How to Knit a Scarf on a Loom

Co-authored by Suzi Quillen

Last Updated: February 10, 2024

Knitting looms create neat looking garments without the hassle of using knitting needles, counting stitches, and using knitting patterns. You can easily make a scarf with a knitting loom, and it is a great project for beginners. Try making a scarf for yourself or as a gift for a friend!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Casting Onto the Loom

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1
Collect materials and tools for making the scarf. To knit a scarf on a loom, a few special materials and tools are needed: ^{[1]
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- A rectangular loom. 24 peg loom or larger - only the first 24 pegs (top and bottom combined) of any loom will be used. Place the loom on a table or other sturdy surface. This makes weaving a scarf with a loom easier.
- Yarn. Use a super bulky yarn or two strands of medium worsted weight yarn held together.
- Loom tool. This is a hook that comes with the loom. If you do not have a loom tool, use a crochet hook instead.
- Scissors.
- Tapestry or yarn needle.
To start making a scarf on a loom, make a slipstitch. Loop the yarn around the fingers twice, and pull the first loop over the second loop. Keep the loop on the fingers and tighten it by pulling on the tail of the yarn. ^{[2]
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The anchor peg is on the side with one at each end of a rectangular loom. Loop the slipstitch around this peg and pull the tail to tighten it and hold it in place. ^{[3]
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4
Wrap the yarn around the first peg of the lower row. The lower row is the row closest to you. Enter the loom through the middle, between the two rows of pegs. Wrap the yarn around the inside of the first peg on the lower row of the loom. Bring the yarn clockwise around the outside of the peg and back in towards the center. The yarn should form an upside-down cursive letter “e” around the peg.
- Wrap the peg tightly to maintain tension. This keeps the finished scarf looking neat.
Bring the yarn up towards first peg in the upper row. Wrap the yarn anticlockwise around the outside of the peg and back in towards the center. A figure eight shape forms between the upper and lower pegs. ^{[4]
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Continue wrapping the yarn around the pegs, repeating the sequence used for the first two pegs. Do this until all but the last peg on the upper row is wrapped. ^{[5]
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7
Loop the yarn around last peg in the opposite direction. On the last peg, wrap the yarn around the peg in the opposite direction. Bring the yarn straight up from the bottom peg, and then around the peg. ^{[6]
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- Hold end of the yarn taut with fingers.
- This will set up for completing the next round of wrapping.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Working the Loops Off the Loom

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1
Press down on the stitches. Before wrapping in the opposite direction, press down on the yarn between the pegs with the side of the hand. This moves the loops down on the pegs and creates room to loop the yarn around each of the pegs again. ^{[7]
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- There should be some resistance when pressing down on the yarn. This indicates good tension, which will result in a neat looking finished scarf. If the yarn feels loose or has already slid to the peg bottom on its own, then the pegs are not wrapped tightly enough. In this case, you may need to start over.
Each peg (except for the last peg wrapped) will need to have two loops on it before working the loops off the loom. To make a second pass, bring the yarn down from the last peg wrapped and around it in the same direction as the yarn from the previous pass. Bring the yarn up to the next peg moving back towards the beginning of the loom. ^{[8]
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3
Loop last peg in the opposite direction. Keep wrapping the yarn around the pegs in the same direction as first round of loops until the last peg (the first peg wrapped on the first pass). Wrap this peg from the opposite direction. ^{[9]
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- After wrapping the last peg, hold the yarn in place with fingers or wrap it around the anchor peg on this side of the loom.
4
Use loom tool to lift bottom loops over top loops. When each peg in the row is wrapped twice (except for last peg on upper end of the loom) begin working the bottom row of loops off the loom. Insert loom tool through the bottom loop on the last peg in lower row. Bring the loop up and over the other loop on the peg to knit it. ^{[10]
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- After knitting the first loop on the lower row, repeat for the bottom loop on the upper row. Return to the lower row going back and forth to knit the loops until the end of the row.
- When finished working the first round of loops off the loom, only one stitch is on each of the pegs.
5
Repeat process to the desired length. Continue the process of wrapping the yarn around the pegs and working back and forth across rows to knit the loops. Continue until scarf is the length desired. ^{[11]
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- After a few rows, knit material comes through the bottom of the loom. Measure the knitted material to determine where the scarf will end.
- Four rows creates 1” (2.5 cm) of knit material. For a scarf five feet long or 60” (152 cm), knit about 240 rows on the loom.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Binding Off

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When scarf length is reached, bind it off. Bind off by working from right to left after knitting a row of loops and there is one loop on each peg. Lay the working yarn across the middle of the loom. ^{[12]
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2
Lift stitch off the last upper peg. With loom tool, lift the loop off of the upper peg. Keep this loop on the loom tool. ^{[13]
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- A crochet hook can be used for this part. This can be easier than using the loom tool because the crochet hook has a curved end.
Bring loom tool with upper peg loop still on it over to the lower peg. Lift the loop off from the lower peg and onto the tool. Two loops are on the loom tool or hook. ^{[14]
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4
Move the upper peg stitch. With finger, bring the upper peg stitch over the lower peg stitch. Slide upper peg stitch off of the end of the tool or hook. Only one loop is on the hook. ^{[15]
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- One or both of the loops can slide off the hook if using the loom tool for this part, which is why using a crochet hook is easier.
5
Work back and forth to bind off the entire row. After knitting the first loop, go to the next peg on the upper row and pick up the loop onto the tool or hook. Slide the first loop over the second loop again. ^{[16]
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- Bind off loops in this fashion until the end of the loom is reached.
At the end of the row the last loop from the loom is knitted. Loop the working yarn around the loom tool or hook and pull it through the second loop on the tool or hook. Pull to create a large loop and cut the loop in the center. Remove the loose yarn and pull the tail to secure the end of the scarf.
7
Weave in the ends. After creating the end tail, weave it into the end of the scarf to hide it and secure it. Thread the yarn through the eye of a tapestry or yarn needle. Use the needle to weave the yarn through the edge of the scarf. Bring the yarn through each of the stitches on the end of the scarf pulling the yarn taut each time.
- When the yarn cannot be woven any more, then tie off the yarn and cut off the excess.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is this any different from knitting a hat with a loom?

Loki

Community Answer

You use a circular loom instead of a rectangular one, and there are different knitting techniques depending on which patterns you want to use.

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If I have no yarn, can I use thick XXL wool?

T. Chinsen

Top Answerer

Any yarn type can be used to make a scarf. Constructing a scarf with XXL yarn on a loom can work only if the loom has enough space to fit the yarn around the pegs. It will not knit over the peg if the strand completely fills the space between the pegs.

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Use a multicolor yarn or two yarn strands in different colors to create a multicolor scarf.

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Things You’ll Need

Rectangular loom with 24 pegs or more
Yarn
Loom tool or crochet hook
Scissors
Tapestry needle or yarn needle

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How to Knit a Scarf on a Loom

Steps

Casting Onto the Loom

Working the Loops Off the Loom

Binding Off

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

Things You’ll Need

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