By Jordan Hill
A scarf is a good beginner project for somebody who has just started crocheting, and it can be quite a challenge if the pattern is more advanced for an expert. Plus, all of the edges are completely straight, so that makes another pro for it to be used as a beginner project. However, there are many different ways to make it more advanced. It all depends upon how complex you would like your project to be. First off, let's say that I'm wanting to make a simple beginner scarf for the purposes of this article. I think it all depends on what you want to do though. When I was a beginner, I jumped in head first, and ended up starting with more advanced projects, and just tried to perfect them. You could do that as well.
First off, make sure you pick out the right yarn for your scarf. You may want a nice fuzzy yarn, or perhaps a heavy wool. It all depends on what you like. Anything will work, but especially if it's your first project, I recommend starting out with a wool or cotton. They're easy materials to work with, and slide generously along the hook, making it easy for a starter. I wouldn't pick eyelash fibers, or any type of fuzzy yarn. Sometimes I even have trouble with that and I've been crocheting for years! You can use any size hook you want for this project; a smaller hook size with a thicker yarn will make a very tight scarf, while a larger hook with the same yarn will make a scarf with some holes in it. Both looks are very attractive and enjoyable, you just have to decide which you like best. You can always make the other later.
Now that we've got the basics covered, including picking out your yarn and hooks, now we can get started on the actual crocheting part. For the purposes of this article, I'm going to assume that you know at least some of the basic stitches, or at least know how to find instructions for them. Start out by making a slip knot in the end of your yarn and chaining 25. This is the base of your scarf. Of course you can adjust this width according to how thick you want it to be, but I find this a good width. Let's say that I decided to use wool yarn with a G hook. The next thing to decide is what stitch I want to use. I'm going to use a half double crochet. It works up fairly quickly, though not as quickly as double crochet, and it looks really pretty when it's completed. I'm going to chain an extra two stitches, and then I'm going to do a half double crochet into the third stitch from the hook. Then I'm going to stitch into every chain across to the end of the row.
When you are at the end of the row, you're going to chain 2, then once again half-double crochet into the third chain from the hook. Then complete another row across. If you're wondering how many chains to do in between rows, it's 1 for a single crochet, 2 for a half double, and 3 for a plain double. Now you just repeat these rows, going back and forth until the scarf is as long as you want. This pattern however, is a very simple pattern, and if you are more advanced in your crochet journey, there are many patterns available for scarves that fit with your skill level. You just need to be willing to do a little searching. Thanks for reading!
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