Simplest Striped Scarf

Maybe I haven't been looking in the right places, but toddler scarves seem to be hard to come by. So when I needed one last year, I decided to just knit one. And it was perfect, all winter long! My 3 year old has been pretty jealous of his older brother's scarf lately, so it only seemed right to make him his own (especially since winter decided to show up early this year). I wanted to keep things super simple and let the yarn do the talking, so I put together this extremely basic knit scarf pattern.

Now, to any experienced knitter, this is basically superfluous. It's just garter stitch. BUT when I first started knitting, I was looking for an easy pattern like this and couldn't find quite what I was looking for, so maybe this will be useful for someone out there. This pattern is perfect for a beginning knitter and is a great way to practice your knit stitch while still making something functional and beautiful. 

You can either follow the dimensions that I've given or you can adjust them to whatever size you'd like fairly easily. It's especially important to make sure the length is right for you. It's probably just the paranoid mom in me, but you don't want to make a toddler scarf too long (we don't want anyone getting tangled up on the playground). I made mine just long enough to fold over on itself and knot or to wrap around the neck and tuck into a coat; it fits both my 5 year old and my 3 year old. With the dimensions I used, I also had just enough yarn leftover from the skein to make a matching child-sized hat with a double brim and a pompom. I used this pattern from Pixie Purls, but I imagine that you would have enough yarn for most basic child-size knit hats out there if you have a go-to pattern already. (Edit: It's been brought to my attention that the hat pattern has been discontinued! Sorry! I haven't tested it out yet, but here's a similar looking hat pattern that's still available. If anyone tries it out, let me know how it goes!)  

Without further ado, let's take a look at the pattern! I made the scarf using a slipped edge to give a neater chain look on the edges, but it's totally optional. You can just do garter stitch all the way across and leave off the slipped edge by following the alternative row 1 pattern. 

Stitch Glossary:
st(s) = stitch(es)
k = knit stitch

Materials:

• 1 skein of Red Heart Super Saver Stripes in Favorite Stripe (or another self-striping yarn)

Note: I was able to make both this scarf and a matching hat from one skein

• 5.0 mm knitting needles
• Tapestry needle for weaving ends

Gauge:
For a 5" x 38" scarf:
2" = 9 sts, 2" = 14 rows

Cast on 20 sts
Row 1: slip 1 purl-wise, k19
OR
Even Simpler Row 1: k20
Repeat Row 1 (or Even Simpler Row 1) until your scarf is 38" long. Cast off. 
Weave in ends. 

 I hope you enjoyed this basic pattern! If you have any questions or comments about it, you can reach me in the comments section below, by email or on social media. Happy yarning, friends! 

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***You're welcome to do whatever you'd like to with finished products made from this pattern but if you do sell them, I ask that you link back to my page. You may not copy this pattern, repost it anywhere (either altered or in its original form), or claim it as your own. You may not use any photos on this site for your own use. ***