MAKE••• A Crochet Scarf!
Scarves are cozy; handmade scarves are even cozier. No pattern, no problem!
Crochet is a very forgiving process, a scarf is a great beginner project — essentially a loooong rectangle that doesn’t need to be perfect. Dropped, skipped, or extra stitches are okay! Keep going! Keep practicing!
If something feels wonky* enough that you want to start again, slip your hook out of the loop and pull the working end of the yarn. Your stitches will disappear, and you can give a tug to undo the slip knot as well.
* It’s so so so so normal for something to feel wonky, especially as you’re learning. Wonkiness is actually one of the best parts of a handmade project — a sign that the work is one of a kind.
Let’s go!!
COLLECT
••• yarn
••• crochet hook
••• scissors
Bigger crochet hook + thicker yarn = looser, chunkier scarf that’s quicker to make.
Try a J (6mm), K (6.5mm), L (8mm), or M (9mm) crochet hook with bulky yarn.*
* If you have (or have access to) any yarn, or any crochet hook, start there! There’s no magic material(s) that you must use here — the most important part is getting hands on; getting started; getting comfortable; and not getting caught up in whether you’ve sourced the “right” things.
A little more on that here: [[[LEARN ••• To Crochet TKTK link]]]
Step one: A single slip knot
Your scarf begins with a basic slip knot, which creates a little loop for your crochet hook. Leave a few inches of a extra yarn at the end — that’s called the yarn tail.
Step two: How to hold the yarn and crochet hook
Insert your crochet hook through the loop and pull to tighten — but not too-too tight!
The loop should have a bit of give, and the hook should be able to slide freely.
Figuring out how to get comfy with the yarn, the hook, and your hands, takes time. Be patient! Give this a try:
Keep the yarn tail towards you (always!).
Hold the knot between your ring finger and thumb.
Run the long end of the yarn (the working yarn) loosely through your middle and pointer fingers.
Step three: A chain stitch (ch)
The chain stitch is fundamental for crochet projects!
Swoop the hook to the left, in front of the working yarn;
spin it back and to the right, behind the working yarn, which you’ll catch it with the hook;
and pull the working yarn all the way through the loop;
aaand you did it! That’s a chain stitch — you crocheted! You are crocheting!
Here’s how it looks in action.
Step four: A row of chain stitches (ch)
Keep the tension light, with some slack; continue chain stitching until the row is as long as you’d like your scarf to be wide.
Go thin and thin and jaunty, or thick and blarf-y (blarf = blanket scarf)!
Spend some time with your row: identify (and count, if you’d like!) the stitches; you’ll work with these in the next step. Note that there’s a sneaky one — nearest to hook that your loop and working yarn go through — that looks legit, but you’ll ignore it when you start to hdc.
Step five: A half-double crochet (hdc)
This is where we really get going with a half-double crochet [hdc]! Another super stitch — and this one’s a three-parter.
The first part:
Hold your row of chain stitches where it meets your crochet hook;
swoop the hook to the left, in front of the working yarn;
spin it back and to the right, behind the working yarn, which you’ll catch it with the hook;
bring the hook down in front of your row of stitches;
at this point, you should have two loops on your hook;
direct your hook back again, through that nearest chain stitch at end of the row;
and at this point, you should have three loops on your hook)
The second part:
Tilt the hook to catch the working yarn;
pull the crochet hook (and the working yarn!) through that same chain stitch;
keep pulling;
then readjust your hook so it can slide easily through your three loops.
The third part:
Swoop the hook to the left, in front of the working yarn;
spin it back and to the right, behind the working yarn, which you’ll catch it with the hook;
slide the hook (and the working yarn!) down towards your loops;
pull the crochet hook (and the working yarn!) through that same chain stitch;
and THAT is a half double crochet!!
Here’s how the whooole thing looks in action.
Step six: hdc in the rest of the stitches in your row
Step seven: A single chain stitch
Once you’ve hdc-ed in the final stitch in the row, you’re going to do a single chain stitch. This will keep your border straight; if you forget to chain stitch here, you’ll see the long edge of your scarf start to angle in on the sides.
Step eight: Swing the row around
We’re always going hdc from right to left, so we need to swing the row around before we can start hdc-ing again.
Step nine: Repeat (and repeat, and repeat…) until your scarf is long enough
This is where you get to enjoy the blissfully mindless and mindful repetition of crochet. You’re going to:
hdc in all the stitches in your row (from step five and step six);
once you’ve hdc-ed in the final stitch in the row, do a single chain stitch (from step seven);
then spin your row around (from step eight).
You’ll see your scarf start to take shape. When it’s as long as you’d like, you’re soooo close!
Step ten: Snip, tuck, and WEAR (or gift) WITH PRIDE!!
Almost there!
crochet to the end of a row;
snip the working yarn with a few inches to spare and zoot the end out of the
tuck that end — and the tail from when you started — in amongst the stitches.
illo of chain stitch at the end of the row
Wear, admire yourself, take selfies and send to your pals, cross your fingers for cold weather.
SHAREtake pics of my scarves