Last Minute Gifts: How to Make an Infinity Scarf in an Evening

You’re not a procrastinator, are you? All your Christmas presents were selected, ordered, wrapped, and waiting to be delivered by the first week of December, right?

Ha.

Yeah. I am right there with you on that.

And, yes, I also like to compound the problem by making a lot of my gifts. Nothing says, “I value you,” like a handmade present. And scarves tend to make great gifts for someone you value, but might not know all that well.

Everyone has a neck, after all, and most people’s necks get cold in the wintertime.

I particularly like to make scarves for the kids’ teachers. I let the kids pick out the yarn they want me to use, and then I do the best I can with what they give me. It allows the kids to really participate in the gift. I encourage them to figure out their teachers’ favorite colors, or maybe a favorite sports team or book. (I mean who wouldn’t like a Gryffindor scarf?) Though I will admit to a couple of really… shall we say interesting… color combos when the kids were in preschool. 😉

And, hopefully, it is something that the teachers can get more use out of than another “World’s Greatest Teacher” mug.

But… I am a procrastinator. And sometimes that last night before the Christmas holidays start you can find me up in the wee hours of the morning frantically scrambling to finish a scarf.

This scarf, however is quick, easy, and quite possibly the best scarf I have ever made. It’s warm and cuddly and doesn’t have ends to trail in the mud or get caught in car doors.

(Okay, I suppose it could get caught in a car door, but if it does, you have way bigger problems than soggy ends of scarf.)

And it will probably get me to bed before midnight. Unless I have to make two…

What you need:

A basic knowledge of crochet: All you really need to be able to make a chain, slip stitch, and do a single crochet stitch. If you’re sketchy on those bits, there are many videos out there, and this site provides an excellent picture tutorial.

(BUT if you aren’t reasonably proficient, with this stuff, you aren’t going to get this done in an evening. Maybe two evenings, though, because it really is that easy.)

A large crochet hook — I have long since lost the package, but I think mine is a size “Q”; in fact, I am pretty sure it is this one.

Worsted weight yarn in two complimentary colors. You will need about 3.5 ounces of each color. I particularly like the look of ivory with a light pink (as shown here), or ivory with a light green. I also used black with a variegated berry colored yarn which turned out beautifully.

A smaller crochet hook — I used a “k” — for slip-stitching the ends together.

Instructions:

Working both strands together, chain 15. Turn and work a single crochet stitch into each chain. Turn your work and repeat. If you have never worked with a big crochet hook, or if you aren’t used to working with two strands together it may take you a couple of rows to get the hang of it.

After you have worked a couple of rows, double check to make sure your work is between 6 and 7 inches wide.

Also, I like to work into the front loop only. For one thing, it’s how I learned, so it’s automatically the easiest and fastest way for me to crochet! But, also, with two loops of two strands of yarn each… working through both stitches can get a bit confusing. And, finally, working into only the front loop gives you this neat ribbed effect which I really like.

Continue working until the scarf is between 62 and 66 inches long. I didn’t count rows, and recommend you don’t either. Counting takes up a lot of time!

Do stop on an even row, though, so that your ending “tail” is on the opposite side of the scarf as your beginning “tail.” Give the scarf a half-twist, basically creating a Möbius Strip, and join the two ends together using a slip strip. I use the smaller hook and do (about) two slip stitches in every big stitch. Finish off, and for a good measure, tie the “tails” together.