What You Need

  • Chunky yarn (8-ply or thicker — easier for beginners)
  • 5mm to 6mm knitting needles (matching the yarn weight)
  • Scissors
  • A blunt tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Step 1: Cast On (Starting Your Knitting)

  1. 1

    Make a slip knot

    Make a loop with the yarn, pull a second loop through the first, place on one needle and tighten gently. This is your first stitch.

  2. 2

    Cast on 20 stitches using the knitted cast on

    Hold the needle with the slip knot in your left hand. Insert the right needle from left to right into the slip knot. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right needle tip. Pull the right needle back through, drawing a loop with it. Transfer this new loop onto the left needle — you now have 2 stitches. Repeat until you have 20 stitches on the left needle. For a wider scarf, cast on more stitches (30 makes a comfortable width).

Step 2: Knit Every Row (Garter Stitch)

  1. 3

    Insert right needle into first stitch

    Insert the right needle from left to right through the first stitch on the left needle. The right needle crosses behind the left needle.

  2. 4

    Wrap yarn and pull through

    Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right needle tip. Pull the right needle back through the stitch, bringing the wrapped yarn with it — this forms a new stitch on the right needle.

  3. 5

    Slip the old stitch off the left needle

    Let the original stitch slide off the left needle tip. One stitch transferred from left to right. Repeat steps 3–5 for all 20 stitches. When all stitches are on the right needle, swap hands and start the next row. Knitting every row creates garter stitch — a ridged, stretchy texture that looks the same on both sides.

  4. 6

    Keep knitting rows until your scarf is long enough

    A typical adult scarf is 150–180cm long. Keep going until you reach your desired length. Do not worry about counting rows — just measure with a tape measure periodically.

Step 3: Cast Off (Finishing)

  1. 7

    Knit 2 stitches, then pass the first over the second

    Knit 2 stitches normally. Use the left needle tip to lift the first stitch on the right needle over the second stitch and off the needle — 1 stitch cast off. Knit another stitch, pass the first over again. Repeat until 1 stitch remains. Cut yarn leaving a 15cm tail, pull the tail through the last stitch and tighten.

  2. 8

    Weave in the ends

    Thread the yarn tails onto a tapestry needle. Weave back and forth through stitches on the wrong side for about 5cm, then trim. This secures the ends so they do not unravel.

Common beginner mistakesStitches too tight — relax your grip and tension. Accidentally adding stitches — always enter stitches from the left and transfer to the right (never yarn over accidentally). Dropping a stitch — count stitches at the end of every few rows and catch it early.

Frequently Asked Questions

With chunky yarn and large needles, a first beginner scarf typically takes 8–15 hours spread over several sessions. Speed increases dramatically with practice — your second scarf will be much faster than your first. Chunky yarn knits up visibly faster than fine yarn and is more encouraging for beginners.
For a standard adult scarf (20cm wide, 160cm long) in chunky 8-ply yarn: approximately 200–300m of yarn, typically 2–3 balls of 100g chunky yarn. Check the yardage on the ball band and compare to this estimate. When in doubt, buy an extra ball — running out of yarn mid-project is frustrating.