If you’re looking for beginner knitting projects, or you need a simple way to use up leftover yarn, this scrappy garter stitch scarf is a perfect easy and quick project. You only need to know how to do the knit stitch, and you can make the scarf as plain, striped, color-blocked, or checkerboard-style, or with some of each. Use yarn that’s left over from other projects to make this a stash-buster project, or stick with one color for the whole thing. I used some small skeins of yarn from a kit that was sent to me to try out, and it gave me a lot of colors to work with.
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Supplies that you’ll need.
- Size 7 knitting needles
- Any yarn you have on hand, including scrap yarn or sample-size skeins
- Scissors
- A tapestry needle, large-eyed sewing needle, or crochet hook for weaving in ends
Click to see the list of materials for this scarf on Amazon (affiliate link)
Why this is an easy project.
This scarf is worked entirely in garter stitch, which means you knit every row. Because there are no purl stitches, seams, or complicated shaping, it’s a great project for practicing tension and getting comfortable with the basic knit stitch.
The sample scarf was cast on with 40 stitches to create a width of about 10 to 12 inches. If your yarn is thinner, you may want to cast on more stitches. If your yarn is thicker, fewer stitches may be enough.
See this article about basic knitting stitches: Learn the basic stitches
Watch this video to see how I do each of the color patterns I describe below. Feel free to leave questions in the video comments section if you don’t understand something!
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Step 1: Choose the yarn.
You can use any yarn for this project. I used a kit with small sample skeins, but this is also a great way to use leftover yarn from other projects. Since this is a scrappy scarf, changing colors and combining yarns is part of the design.
Try to choose yarn that’s pretty similar in thickness so that the width of the scarf isn’t affected too much by having really bulky yarn and really thin yarn in the mix, but it’s okay to mix it up a little! You’ll just end up with a more random design as far as texture and thickness goes.
I chose the blue and green yarns from the kit I had to keep it relatively color coordinated.
Step 2: Cast on the stitches.
If your skein has a center pull, reach into the middle, gently pull out the center strand, and untangle the yarn before casting on.
Start by tying a knot onto one needle, leaving a short tail about 5-6″ long at the most. Cast on by making a loop with your finger and sliding it into the needle. Watch this video to see the basics of how to cast on and do a knit stitch:
For this scarf, 40 stitches made a comfortable scarf width that would be around 10″ wide, but you can adjust the number depending on your yarn and preferred scarf width.
As you cast on, you can work the tail into the stitches so you don’t have to weave it in later. This is especially useful for scarves because there are no seams where yarn tails can be hidden.
Step 3: Knit every row for the garter stitch.
To make the knit stitch, insert the needle through the front of the stitch, wrap or pick up the yarn from the back, and pull the yarn through. This creates a new loop on the right-hand needle. Watch the video above to see the knit stitch being created!
Knit all the way across the row. When you reach the end, turn the needles around and knit back in the opposite direction. Continue knitting every row to create a garter stitch, which has a textured, bumpy look on both sides.
The first row is usually the hardest because the cast-on stitches are just loops on the needle. Take your time, keep your tension even, and remember that knitting is just pulling loops through loops, it’s not complicated!
How to join a new ball of yarn.
When one ball of yarn runs out, attach the next one and keep knitting. You can tie the new yarn to the old yarn, slide the knot close to the stitch, and continue working.
To reduce the work of weaving in the yarn ends after you’re done, knit the loose ends together with the working yarn for a few stitches. When you come back on the next row, knit through those combined loops as one stitch. This secures the ends into the fabric so you have less weaving to do later to hide the loose ends.
How to do color blocks.
Even though this scarf uses only the knit stitch, you can make it more interesting by changing colors. For a simple color block, knit halfway across the row, or as far as you want, then attach a second color. You can make color blocks as large or as small as you want to, so change it up and make up your own design.
