I wanted to knit something for my son, so what better than a scarf inspired by Harry Potter? I did some online research and learned that the Gryffindor scarf has the same maroon and yellow colors but is knit in different patterns for each year of Hogwarts. Who knew? Apparently this particular pattern is from the Prisoner of Azkaban film. The body of the scarf is 5 feet long, with 12-inch fringe on both ends, so it’s a substantial garment. And so very cool!
The scarf is knit in the round on circular needles. Here it is in progress, about half done.
You can see the alternating stripes and large block of red that make up the pattern.
Fringe detail
Since the scarf is knit in the round, it winds up being two layers and is fairly thick and warm.
Harry Potter Gryffindor Knit Scarf
2-3 skeins Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn, Cranberry (longer scarf requires 3 skeins)
1 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn, Mustard
16-inch circular needle, US size 7 (4.5mm)
Stitch marker
Crochet hook (for fringe)
Finished size: about 8 inches wide x 5-6 feet long (without fringe)
Using red yarn, cast on 70 stitches and place a marker. Being careful not to twist cast on stitches, join and knit in the round, knitting every row.
Pattern:
Knit 30 rows red.
Knit 4 rows yellow.
Knit 4 rows red.
Knit 4 rows yellow.
Repeat this pattern until scarf measures 5-6 feet long, ending with a 30 row block of red. Bind off.
Fringe:
Cut 70 pieces of red yarn, 24 inches long. Lay scarf flat and gently smooth it to make sure scarf is not twisted, and match up the ends evenly. Put the crochet hook through both sides of the end of the scarf. Fold a piece of fringe in half and use crochet hook to pull the looped end through both sides of scarf. Pull both ends of yarn through the loop and pull them snug so the fringe tightens up against the scarf. Repeat, using 35 pieces of fringe for each end of scarf.
Alternative yarns: Knit Picks Swish Worsted or Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Hollyberry and Turmeric.
Here is a good tutorial on making the fringe.
Notes: You can use size 8 or even size 9 needles for slightly larger and more loosely knit scarf.
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this! I want to make Rhys one! But can you believe this kid loves Slytherin?! I can’t believe we’re related! ;P
Hi,
Such a great post! But I was wanting to make this scarf about 12 inches wide rather than 8, so how many more stitches would I need to cast on, and would I still be able to use a 16 inch circular needle or would I need a slightly larger one? If so what size? Sorry about the many questions but any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Amy
Hi – the gauge is about 4.5 stitches per inch, so to make it 12 inches wide (which would be 24 inches total width since it’s knit in the round) you would need 108 stitches. Let me know how it turns out!
Just found this!I’m gonna make a ravenclaw one in dark blue and grey for next fall 🙂 Such a cute pattern.
Want to knit this for my grandson. When you say size 7 needles do you mean metric or American? thanks
Hello! Yes, that size 7 would be American. Thanks for this comment though. I will start to put metric equivalents in my directions. I’m eager to hear how your scarf turns out. ~Missy
Its my first time knitting, so I’m hopping it goes over wll, going to use ravenclaw colours though! Thank you for loading this!
Love this pattern! It looks so much quicker than the last Hogwarts scarf I made and it’s beautiful. Just wondering what cast off method you used before adding on the fringe? Or did you somehow cast off while adding the fringe?
Thanks!
Adriene
Hi Adriene, I used a basic bind-off, then used the attachment of the fringe to close the two sides of the scarf. The fringe acted as a closure. Let me know if you have any more questions. I appreciate this because it helps me to be clearer when writing my patterns.
Hi Missy,
I’m a fairly new knitter and have finished a few projects that require more than 1 color. My question is, when alternating from the main color to the contrasting color should I leave the yarn attached? Will it matter that there would be a big float (I assume not since the wrong side of the work will never show.) I just wanted to double check before I get started on this project. Thanks for uploading this pattern, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and can’t wait to wear a Gryffindor Scarf during the colder months.
