Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Scarves & Wraps 4 Laid out for paper No account, no download
How to crochet a two-color zigzag scarf
Two-color zigzag scarf, 15 rows, 3.5mm hook. 65 x 10 inches, adjustable.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- DK
- Hook
- 3.50 mm
- Rounds
- 4
DK
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
4
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This scarf is built from a single foundation chain of 60 stitches, worked flat in rows so that clusters of double crochet stitches and ch-3 spaces stack into a repeating zigzag across the width. Two colors of three-ply wool play the peaks and valleys against each other over 15 rows total. Before you sit down with it, have both colors wound and ready, a 3.50 mm hook to hand, and a clear read of the first row, since every later row depends on that same cluster spacing.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Miscounting the 60-chain foundation
- Count the starting chain in groups of ten before turning to Row 1, since a short or long chain throws off every cluster repeat that follows.
- Skipping the wrong number of chains at the start
- Skip exactly 3 chains before the first dc in the 4th chain from the hook, every row, or the first peak of the zigzag will sit off-center.
- Uneven stitch count inside each cluster
- Confirm 2 dc, then ch 3, then 3 dc land in the same stitch each time; recount the repeat if the zigzag points start to lean.
The materials list
- Three-ply wool yarn in two colors
- Size 3.50 mm crochet hook
- Scissors
- Yarn needle
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 4 short forms
Measurements
Length: 65 inches (adjustable)
Width: 10 inches (adjustable)
Abbreviations: ch: chain st: stitch dc: double crochet sl st: slip stitch Pattern
Round 1
Ch 60. Skip 3 ch, dc in 4th ch from hook. 2 dc in same ch, 3 ch, 3 dc in same ch. Repeat from to across row.Turn.
Round 2
Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in each of the next 2 dcs. Skip next 3 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs.Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Repeat from to across row.Ch 3, turn.After Row 3: Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs.Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Repeat from to across row.Ch 3, turn.
Round 4
Skip next 5 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Repeat from to across row.Ch 3, turn.
Round 5
Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Skip next 2 dcs, dc in next 3 dcs. Repeat from to across row.Ch 3, turn.For Row 6: Dc in each of the next 3 dcs.3 ch, 3 dc in same ch. Repeat from to across row.Turn.Repeat Rows 2-6 until desired length is reached.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Fasten off and weave in ends.
Step 2(Optional) Add tassels or fringe to the ends of the scarf.
Check these before you start
- The 3.50 mm hook is sized to keep the ch-3 spaces open enough for the zigzag to read clearly; sizing down will tighten the points and shorten the finished width.
- Place a marker at the first stitch of each row if you are working the two colors in stripes, so you always know which side to pick the next color up from.
- Keep tension even across each 3-dc cluster; a loose cluster next to a tight one will throw off the zigzag line more than an uneven row length will.
On one line
| Rounds | 4 |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 3.50 mm |
| Yarn | DK |
Set-up
- Check that you have enough yarn in both colors for a 65-inch length before winding a single ball into use, since the scarf runs long and adjustments to length change how much you need.
- Work a small swatch of the dc and ch-3 cluster repeat first to see how wide your zigzag sits at 3.50 mm, since width is listed as adjustable and depends on your tension.
- Read Row 1 in full before starting the chain, so the skip-3, dc-in-4th-ch, and ch-3-space sequence is clear in your head before you commit to 60 chains.
- Decide up front where the two colors change if you plan stripes rather than solid rows, and have a plan for carrying or cutting yarn at the row ends.
Finishing
- Fasten off and weave in every end, including any carried between color changes, so no tails show through the open ch-3 spaces.
- Block the scarf flat to open the zigzag repeat evenly along the full 65-inch length and 10-inch width before wearing it.
- Add tassels or fringe to both short ends if you want them, once blocking has set the shape.
Construction
The zigzag comes from working 2 dc plus a ch-3 space in the same stitch at set intervals along the row; each of those repeats is one peak, and the skipped stitches between them fall as the valleys.
The scarf is worked flat, turning at the end of every one of its 15 rows, because the cluster pattern has to be read and placed row by row across the 60-chain width rather than joined in the round.
Time per section
| Foundation chain and Row 1 | about 20 minutes because chaining 60 stitches and reading the first cluster repeat takes more care than later rows |
|---|---|
| Rows 2 through 15 | about 3 to 4 hours because 14 more rows repeat the same dc and ch-3 cluster pattern across the full width |
| Finishing and optional fringe | about 30 minutes because weaving in ends from two colors and adding fringe are the only steps left |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.