When working with two colors in the same row, the important thing to remember is that you have to twist the yarns together where the colors meet. This connects the two color sections and prevents a hole from forming between them. If you don’t twist the yarns, the colors act like two separate panels instead of one connected piece.
At the end of each row, take a moment to untangle the yarns. Working with multiple colors can get messy, but stopping regularly keeps the project manageable.
How to do a checkerboard pattern.
To create a checkerboard effect, switch colors at the center point and continue the blocks over several rows. When you reach the place where the colors meet, twist the two yarns together the way that you did to make a simple color block before continuing with the next color. That will keep a hole from forming between the colors.
When you get to the point where you want to stop one section of the checkerboard and switch colors, twist the two colors together like you’d been doing, but then twist them again and keep knitting with the first color. When you get to the end of the row, knit back to the place where the two colors join, twist the yarn again, and keep knitting with the other color. Keep working in those two colors until you want to create the next row of the checkerboard, and do the same thing again.
Alternating the colors will give you a checkerboard color block pattern, and will make your scarf more interesting visually even though you’re only using the knit stitch!
How to knit stripes.
For stripes, alternate between two colors every couple of rows, or as many rows as you want depending on how thick you want the stripes to be. One easy approach is to knit two rows in one color, then switch to the second color for two rows.
When switching colors at the edge, knit the last stitch of the row with both colors. This carries the unused color up the side and helps prevent big yarn loops along the edge. On the next row, stick the needle through both loops of color to form the first stitch on the row, but only knit with the new color when you start knitting that row.
For the neatest edge, switch colors on the same side each time. Switching on both sides can create extra knots and more ends to manage. You can switch anywhere you want, but remember to knit the ends in as you go so that you don’t have to weave them in later.
How to cast off when you’re finished.
When the scarf is the length you want, cast off to finish the edge. Knit one stitch, then knit a second stitch. Use the knitting needle to lift the first stitch over the second stitch, leaving the second stitch on the needle. Continue this across the row until only one stitch is left on the needle.
Keep your tension even while casting off. If you pull too tightly, the finished edge may shrink or feel stiff. Aim for a secure but flexible edge.
After the final stitch, pull the loop up slightly, cut the yarn with about 8 inches of tail, and pull the tail through the loop a couple of times to make a knot. Tie it securely to finish.
Finishing weaving and trimming.
Use a tapestry needle, large-eyed needle, or crochet hook to weave any remaining yarn tails into the knitted fabric. Work the tail back and forth through nearby stitches so it stays hidden and secure.
If a tail is too short to thread through a needle, insert the needle or hook into the fabric first, then catch the yarn and pull it through. Once an end has been woven in securely, trim the excess yarn with scissors. It’s always possible that a yarn end will come unwoven at some point when you’re wearing the scarf, but you can just re-weave it in. Knitting the loose tail ends in as you were working will help keep most of the tails in the knitting, though.
Tips for making the scarf.
This is an easy one-stitch project, and scarves are a good way to practice a basic knit stitch. The best way to learn how to get an even tension (when all of your stitched are about the same size and tightness) is to practice, and making a scarf gives you a lot of practice time.
- Practice keeping an even tension. Every knitter’s tension is a little different, but you want your final project to be pretty consistent as far as how tight your own tension is.
- Don’t worry if the first row feels awkward. It gets easier after the stitches are established.
- When joining yarn, knit the loose ends into the fabric to reduce finishing work.
- Twist yarns together when changing colors in the middle of a row to avoid holes.
- Untangle your yarn at the end of each row when working with multiple colors.
- Use scrap yarn freely and in as many color combinations as you want to. Small color changes add character to a scrappy scarf.
See my Benable list with supplies for this project.
Finished scarf.
Once the ends are woven in and trimmed, your scarf is ready to wear. If you’re giving it as a gift, you can add a little note to it if there are any special cleaning instructions for any of the yarns that you used in it. It can be helpful if some of the yarn needs to be hand-washed, so that the person you’re giving it to knows about that!
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