Crochet Scarf Patterns: 9 Styles from Moss Stitch to Hooded

Nine crochet scarf patterns and styles run from a moss stitch scarf with fringe to a cabled hooded scarf. Five are written patterns in three yarn weights, CYC 6 Super Bulky, 5 Bulky and 4 Medium, on 10 mm (N/P-15), 6.5 mm (K-10 1/2) and 5 mm (H-8) hooks. They run from 63.5 in (161 cm) plus fringe to 84.6 in (215 cm) tip to tip.

Each crochet scarf pattern writes out every row with its stitch count, in US terms with the UK terms in the same file, so you can count as you go. The moss stitch scarf alone is 63.5 in (161 cm) long before its fringe.

Which crochet scarf patterns can you make?

The nine scarf styles split into five written patterns and four styles you can work from any pattern in that stitch: a chunky blanket scarf, a striped scarf, a granny square scarf and a ribbed scarf. Every card gives the same facts in the same order: yarn, hook, Craft Yarn Council skill level and who the scarf suits.

Moss stitch scarf with fringe

Yarn

6, Super Bulky

Hook

10 mm (N/P-15)

Skill level

Basic

Best for

a first scarf: one stitch count on every row

The moss stitch scarf is single crochet and one chain, nothing else. You place each single crochet into the chain space below and each chain over the single crochet below, so the stitches stagger like a woven fabric. The texture looks the same on both sides. No wrong side.

It measures 9.5 x 63.5 in (24 x 161 cm), plus a 6 in (15 cm) fringe at each end, and takes about 300 yd (275 m) with the fringe. You count to 19 on every row. The pattern says most makers finish it over a weekend or a couple of evenings. The stitch has its own tutorial, Crochet Moss Stitch: How to Work It and What to Make.

Cabled hooded scarf

Yarn

5, Bulky (chunky)

Hook

6.5 mm (K-10 1/2)

Skill level

Easy

Best for

women (S/M and L/XL)

The cabled hooded scarf is a hood and a scarf in one piece, made as two identical halves and seamed at the crown. A rope cable runs up each side and a wave cable runs up the middle, on a half double crochet background. Ribbed cuffs finish the tails.

The outer cables twist in opposite directions, so the two tails mirror each other when you wear it. S/M fits a head of 21 to 22 in (53 to 56 cm) and L/XL fits 22.5 to 24 in (57 to 61 cm). You choose Short, Regular or Long tails. Pick by where you want them to fall. There is no shaping: every row has the same stitch count. The cables have their own tutorial, Crochet Cable Stitch: Front Post and Back Post Cables.

Infinity cowl

Yarn

6, Super Bulky

Hook

10 mm (N/P-15)

Skill level

Basic

Best for

wearing doubled, no ends to tuck

The infinity cowl is the moss stitch scarf made shorter and joined into a loop. It is about 51 in (129 cm) around and you wear it doubled. It takes about 220 yd (200 m) of yarn and has no fringe.

The rows are the same as the scarf, so one pattern gives you both. Give one end a half turn before you seam it and the twist sits at the front.

Pull-over cowl

Yarn

4, Medium (worsted)

Hook

5 mm (H-8)

Skill level

Easy to Intermediate

Best for

a cowl that matches a beanie and mittens

The pull-over cowl is a tube worked from the bottom up in joined rounds. It has ribbed edges, a moss stitch body and a double puff band in the middle. The cowl is worked in joined rounds and is big enough to pull over the head, so its ribbed edges do the hugging once it is on.

The circumference is 24.6 in (62.5 cm) in S/M and 27.6 in (70 cm) in L/XL, with a height of 9.8 in (24.9 cm) and 11.1 in (28.2 cm), worked in the same worsted yarn and on the same 5 mm (H-8) hook as the rest of the winter set.

Puff stitch scarf

Yarn

4, Medium (worsted)

Hook

5 mm (H-8)

Skill level

Easy to Intermediate

Best for

a long scarf in a matching winter set

The puff stitch scarf is flat moss stitch rows with a double puff band near each end. A round of single crochet and a round of crab stitch frame the whole outline.

It is 9.0 in (22.8 cm) wide in both lengths, Regular at 63.9 in (162.3 cm) and Long at 75.3 in (191.2 cm), and every 2 rows you add or remove changes the length by about 0.4 in (1.1 cm). The puffs sit in two rows, staggered, so the band looks like a raised braid.

The last four cards are styles, not patterns sold here. Their yarn weight is a starting point, and the hook is the Craft Yarn Council range for that weight. The Council calls its ranges guidelines only, so your own pattern’s gauge decides.

