The Knit Guru

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The Man Scarf – Free Knitting Pattern

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When you have those men in your life that are so hard to gift for, this is the scarf you need. It tucks into a jacket easily, knits up quickly, and has just enough function to look like you have gone over and above for the gift.

This pattern has been updated as of 26 August 2025 to include a video tutorial.

Scarf with a slot to hold the end of it in place

You will need:
– 4-5 balls of yarn (250-300gm) depending on length of scarf required of DK yarn or 300gm of bulky 12 ply yarn.
– 5mm knitting needles or 6.5mm knitting needles if using the larger yarn.
– Darning needle

Clearer view of the pattern and the slot

Cast on 43 stitches

This whole scarf is knit in a fishermans rib – so it has a great texture, and won’t curl. It is a 2 row repeating pattern.
Row 1: Knit 3, purl 1 – repeat over the whole row to the last 3 – knit 3
Row 2: Knit 1, purl 1, (knit 3, purl 1) – repeat bracketed section to the last 1 – knit 1

Continue the pattern for 30cm.

You will now split the scarf into halves – knit the pattern for the first 21 stitches. Knit front and back of the next stitch. Slip the made stitch and the remaining 21 onto a stitch holder for now. Continue the pattern on the first 22 stitches for 30 rows. Slip these 22 onto a stitch holder and complete 30 rows on the second 20 stitches. Rejoin the 2 sections as one. When completing the first row re-joining the sections, knit 2 together on that middle stitch to return the stitch count to 43. The video makes this clearer.

Continue the pattern for all 4-5 balls – or as long as you want your scarf to be. Cast off in pattern. Darn in your ends.

5 responses to “The Man Scarf – Free Knitting Pattern”

  1. Amanda Marginson Avatar
    Amanda Marginson

    Thanks for this! What wool would you use …aran or dk suitable?

    1. juanamac Avatar

      Totally – Aran or DK would both be fine. Aran yarn would make the scarf more structured. I used DK for my ones.

      1. Amanda Marginson Avatar
        Amanda Marginson

        Thanks very much! X

  2. bluescatblues Avatar

    Thank you very much for this wonderful scarf pattern. I am not a beginner, and not advanced. What do you do with the stitches on hold?

    1. juanamac Avatar

      Basically you just either leave them on the needles and not knit them, or slip them onto a safety pin. What you are trying to do is knit the sides of the scarf separately for the section with the hole in it. When you have both sides at the same length, you just knit them back together as one piece. I hope that makes sense? If not, I can make a video to show you.

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