Stitching the ends of a scarf together can disguise the basic rectangular shape, making even the simplest of scarves look more elegant. You can join the ends to create an unbroken loop or give one end a half-twist before joining to create a Moebius-strip scarf. Either shape will give your scarf an elegant drape when you loop it around your neck. Note that to join the scarf ends, they must be "clean" -- that is, straight edges that don't have fringing or textured edging.
Things You'll Need:
- Scissors
- Contrasting Color Yarn Or Long Circular Knitting Needle
- Locking Or Split-Ring Stitch Markers (Optional)
- Yarn Needle
Thread a strand of contrasting color yarn through all the stitches still on your knitting needles, then remove the needles. The yarn keeps your stitches from unraveling, and the contrasting color makes it easy to tell apart from the work in progress. You can also slide the stitches onto a circular needle; the cable joining the two ends of the needle takes the place of the contrasting yarn.
Snip the working end of the yarn, leaving a tail that’s at least three to four times as long as your knitted scarf is wide. Thread the cut end of the yarn through a yarn needle.
Place the two ends of the scarf close together, right sides facing up. If you have trouble getting the stitches to line up, place locking or split-ring stitch markers every few stitches to hold the ends together.
Use the needle to weave the yarn through the two pieces of fabric, joining them together. Mimic the stitch pattern already established in your scarf. For example, if you’re joining the ends of a stockinette-stitch scarf, pass the yarn up through the first stitch on side A, then pass it through the corresponding stitch of side B and out through the middle of that stitch’s neighbor. Bring the yarn back down into the stitch you begin with on side A, then bring it up through the middle of the neighboring stitch. Go back to side B, and continue working back and forth until you reach the end of the paired edges.
Remove the strand of contrasting yarn, or circular needles, from the scarf. Weave the end of the yarn tail into the fabric of the scarf for a couple of inches to keep it from unraveling, then clip any remaining excess yarn as close to your work as possible.
Tip
To turn a loop scarf into a Moebius scarf, which often looks neater and lies flatter when you wrap it around your neck, just flip one of the ends upside-down before you join the scarf. This works best when the scarf is knit with a fully reversible stitch, such as a garter stitch or seed stitch.
Resources
Writer Bio
Lisa Maloney is a travel and outdoors writer based in Anchorage, Alaska. She's written four outdoors and travel guidebooks, including the award-winning "Moon Alaska," and regularly contributes to local and national publications. She also has a background in personal training, with more than 6,000 hours of hands-on experience.
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