Chunky blanket scarf

Yarn

6, Super Bulky

Hook

9-15 mm (M-13 to Q), CYC range

Skill level

Basic

Best for

an oversized scarf on a big hook

A chunky blanket scarf is an oversized rectangle in thick yarn, wide enough to wrap. Super bulky yarn works up fast on a big hook, so a wide scarf grows quickly row by row.

How long is a crochet scarf?

The scarf patterns here run from 63.5 in (161 cm) to 84.6 in (215 cm): the moss stitch scarf is the shortest and the cabled hooded scarf in L/XL Long is the longest. There is no single standard length. Each pattern sets its own.

The photo lays the moss stitch scarf out against a scale, so you can see its 63.5 in (161 cm) before the fringe. Want it longer or shorter? Every pattern here lets you add or remove rows. The hooded scarf is measured tip to tip because its length is two tails plus the hood.

Which yarn and hook does a crochet scarf need?

The three PDF patterns behind these five styles use three CYC yarn weights: 6 Super Bulky on a 10 mm (N/P-15) hook, 5 Bulky on a 6.5 mm (K-10 1/2) hook and 4 Medium on a 5 mm (H-8) hook.

The yarn types and hook ranges come from the Craft Yarn Council “Standard Yarn Weight System”, which states the ranges are guidelines only. Two of the three hooks sit inside their range. The 5 mm hook sits below the worsted range, so the gauge, not the chart, sets it.

Swap yarn only after a gauge swatch. Then measure it. The Council says its weight system is not an interchangeability chart. Two yarns with the same number can still work up to a different width.

Each pattern names its fibre: wool blend or acrylic for the chunky scarf, wool or wool blend for the hooded scarf and the winter set. The hooded scarf takes 621 yd (568 m) in S/M Regular and 691 yd (631 m) in L/XL Regular. Buy by the yards on your ball band, not by weight, because yarns of the same weight differ in yards per ball. The right crochet scarf yarn is the weight and amount your pattern names.

How do you crochet a scarf?

A crochet scarf is a long rectangle worked in rows: a foundation chain sets the width, the same stitch count repeats on every row until the length is reached, and fringe or an edging finishes the ends. The moss stitch scarf shows all four steps. Four steps, one stitch count. In US terms you work single crochet (sc), which is a double crochet (dc) in UK terms.

1. 1
   Chain the width

   Make a foundation chain as wide as the scarf. The moss stitch scarf chains 20 for 19 stitches.

2. 2
   Work the rows

   Alternate row type A and row type B in moss stitch, and count to 19 on every row.

3. 3
   Check the length

   Stop on an odd numbered row. Every 9 rows add about 4 in (10 cm).

4. 4
   Add the fringe

   Fold the strands, pull the loop through a stitch, pass the ends through the loop and tighten. Place 10 tassels on each end.

Two problems show up early, and both come from the edges:

• Wavy edges: a stitch added at an edge. Count to 19 every few rows.
• A scarf that narrows: the last single crochet of a row missed. Put a stitch marker in it on the row below.

Most of these show in the first 20 rows, so count early. You rip back less.

When should you make a crochet cape instead of a hooded scarf?

Size decides. Make a crochet cape instead of a hooded scarf when you want the shoulders and body covered as well as the head. The hooded scarf covers your head and neck and ends in two tails. The cape and hooded cloak patterns in the shop come in sizes XS to 5XL, so they fit by body size, not head size.

The photo shows where the hooded scarf stops: a pointed hood at the back and tails at the front. Capes and cloaks have a page of their own, Crochet Cape and Hooded Cloak Patterns in Sizes XS to 5XL.

Which crochet stitches work best for scarves?

The crochet stitches for scarves in these patterns are five, and each one does a different job:

• Moss stitch: a woven texture that looks the same on both sides.
• Cables: raised ropes made from front and back post stitches.
• Post stitch rib: stretch on cuffs and edges.
• Puff stitch: a raised band near the ends.
• Crab stitch: a twisted, corded edge.

A scarf shows both sides, so a stitch that looks the same front and back is the safest choice. That is why moss stitch leads this page. The full stitch guide is Crochet Stitches: Types of Crochet Stitches with Pictures. Scarves sit beside beanies, capes and cardigans in Crochet Winter Patterns: Beanies, Scarves, Capes and Cardigans, and every pattern family in the shop is on Crochet Patterns to Make: Christmas Decor and Winter Wear.