Hi Denise, I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner! For this project I carried the yard in the back of the work (it’s so much easier that cutting it and weaving in all those ends) and I wrapped the carried yarn around the working yarn so there wasn’t such a large float in the back of the work. Please let me know how your scarf turns out. I’d love to see photos. Thanks!
For an 8-year-old…could you suggest sizes of needle, cast on, and length? Thank you! Kathy
Hi Kathy, This is just an educated guess, but for a child’s scarf I would use the same needle but cast on maybe 50-56 stitches and only make it 4 feet long. Please let me know how your project turns out. Thanks!
Hi. The pattern requires 70 cast on. I did that and I have the same needle size and length. It was still too short. Do you have any idea how to make it work??
Hi Vivi. Do you mean that the cast on stitches are too short to join in the round? If that is the case, it’s probably because your cast on is too tight (which is very common). Try using larger needles only for your cast on (2-3 sizes larger), then switch to the size 7 when you start to knit. Let me know if that helps. Thanks!
This is a great tutorial on making a loose cast on: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/FEATsum05TT.html
This is a great pattern! What colors from Lion Brand do you recommend for making a Slytherin scarf?
Slytherin House colors are emerald green and silver, and there isn’t a good emerald option in the Wool-Ease. For the emerald color, my best guess would be “Grass” from the Superwash Merino collection. Silver is trickier as metallic yarns tend to be scratchy. I would use a light gray, and knit it with a strand of silver thread for the metallic effect. Or, just use a light gray such as gray heather in Wool-Ease.
Hi, I am going to knit this scarf for my girls but am confused on one part if you could help me!? Pattern says to place marker & join but doesn’t that make it a cowl ? When I look at the pics I don’t see how it’s joined. Help!!
Jen I’m so sorry for the delay in my reply! The scarf is knit in the round, but it makes one long scarf, not a cowl. So the instructions to “place marker and join” refer to when you’re working on your first round and need to join the ends of the cast on the begin working in the round. If you need, here is a tutorial for joining and knitting in the round: http://www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/knitting/on-circular-needles
For some reason I can’t see any of the previous comments, but if anyone is still checking this page out and if it hasn’t been mentioned before.. if you do this flat instead of stitching in the round, you need to do the stockinette stitch, which is knitted and purled alternating each row. I tried to recreate this look with just the knit stitch row after row, turns out that is the garter stitch which looks quite different! Just wanted to throw it out there in case there were any newbie knitters like myself trying to figure out why their scarf looks so different. You need to alternate between rows of knit and purl! I haven’t tried this exactly the way suggested, so I can’t comment if it turns out the same for knitting every row in the round.
Hi Ashling, I’m so sorry – my site isn’t giving me comment notifications so I just saw yours. Yes, your comments are correct – if you need the scarf flat, you need to alternate knit and purl rows to create the stockinette stitch.
Hi! I am a fairly new knitter and i have been searching for basic patterns fro scarves and i have been searching for this particular kind of knit pattern. can i ask what this pattern is called? cause i can’t find the right pattern on youtube and i can only knit a lined pattern and not the one that shapes to ‘v’ on the stitches…
Hello Jeannie! This entire scarf is a plain ordinary knit stitch – nothing fancy. The stitch pattern is called Stockinette Stitch. Normally stockinette is knit on the right side and purled on the wrong side. Because this scarf is knit in the round, you knit every round, which makes it so easy – no purling needed! Please let me know if you need any more help. I’d love to see a photo of your finished project.
Hi! I’m new to knitting and I was wondering if I could use straight knitting needles for those? How different would it be compared to circular ones?
Hello! Congratulations on learning to knit. It’s a wonderful craft that brings joy and warmth to so many, and is highly addictive! Because this scarf is knit in the round, making it on straight needles would not work for this project. To knit it on straight needles, you would cast on only half the stitches and work back and forth in a stockinette stitch (knit one row and purl the next row). Stockinette has a tendency to curl at the edge, so I would modify it like this:
Cast on 35 stitches.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: knit 5, purl 25, knit 5
**Repeat these two rows for the entire length of the scarf, while maintaining the color changes throughout.
Best of luck with your scarf, and please let me know how it turns out.
