the left hand needle and onto the right hand needle. When you are making the knit stitch, your stitches will switch hands.

You’re simply moving stitches from one needle to the other, one at a time, like a calm little dance. Repeat this across the row, and guess what? You’ve just knitted!

You have now knit your first row!

Continue in this manner, insert the needle, loop yarn, pull yarn through stitch, slip stitch off the left needle till all the stitches from the left needle have been transferred to the right-hand needle. This is the end of your row and can be counted as Row 1.

Keep going back and forth like this, and you’ll be working in garter stitch. This is one of the basic stitches and is great for new knitters. You just create multiple row of stitches, in this case just the knit stitch.

Making a scarf means you will be creating a long narrow rectangular piece of yarn fabric. Continue knitting each row, transferring stitches from one needle to another till you have achieved the desired length of your scarf.

Step 4: Casting Off

Once you have a long enough scarf and you’re ready to finish, it’s time to cast off (basically sealing the edge so nothing unravels)it’s time to cast off the stitches.

Knit two stitches. Lift the first stitch over the second and off the needle. Knit another stitch, lift the previous one over it, and keep going until one stitch is left.
Cut your yarn, pull the tail through that last loop, and give it a gentle tug. You just finished your first piece of knitting!

Knit the next stitch and slip it off the left needle. As you did before, slip the farthest stitch. You should be left with one stitch remaining on the right-hand needle. Continue till you have knit and cast off all the stitches and only the last stitch remains on the right-hand needle. Cut the yarn leaving a small tail, and pull the tail through this final stitch.

Once you learn how to knit a scarf for beginners, you can explore more scarves like this quick knit scarf pattern, stripe knit scarf pattern or this advanced knit brioche stitch scarf. Happy Crafting friends!

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_{This tutorial was originally published on the Fiskars website}