Knit Sampler Scarf – Free Knit Pattern

As the age old saying goes (or at least from the moment George R.R. Martin published his Song of Ice and Fire series turned mega HBO hit Game of Thrones), ‘Winter is coming!’

Despite it being such a warm and humid fall, the weather is finally turning chilly and a few frosty mornings have graced our presence here in Western North Carolina (we even had some snow the weekend before Halloween!), which means its time to break out the cold weather gear we all know and love.

Toques, hats, beanies, gloves, mittens and cowls are all great accessories to fight off the chill of winter, but none is more renowned and cherished than the classic scarf. Scarves are incredibly versatile and can be made in a myriad of ways and materials. Handmade scarves crafted from yarn happen to be my favorite though.

The idea/design for this scarf came about as I was creating a swatch for a children’s sweater project I had in mind. As a fairly new knitter, I hadn’t yet tried combination knit/purl stitches and really wanted to try my hand at the moss (seed) stitch I’d seen in my Instagram and Pinterest feeds. I grabbed my needles and some new super chunky yarn I’d purchased and started a swatch.

Once my swatch was squared up (but not bound off), I thought about other stitch combinations I wanted to try but didn’t know the names of them at the time. I referenced a knitting e-book I’d checked out from the library and found a few that caught my eye and wanted to swatch those as well. Instead of creating square swatches of each of these stitch combos, I thought to myself “Why not just keep knitting and separate them with blocks of stockinette to create a scarf?”

I don’t know about you but I thought it was genius! I went with it and the result of my stitch combinations (along with the amazing yarn I chose) was my Knit Sampler Scarf project pictured below.

The Knit Sampler Scarf is a perfect beginner project! It knits up easily, features many beautiful and varied textures, and creates excitement on your needles with each new stitch combo. I hope everyone who knits one up has as much fun as I did making it!

Knit Sampler Scarf

Knit Pattern written by Amanda White of Yarnanigans, Copyright 2017

All my patterns are available for free. Please do not copy, sell, redistribute or publish this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern on your site or social media, please link back to my site. You may sell items produced using this pattern provided you give credit and do not use my copyrighted photos for your product listing.

Materials

• US size 11/8 mm straight or cabled needles (I absolutely love my Lykkes*)
• At least 280 yards super bulky (6) weight yarn  – I used 2 Caron Tea Cakes in Oolong (available exclusively at Michaels)
• scissors
• tapestry needle

Gauge

10.5 stitches x 14 rows per 4″ square

Abbreviations

• k – knit
• p – purl
• co  – cast on
• st – stitch

Stitch Definitions

Moss (or Seed) Stitch: R1 (RS): k1, *p1, k1* repeat from * to * across row. R2 (WS): p1, *k1, p1* repeat from * to * across row. Repeat R1 and R2 for length of swatch.

Garter Stitch — R1: k across. Repeat R1 for length of swatch.

Stockinette Stitch (pictured in each the other stitch photos) — R1 (Rs): k across. R2 (WS): p across. Repeat R1 and R2 for length of swatch.

Smooth Sand Stitch — R1 (RS) k across. R2 (WS): k1, *p1, k1* repeat from * to * across row. Rep R1 and R2 for length of swatch.

Nubby Sand Stitch — R1 (WS): k across; R2 (RS) k1, *p1, k1* repeat from * to * across row. Rep R1 and R2 for length of swatch.

Double Seed Stitch — R1 and R4: k2, *p2, k2* repeat from * to * across row. R2 and R3: p2, *k2, p2* repeat from * to * across row. Repeat R1-R4 for length of swatch.

Pattern Notes

This scarf is made with a combination of the different knit/purl stitch patterns listed in the section above. Each stitch sample is approximately 3.5″ – 4″ in height before switching to the next stitch sample. You can follow the combination I used below or mix them up, eliminate ones you don’t like, or add in others you love. Make it yours!

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m a fairly new knitter. I never fully realized until after I made this project that stockinette fabric doesn’t have smooth edges and tends to curl. This led me to the design choice to shorten the width of the scarf by sewing the edges of the scarf together to make a long ‘skinny’ tube scarf. I use the phrase skinny lightly though because due to the super bulky weight of the yarn I used, it still has a good amount of width. I feel like my greenness led to a happy outcome with this design choice because the scarf is doubly warm. Also, the beauty of the right side of the knit fabric is seen from all angles while the less attractive wrong side of the fabric is confined inside the tube.

To that point, if you want a wider scarf and/or don’t want to sew up the edges to create a tube scarf, you have the option to cast on additional stitches at the start of the project to create a border in moss stitch, garter stitch, or other even, non-curly stitch to combat the curl of the stockinette stitch. For example, if you cast of an additional 8 stitches in the pattern, you’ll knit your non-curly stitch for the first 4 stitches, then follow the stitch for the pattern swatch for the next 25 stitches, then finish the last 4 stitches in your non-curly stitch.

Another trick I learned post hoc was that you can knit a selvage on your fabric! By casting on an additional 2 stitches on your initial cast on, you can create a straight selvage that is helpful when knitting pieces that will be sewn together. To create the selvage, you will always knit the first stitch and slip the last stitch, making sure to bring the yarn toward you before slipping, so that it will be ready to knit on your return. How cool! Apparently I still have lots and lots to learn about the world of knitting.

Pattern Instructions

1. CO 25.
2. moss stitch 3.5″
3. stockinette stitch 3.5″
4. garter stitch 3.5″
5. stockinette stitch 3.5″
6. smooth sand stitch 3.5″
7. stockinette stitch 3.5″
8. nubby sand stitch 3.5″
9. stockinette stitch 3.5″
10. double seed stitch 3.5″
11. stockinette stitch 3.5″
12. Repeat steps 2 through 10 once.
13. Fasten off, leaving a long tail approximately 3 feet.
14. Fold scarf in half longways, WS facing. Using a tapestry needle and long tail, sew edges together using a whip stitch or mattress stitch to create a tube. Secure ends and weave in.

Hope everyone stays warm this winter with their very own knit sampler scarf! Make one or many for your friends, family, co-workers, mailperson, or favorite charity. If you do, I’d love to see it so please tag me on social media @yarnanigans on Twitter and Instagram and Yarnanigans Blog on Facebook!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a yarntastic day!