A scarf is the first project I'd actually recommend after a practice swatch, ahead of a hat or an amigurumi. There's no shaping, no increases or decreases to track, and no fitted measurement to hit exactly — just one stitch, repeated, until the rectangle is long enough. If you can single crochet in a straight line, you can finish this scarf.

Materials

3 skeins of bulky weight yarn (US #5), about 300g total — a chunky yarn makes a warmer, faster-working scarf and hides minor tension inconsistencies better than a thin one
A 6.5mm (US K-10.5) hook
Yarn needle, for weaving in ends
Scissors

Gauge

Gauge doesn't need to be exact here — a scarf has no fitted measurement to miss — but for reference, this pattern runs at roughly 10 stitches and 8 rows per 4 inches in single crochet with the yarn and hook above. If your swatch comes out noticeably denser or looser, the finished width will shift a little; adjust your starting chain by a few stitches either way if you want to match the size below precisely.

Finished size

Approximately 7 inches wide by 60 inches long, excluding fringe — long enough to wrap once around the neck with both ends hanging even.

Abbreviations

ch — chain
sc — single crochet
st(s) — stitch(es)

The scarf, row by row

Foundation chain. Chain 18. This becomes your 17-stitch width once you work into it — check your gauge swatch and adjust up or down by 2–4 chains if you want a narrower or wider scarf.

Row 1. Single crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook, and in each chain across. Turn. (17 sts)

Row 2 and every row after. Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), single crochet in each stitch across. Turn. (17 sts)

Keep repeating Row 2 until the scarf measures about 60 inches, or the length you want. A bulky-weight scarf this width uses roughly 130–150 rows; check your progress against a tape measure every 10–15 rows rather than counting rows, since row height varies slightly with tension.

Finishing. Fasten off, leaving a 6-inch tail, and weave in both ends with the yarn needle. Weave each tail through several stitches, then back through a couple more in the opposite direction, before trimming — this keeps it from working loose in the wash.

Adding fringe (optional)

Cut yarn into 12-inch lengths, using 2–3 strands per fringe. Fold that small bundle of strands in half together, so you have a folded loop at one end and loose ends at the other. Using your hook, pull the folded loop through a stitch along the short edge of the scarf, from front to back, until a small loop pokes through to the front. Then take the loose ends and pull them through that loop, and tighten the knot snug against the scarf's edge. Space fringe every other stitch along both short ends for a full look, or skip it entirely for a cleaner, minimalist finish — the scarf holds up either way.

Adjusting the size

Wider: add chains to the foundation row in multiples of 2, in either direction — a wider scarf uses noticeably more yarn, so buy an extra skein for anything over about 9 inches.
Narrower / cowl instead: work fewer starting chains, or join the two short ends together after finishing (slip stitch or single crochet seam) for an infinity-style cowl instead of an open scarf.
Different yarn weight: dropping to a worsted-weight (US #4) yarn with a 5.0–5.5mm hook produces a lighter, drapier scarf at the cost of more rows to reach the same length; check your own gauge swatch either way, per the yarn and hook size guide.

If single crochet feels solid after this, double crochet works up even faster and is a natural next stitch to build a second scarf around.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much yarn do I actually need for a full-length scarf? Budget for 3 full skeins of bulky weight yarn (about 300g total) for the 60-inch length in this pattern — buying a 4th skein as insurance is cheap compared to running short two-thirds of the way through.

My scarf is curling at the edges — how do I fix it? A single crochet border worked around the two long edges after finishing usually corrects mild curling, which is often caused by tension that's slightly tighter than the yarn wants to relax into. Blocking (dampening and pinning flat to dry) also helps for persistent curl.

Can I make this scarf wider without changing the yarn? Yes — add chains to the foundation row in multiples of 2, keeping in mind that a wider scarf uses proportionally more yarn per row, so budget an extra skein for every few added inches of width.