Rebecca Trewin
Why a chunky scarf is the perfect first knit
If you have never held a pair of knitting needles before, a chunky winter scarf is the project to start with. It is, at heart, a very long rectangle — no shaping, no sleeves, no tricky maths. Working on 10mm or 12mm needles with thick yarn means every row grows quickly, so you will see real progress in a single evening rather than squinting at something the size of a postage stamp.
Chunky yarn is also wonderfully forgiving. Thick, slightly fluffy wool hides the small uneven stitches every beginner produces in their first few rows, and by the time you reach the halfway point your tension will have settled into something remarkably tidy. In a weekend or two you will have a scarf that is genuinely warm and genuinely yours.
What you'll need
- Yarn: two to three 100g balls of super chunky yarn, sometimes sold as super bulky. Look for roughly 60–80 metres per ball. Wool, or a wool-rich blend, holds warmth and forgives uneven stitches far better than slippery acrylic.
- Needles: 10mm or 12mm. Straight needles work, but an 80cm circular needle used flat is kinder on the wrists because the weight of the growing scarf rests in your lap rather than dangling off the end.
- A blunt tapestry needle for sewing in the loose ends.
- Scissors, a tape measure and a mug of tea within reach.
Choose a light or medium colour for your first attempt. Navy is handsome, but you cannot see your stitches in it, which makes learning much harder than it needs to be.
Casting on without tears
You need about 22 stitches for a scarf roughly 20–22cm wide, but before you make the first loop, pull out a long tail of yarn — around a metre is safe. This is the long-tail cast on, and it gives a neat, stretchy edge.
- Make a slip knot about a metre from the end of the yarn and slide it onto your needle.
- Hold the needle in your right hand with the tail hanging towards you and the ball end over your index finger.
- Bring the needle under the strand on your thumb, over the strand on your index finger, then back through the loop on your thumb.
- Slip your thumb out and gently tighten. That is one stitch. Repeat until you have 22.
Do not tug them tight. The stitches should slide along the needle easily — a strangled cast on is the most common reason a first scarf comes out too narrow at one end.
The only two stitches you need
Knit stitch: insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch from left to right, wrap the yarn around the needle, draw it back through, and slip the old stitch off.
Purl stitch: bring the yarn to the front, insert the right needle into the first stitch from right to left, wrap the yarn, draw it through, and slip the old stitch off.
That is the whole craft. Everything else is a variation on these two movements. For this scarf you will work a simple 2x2 rib, which looks smart on both sides and refuses to curl at the edges:
- Border (5 rows): knit every stitch.
- Main pattern: knit 1, then repeat knit 2, purl 2 to the last stitch, knit 1.
- Repeat that same row until the scarf is as long as you want it.
Aim for 160–180cm for a scarf you can wrap twice. Lay it against a coat you already own to judge the length, and remember that ribbing stretches, so stop a little shorter than you think you should.
Knitting up and casting off neatly
Work in the evenings and you will add 10–15cm an hour once you find your rhythm. Count your stitches every few rows — if you have 21 instead of 22, a stitch has slipped off somewhere, and it is far easier to fix when you spot it straight away than fifty rows later.
When the scarf is long enough, work five more rows of plain knitting to match the bottom border, then cast off loosely:
- Knit two stitches, then lift the first stitch over the second and off the needle.
- Knit one more stitch and repeat, lifting the previous stitch over.
- Continue to the end, cut the yarn leaving a 20cm tail, and pull it through the final loop.
Keep the cast off as relaxed as the cast on. If the finished edge looks tight and puckered, go up a needle size for the final row.
Finishing touches and care
Thread the loose ends onto your tapestry needle and weave them in and out of the stitches along the edge for 10cm or so, then trim. If you fancy a fringe, cut lengths of yarn about 40cm long, fold each in half, and pull the loop through the edge of the scarf with your needle before passing the loose ends through the loop and tightening.
Wash your scarf by hand in cool water with a gentle wool detergent, squeeze it out without wringing, and dry it flat and shaped on a towel. Never hang a wet wool scarf up — it will stretch out of shape and stay that way. Fold it, store it, and enjoy the fact that the first thing you ever knitted is the thing keeping your neck warm on a January morning.
