First Scarf Tutorial

By: Smitha for Fiskars

There’s nothing quite like learning a new skill for the first time. Teaching yourself something as simple as the knit stitch doesn’t have to be a challenge, especially if you have this handy tutorial to light your way. Take you first steps as a knitter with the help of this knit scarf pattern. Buy a skein of yarn and a pair of knitting needles, and you’ll be on your way to a love affair with all things wooly.
BONUS! Check out our article on Beginning Knitting Supplies: The Ultimate Knitting Tools List to learn what you need for your knitting kit.

Beginner

Knitting Needle Size10 or 6 mm

Yarn Weight(5) Bulky/Chunky (12-15 stitches for 4 inches)

Materials:

A pair of knitting needles
Yarn
Scissors

To cast on: To begin your scarf create a loop of yarn as shown. Now insert your right hand thumb and forefinger into this loop and pull the yarn tail through to form another loop.

Pull tightly till you have a small not at the base of the loop. Now slip this loop onto your knitting needle.

Now slide the knot up till you have a somewhat tight stitch on your needle. There is no need to tighten it too much, tighten it just a tad.

Next hold this needle in your left hand and pick up the other empty knitting needle in your right hand. Insert the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle. With your right hand pick up and loop the yarn around the tip of the right needle and pull this yarn through the existing stitch. You should now have one stitch on your right needle. Slip this stitch onto the left hand needle. You have now cast on two stitches.

Repeat this pattern of insert needle, loop yarn, pull yarn through stitch, slip stitch from right needle onto left needle till you have cast on the desired number of stitches. For this simple scarf, you will need to cast on 18 stitches.

To knit: You now have 18 stitches on one needle. Hold this needle in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

Insert the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle. With your right hand loop the yarn around the tip of the right needle and pull this yarn through the existing stitch. You should now have one stitch on your right needle. Slip the first stitch of the left hand needle off the needle. You have now knit one stitch.

Continue in this manner, insert 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.

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

To cast off: Once you have a long enough scarf, it’s time to cast off the stitches. Knit the first two stitches of the row. You should how have two stitches on your right hand needle. Insert your left hand needle into the stitch farthest from the tip and pull it over the stitch that is closer to the tip of the needle. You have now successfully cast off one stitch.

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 in this manner till you have knit and cast off all the stitches and only one stitch remains on the right hand needle. Cut the yarn leaving a small tail, and pull the tail through this final stitch.