Embracing & Sending Love: Two Free Knitting Scarf Patterns for Valentine's Day

In this blog post, we explore the creation of two luxurious scarves, "Embracing Love" and "Sending Love," inspired by the desire for warmth and style reminiscent of fashion magazines and boutique shops. The scarves are crafted using DK weight alpaca yarn, chosen for its softness and drape, and worked on US 17 circular knitting needles for a quick and cozy result.

The patterns provided are intentionally basic, allowing knitters to embrace their creativity and customize their scarves according to their preferences. Both scarves feature simple yet elegant designs, with "Embracing Love" showcasing large blocks of color interspersed with contrasting stripes, while "Sending Love" opts for a thicker fabric and a close-to-the-face fit, perfect for chilly days.

Throughout the post, the emphasis is on empowering knitters to experiment with color, texture, and technique, encouraging them to make each scarf uniquely their own. Instructions for each pattern are provided, along with tips for customization and adaptation.

Ultimately, this blog post serves as an invitation to embrace creativity, indulge in the joy of knitting, and share in the warmth and love that handmade scarves bring. Whether you're a seasoned knitter or just starting out, these patterns offer a canvas for self-expression and a cozy accessory to cherish.

Enjoy these two free knitting patterns!

These two scarves were created out of a want for a really lux scarf that looked like the ones i would see in some magazines and anthropologie. The ones where the girl has it wrapped around it while she wears a large beige coat and glasses. You know the vibe! When I was picking through what I had, I discovered I had a lovely amount of alpaca yarn that was waiting for a project, but in DK.

Last month I established for myself that I am no longer dyeing skinny yarn for my shop. DK weight was my cut off for me. I dyed them up in some of my favorite colors and skeined them up to cast on. The idea came together to double them because I grabbed a pair of 17 US needles for this project. A single strand wouldn't look good at all, but held double? Perfect. You can easily make three scarves if you use five skeins: one longer one and two short. 

This pattern is pretty basic for a reason. I want you to be able to create and have fun. In this pattern, I am giving you the bare bones and idea behind what you should do. Everything else is fully up to you, as it should be! I know you will create something beautiful. 

There is no gauge swatch for either of these scarves. You can easily cast on your stitches, fold in half and see if it is wide enough to your liking, please keep in mind the fibers within your stash and how you can show once blocked. But for the most part because of the type of scarves you will be knitting, it is easy to have some fluid perception within the gauge of these projects.

Cast on 44 stitches with the long tail cast on method. 

Connect in a round, mark the beginning of the round with your stitch marker 

From here on out you will be using the knit stitch and creating stockinette throughout the whole scarf. 

Once you have reached your desired length, seam both your bottom and top together to create an infinity scarf. 

Personally I casted off one end and lined it up with the other open end to do a mattress stitch. But how you end your scarf is all up to you. 

The idea behind this scar is to knit up large blocks of color with a single stripe of contracting color within it. 

For example:

Knit 5 rows of your MC

Knit 1 row of CC #1

Knit 2 rows of your MC

Knit 1 row of CC #2

Knit 5 rows of your MC

This creates a cool stripe effect within your garment. You can also just knit blocks of straight color with no striping, or create large blocks of stripping within this pattern as well. It is all up to you how you’d like to create your own scarf.  

I created this pattern because we all need a close to the face kind of scarf! I didn't want to do any double knitting, instead I did another piece that is in the round. It creates a much thicker fabric to keep the cold out. It is also a shorter piece and perfect for scrap knitting and a project to stuff in a bag and take with you. 

Cast on 44 stitches with the long tail cast on method. 

Connect in a round, mark the beginning of the round with your stitch marker 

From here on out you will be using the knit stitch and creating stockinette throughout the whole scarf. 

Once you have reached your desired length, seam both your bottom and top together to create an infinity scarf. 

Personally I casted off one end and lined it up with the other open end to do a mattress stitch. But how you end your scarf is all up to you. 

The pattern is k2 in MC, k1 in CC. 

You are free to play with this as you like, keeping in mind how much you have of your scrap yarn and what you want your colors to be.