Key takeaways
- A garter stitch scarf is the ideal first knitting project: you knit every stitch of every row, with no shaping or counting patterns.
- The process is simple: cast on, knit every row until it's as long as you want, bind off, and weave in your ends.
- With medium-weight yarn, around 25 to 30 stitches makes a scarf roughly 5 to 7 inches wide, depending on your yarn and tension.
A scarf is the classic first knitting project for a reason. It's a simple rectangle, it uses just one stitch, and you get something cozy to wear at the end. Here's how to knit one from start to finish.
What you'll need
- Medium-weight (worsted, #4) yarn, about 200 to 300 yards
- Knitting needles in the size recommended on your yarn label (often around US 8 / 5 mm)
- Scissors and a tapestry needle
Step 1: Cast on
Casting on puts your first row of loops onto the needle. The long-tail cast-on and the knitted cast-on are both popular with beginners. For a scarf with medium-weight yarn, cast on about 25 to 30 stitches for a scarf roughly 5 to 7 inches wide. Don't cast on too tightly; the loops should slide easily along the needle.
Step 2: Learn the knit stitch
Hold the needle with your stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. Then, for each stitch:
- Insert the right needle into the front of the first loop on the left needle, from left to right, so the needles form an X with the right needle behind.
- Wrap the working yarn around the right needle, counterclockwise.
- Pull the new loop through the old loop with the right needle.
- Slide the old loop off the left needle. One new stitch is now on your right needle.
Repeat until all the stitches have moved to the right needle. That's one row.
Step 3: Knit every row (garter stitch)
Swap the needles so the full needle is back in your left hand, and knit the next row the same way. Knitting every row creates garter stitch, a bumpy, ridged fabric that lies flat and looks the same on both sides, which makes it perfect for scarves.
Tip: Count your stitches every few rows. If the number grows, you may have wrapped the yarn over the needle by accident or knit into the gap between stitches. If it shrinks, a stitch may have slipped off. Catching it early makes it easy to fix.
Step 4: Keep going until it's long enough
Most adult scarves are about 60 to 70 inches long, but make it any length you like. When you near the end of a ball of yarn, join the new ball at the start of a row and leave tails of a few inches to weave in later.
Step 5: Bind off
Binding off locks your stitches so they don't unravel:
- Knit the first two stitches.
- Use the left needle to lift the first stitch on the right needle over the second stitch and off the needle.
- Knit one more stitch and repeat, so you always have one stitch left on the right needle after each pass.
- When one stitch remains, cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail, and pull it through the last loop.
Bind off loosely so the end of your scarf stays as wide as the rest.
Step 6: Weave in your ends
Thread each yarn tail onto a tapestry needle and weave it in and out along the edge or through the stitches for a few inches, then trim the excess. Your scarf is finished.
Common first-scarf questions
Why are my edges uneven? Wobbly edges are normal on a first project and usually smooth out as your tension evens out.
My scarf is getting wider. What happened? You've likely added stitches by accident. Count your stitches and knit two together if you need to bring the number back down.
How long will it take? It depends on how often you knit. Many beginners finish a scarf over a few weeks of relaxed evening knitting.
Prefer a guided kit?
Our Learn to Knit Beginner Kit is built around this exact project. You'll warm up with a practice cloth, then knit a chunky garter stitch scarf in super bulky yarn that grows fast, with a spiral-bound Beginner's Guide to Knitting, wooden needles, tools and a project bag all in the box.
Want the simplest option? The Beginner Knitting Kit includes beginner-friendly yarn, needles, all the tools and an illustrated step-by-step guide to your first garter stitch scarf, with free shipping. Prefer to use your own yarn? The Chunky Knit Scarf Pattern is an easy, knit-only pattern with full tassel fringe.