Love infinity scarves but confused about how they are worked in the round? Or have a favourite scarf pattern you would like to turn into one? Almost any scarf pattern can become an infinity scarf, and there are two ways to do it.
Method one: make it flat and join the ends
By far the simpler, and it works with literally any pattern.
Work the scarf flat exactly as written, to the length you want, then sew the two short ends together into a loop.
The one thing to get right is the join. If you seam it flat, the scarf hangs as a plain loop. If you give it a half twist before seaming, it sits as a figure of eight and drapes around the neck more elegantly – which is what most people picture when they think of an infinity scarf.
Seam with the same yarn, matching stitch for stitch, and the join becomes almost invisible.
Method two: work it in the round
Instead of a long rectangle, you make a wide tube. The chain becomes the full circumference of the finished loop, joined into a ring, and then you work rounds until it is as wide as you want the scarf.
This produces no seam at all, and the fabric hangs slightly differently – the stitches run around the loop rather than along it.
The catch is that the foundation chain is very long, and any pattern with a stitch repeat needs the chain to be an exact multiple of that repeat. Count carefully, because discovering the error after the first round means starting again.
Which zig-zag and textured patterns need
Ripple and chevron patterns need particular care in the round, because the peaks must line up when the round closes. Work out the repeat count first and make the chain an exact multiple of it.
If the arithmetic will not come out, use the first method and seam it. A well-matched seam on a textured pattern is very hard to spot.
Sizing
A single-loop infinity scarf wants a circumference of roughly 55 to 60 inches. For one that wraps twice, aim for 60 to 70.
Width is preference – anywhere from six inches for something light to twelve or more for a cowl that covers the shoulders.
Yarn
Softness matters, since it sits against the neck. Something with drape is better than something stiff, because the whole point is how it falls.
An infinity scarf uses more yarn than a flat one of the same width, so buy accordingly.
