How to Knit an Infinity Scarf

Out of all the crafty pursuits out here, there is one that has always eluded me – knitting. I love the idea of it and I can see why people enjoy it, but it was always a source of frustration for me. My Great Aunt and my Nana both would try to teach me whenever I asked, but every attempted scarf ended up getting just long enough to make a small dishtowel before I gave up. I would drop stitches, pick up extra stitches, completely forget the patterns.

It had been a good five years since I last attempted to knit when my sister showed up last Christmas with new knitting needles and skeins of yarn for both of us to try to knit an infinity scarf. We watched videos online (really helpful), looked up pattern ideas and settled on this one. A simple scarf pattern with alternating knit and purl stitches.

The pattern of alternating knit and purl stitches (called a “Seed Stitch”) makes this cute “x” pattern with little bumps for texture.
We knitted through that holiday season and sometime last January it got tucked away with the Christmas stuff and I completely forgot about it…until I found it this year! I pulled it back out, practiced a few stitches and then got to work.

Over the first two weeks of January I knitted whenever I was watching TV or relaxing, and it didn’t take long to really see it take shape. It was so enjoyable that the day after I finished it, I went out and bought two more skeins of yarn and circular needles to make a cowl scarf, which I did the following week. Now I’m attempting to make a slouchy hat, and then next up I’m going to give crocheting a try.

To make this knit infinity scarf you need 1-2 skeins of wool, depending on the weight and how chunky you want it. You’ll also need knitting needles. I went with Boye knitting needles (10″ long, Size 11 / 8MM).

I’m linking to videos that I’ve found really helpful. You start off by casting on an odd number of stitches, and leaving a long tail. I ended up doing 33 stitches, which made my scarf 8.5 inches wide. Then you alternate a knit stitch and then a purl stitch, bring the yarn with you for each stitch. I continued doing the stitches until the end of each row, and then started the next one in the knit-purl stitch pattern. By alternating the stitches on an odd number of stitches, it gives the cross pattern.
Once the scarf started to get long, I would check the length by wrapping it around my neck twice and looking in a mirror to see how it was sitting. In the end I made it 72″ long.

To finish the scarf, you cast off the stitches and then take the long tail that was left at the beginning and put it through a large needle. Fold the scarf in half so that the two ends meet and use the needle and yarn to stitch them together.

I love how soft and cozy this scarf is, and it’s easy to wrap it around – perfect on a chilly day like today. Now that I’ve got the hang of it, I’d love to try making it in a few more colours or maybe a really chunky version.

If you’re looking to try knitting and want a beginner project that you’ll love at the end, I urge you to give this one a try. Once you get the hang of the knit-purl stitch pattern, it goes fast!