Have you ever wondered what’s so great about an infinity scarf? Well I have and when a friend recently requested one, very gently and only if I had the time, I got the chance to find out.
Now I’ve seen these things in pictures and nearly every week in the knitting blogs I follow, but I’ve never seen a pattern that had me completely over the moon to start making one, and I have to admit, I didn’t really get it. Why would you want a scarf that loops around and hangs a bit loosely instead of one that you can adjust completely and bring up to cover your freezing face on a windy day? I mean they look great from a fashion standpoint, but practically (and you know that is of primary importance here at CreatorVox), I didn’t see the use.
I really wanted to give my friend the scarf she wanted, though, so I headed into the Local Yarn Shop (LYS) to find some yarn and a pattern. After scouring the shelves and reviewing every infinity scarf pattern they had I still wasn’t satisfied. Approaching one of the women working there I asked if she could demystify this whole phenomenon for me, fully expecting some elaborate, nearly magical, stitches to be involved. Something interesting and worthy of the title ‘infinity’. Well, to my great surprise she told me that there were no special stitches involved at all and that an infinity scarf is essentially a regular scarf just attached together at the ends, or knitted in the round in one great big loop. WHAT???
Incredulous, I asked her what the point was and why there was so much hype about them, and that’s where the magic happened. My friends, the infinity scarf is, indeed, a wonderful object and clearly a necessity in any wardrobe. The kind sales woman demonstrated that, unlike regular scarves, when you wear an infinity scarf and bend down, say to tie a shoe or pick something up, it stays put. No loose ends to drop onto the ground inevitably right into a dirty, slushy puddle. No loose ends to get caught in a door or even in your jacket zipper. Additionally, if knitted with a nice, springy stitch pattern, an infinity scarf will stretch enough to twist around your neck comfortably, but tightly, so that it will actually keep the wind out and cover your face when it’s cold. What a great idea!
So after I finished making an infinity scarf for everyone I knew (I wish I was kidding, but I was really hooked), I thought it would be great to have one for myself. The only problem is that I love scarves and I have WAY too many of them already. This is where the hack, in two versions, comes in very handy.
Version One:
- Select an existing scarf from your collection that you’re happy to alter. Perhaps one you haven’t worn in a while. One without any sort of fringe will be the easiest to turn into an infinity scarf.
- Lay the scarf out flat, like on the floor, and pull one end over until it reaches the other end (basically fold it in half).
- using clothes pins or binder clips, attach the two ends together, then pick it up and try it out. Think about the drape (how it hangs), the length, width, and ‘give’ of the new scarf. Practice taking it on and off and see if the number of loops it makes works for you.
- If it’s too long, then try overlapping the ends.
- Once it’s the size you like, pin it and sew it in place.
- Either make the join/sewing part of the design, like with a contrasting thread, or make it invisible with thread or yarn of the same color.
- If you don’t like how it looks the first time, don’t be afraid to cut your stitches out and start again. That may take extra time, but when you’re happy with the results and wear the scarf all the time it will be worthwhile.
Version Two:
- Same as Version One, but instead of joining the ends, sew about 1-2 inches of one side of the scarf together to make a hole/loop.
- Thread the flat end through the loop end and voila! Adjustable infinity scarf!
The scarf I chose for Version Two was one I made when I was first learning to knit and didn’t know about weighing yarn to make stripes. I just figured that I would have enough at the end to make the same number of stripes as I had in the beginning (based on what illogical premise I can no longer imagine), but alas, that was not the case. The two different sized stripes at the ends have always bothered me so folding the larger stripe back to make a smaller stripe, and then sewing that end into a hole/loop, actually makes it look deliberate instead of like the mistake it actually was. Victory! Now I can wear the scarf proudly, instead of always trying to keep one end in back and one end in front so no one would notice my novice knitting.
Thanks for reading about how to make your own infinity scarf. Don’t be afraid to invent your own method or try a twist on this one. If you don’t like the result you can just remove the stitches and try again.