Learn How to Crochet a Scarf

The easiest way to learn how to crochet a scarf is to be sure that you know the fundamental steps involved with crocheting. Crochet is done with one needle and a yarn of choice. A great choice for a beginner's first project is crocheting a scarf. The easiest yarn for a beginner is yarn made from wool. Wool yarn is durable, comes in many colors, and flame resistant. The best part about wool yarn is that it is forgiving of mistakes. Perfect for a beginner!

Materials you need
For a scarf, you will want to choose a medium-heavy yarn. This thickness yarn weight is called worsted. So choose a great color of worsted weight yarn. It comes in beautiful multicolor patterns which make very nice scarves. About 5 oz will be enough, but it depends on how long you want to make the scarf. You may also choose to purchase a compatible color yarn for fringes on the ends, if desired.

Next, you will need a crochet hook. For a scarf with worsted weight yarn, a size I crochet hook. This hook is equivalent to a size 9 knitting needle, or 5.5 mm. The bigger size hooks are for thicker yarns, and the smallest are for very fine yarns and silk.

Terms to know
Pattern: a guide to knitting a certain project.
Chain (ch): this is a chain of crochet stitches in a row.
Single Crochet (sc): this is the easiest crochet stitch
Stitch (st): this is the steps to create one looped together piece in the pattern.

The basics
Learn these two basic stitch components and you will be ready to make your first crocheted scarf!

How to make a chain - the beginning of a crochet pattern

1. Start by making a loop with the yarn. Wrapping it around your finger once and pulling your finger out is the simplest way to do this. Leave around six inches hanging off one end, and make the loop in from that end. Then, lay the loop you just made over one of the yarn sides, so that the yarn side you chose makes a straight line through the circle behind it. Pull the yarn from the center of the circle up through the middle of the circle a little bit, and put your crochet hook into that loop you made with the piece you pulled up. Pulling both sides of the hanging yarn with your fingers, tighten the loop around the crochet hook. Not too tight, but tight enough to hold onto the crochet hook.
2. Next, take the yarn side that runs to the skein and put it over the top of the crochet hook by the hook itself. That is called "yarn over."
3. Pull the hook with the yarn you just put on it through the loop that was around the hook. The loop comes off the hook, but the yarn you pulled through is now a loop around the hook.
4. Holding the loop that's hanging off the hook with one hand, wrap the side of the yarn that runs to the skein over the hook again (yarn over). Then, pull the hook and the new wrap through the loop so the loop comes off the hook next to the first loop you made. You're making a chain of stitches!

For a scarf, it's good to make a chain of about 14 stitches. That'll be around four inches wide. If you want a wider scarf, make more. Just remember how many stitches you decide to use so you can use the same number in each row.How to do a Single Crochet stitch

1. From the starting chain, count the first two stitches in the chain that are off the hook. Skip the first one, and insert the hook into the second stitch. Wrap the yarn over the hook, and pull the yarn through the stitch using the crochet hook. You now have two loops around the crochet hook, the one that was on from making the first chain row, and the one you just pulled through.
2. Yarn over the hook again. Now pull the yarn through both loops leaving one loop around the hook.
3. Go to the next stitch in the chain, insert the hook into that stitch and repeat the process to the end of the row.
4. At the end of the row, make one more chain stitch, turn and then single crochet in each of the previous single crochet stitches back across that row. The only difference with the second and all subsequent rows is that you will bring the hook through the two loops of the stitch. You will see that each single crochet stitch has two sides - one with a single yarn and one with two yarn pieces. Pick up the side with two loops with the hook for each new stitch you make.
5. At the end of each row, chain 1 and turn and go back across until you have the length you want.
6. Finish by pulling the final yarn through the last stitch and weaving the end into the scarf. Tie fringes in each stitch on the ends if you wish, and congratulations!