Easy Zig Zag Scarf to Knit

Last Updated on November 24, 2020 by lydiaf1963

I had nearly an entire ball of yarn left from another project and decided to make a Zig Zag scarf for this month’s Craft Room Destash Challenge. The pretty textured stitch pattern is called Zig Zag Rib and I learned about it from Musings of a Yarn Mom. It works well with a firm worsted or bulky weight yarn that will show off the details of the stitches.

My “beef” with knitted scarves is there’s no hiding the back of the work and let’s face it, the back usually lacks the charm of the front. If you’ve knitted cables the back puckers where they cross and if you’ve worked a stranded pattern all of the floats show (not necessarily a bad thing, depending on the project…)

There are ways around it, of course. You could add a section of plain knitting on either side of the pattern that’s half the width and then, when finishing, fold the sides to the center and sew them up to cover the back. You could also create a double knit scarf so that one side is a reflection of the other. Those can be fun solutions, but require more yarn since you’re essentially knitting two scarves.

Or, you could pick a reversible stitch that’s attractive on both sides. There are loads out there. I like this Zig Zag Rib variation. It’s basically a 2 x 2 rib that gets shifted one stitch to the left or right every other row (depending on whether you’re zigging or zagging.) It looks equally great with a solid or variegated yarn.

Materials Needed to Make the Zig Zag Rib Scarf

• 1 skein (at least 150 yards) worsted or bulky weight yarn
• needles to fit the yarn (I used circulars even though the scarf is knit back and forth)
• free pattern from Musings of a Yarn Mom 
• stitch markers
• scissors
• tapestry needle

Knitting Skills You’ll Want to Know to Make the Zig Zag Rib Scarf

• long tail cast on or other loose cast on (I used a knitted cast on)
• knit
• purl
• bind off

Tips for Completing Your Scarf

• Think of the scarf as a set of units. Each unit is a comprised of an 8 row Zig portion (repeated once) and an 8 row Zag portion (repeated once) for a total of 32 rows to a unit.
• Use a stitch marker to indicate the right side of the work. Both sides will look the same after awhile.
• Use another stitch marker to indicate the beginning of a new unit. I fasten mine around the first stitch and move it as needed.
• If you prefer, slip the first stitch of a new row to make a neat edge for the scarf.

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As mentioned this post is part of the monthly Craft Room Destash Challenge which was set up to encourage us to create something from supplies we already have on hand. We’re allowed $10 to purchase items like glue and such. I didn’t have to buy any supplies this month. If you don’t have a suitable yarn in your stash I’ll bet you could find a nice acrylic or wool blend and still make this scarf for under $10.

Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C’mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge.

If you’d like to join in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge, you can request to join our Facebook group here!