Wow thank you for your quick reply! I will surely try to make it during my reading week 🙂
So I just got my first pair of circular needles, and when I finish on my last stitch, do I need to swap needles from left to right? But by doing so I will have purl on 1 side and knit on 1 side, while your pattern has knit on both side, how is this possible?
Mhmmm or you work into rounds and that’s how u end up with the purl inside?
Yes keep working in the round, so you’re knitting all the stitches, around and around. No need to turn your work and do any purls, and you have no side seams – you’re knitting a tube. Keep me posted on your progress.
Hi there, ive just stumbled across this and love your instructions, I’m going to make a ravenclaw version for my friend!
One quick question as I have only ever knitted on straight needles: when knitting in the round does the scarf naturally join together or do you still have to sew it down the length side? Like does the scarf end up like a tube with open ends and then you just used the tassles to seal the ends?
Hope that makes sense, I’m not really sure how knitting in the round works, who knew knitting could be so confusing!
Hi Karla,
Knitting can be confusing, so thank goodness there is help available! Since this scarf is knit in the round, there is no opening at the sides that needs to be sewn up. And yes, it winds up like a long tube that is open at the top and bottom, and the fringe tassels are used to close the ends.
Here is a helpful video on how to join in the round: https://youtu.be/E0O82kpcMY4
Please let me know if you have any other questions, and I’d love to see a photo of your finished scarf.
I just made a Ravenclaw scarf but forgot to take a photo before I gave it away – oops!
Happy knitting!
~Missy
I tried knitting the Harry Potter scarf straight and joined the sides making a centre back seam. It worked well until I sewed it up. I sewed the top and bottom together, then had a problem hooking in the fringes. I had to crochet a thin strip at each end on which to fasten the fringes. I now have a passable scarf with rather stiff, bulky ends! I really must learn how to use circular needles as it is the best way to knit a double layered scarf.
Thank you for this! My boss keeps joking he wants me to make him a Gryffindor scarf for Christmas, since I knit/crochet at work, all the time. Well guess what? I just picked his name for secret Santa! So here comes his scarf! Thank you!! You’re a life saver!!
I am a fairly new knitter and got pretty far until I somehow crossed stitches. After starting over it is now starting to curl. I redid this 8 times. Any tips on how to get this to stop curling? Would a border help and even look right? Please help!
Hi I am going to knit this for my grandson for Christmas but need some alternative wool measurements for UK I can see its 4 ply wool but can you tell me how many grams are in a ball. Many Thanks
do you have a hat pattern for harry potter?
About how long would you say this scarf took you? I have time to spend on knitting, but not too much, and I don’t want to be left empty handed trying to find a gift. Thank you in advance!
Hi Missy!
I’ve been learning the basics of knitting the last few days as I’m sick long term I figured I needed a hobby that I can do laying down. I want to knit my dad a scarf – Slytherin, only as it’s his business colours (I swear).
Anyway I’m finding getting ahold of 4 ply yarn where I live difficult. I’ve found 8 ply that I love the colours of. My question is, is 8 ply too think to do on circular needles? Should I knit flat instead? I’ve just knitted a flat gryffindor one the last few days so I’m more interested in circular and love the more…3D look.
If I do circular should I half the number I cast on because of the thicker yarn?
Or should I order 4 ply online?
Thank you! Sorry for all the questions!
Hello! I’ve just stumbled across your pattern and intend to make 2 scarves for children. As it’s 2 years since someone last commented, I’m not sure you’ll see this, but it’s worth a try. Being in the UK, I don’t think I can get the wool you recommend – I am confused by its description (4-ply worsted). Worsted is 10-ply like an Arran wool, while 4-ply is thinner than a double knit. How thick is the wool you used?
Also what width of scarf would you make for a 7 / 8 year old?
Hi Danielle,
I sincerely apologize that I didn’t see your comment earlier! I get notifications, but missed yours :/
I understand the confusion on yarn thickness terminology. I so wish it was uniform around the world.
The wool I used is basically a thin Aran weight.
For a child that age, I would make it about 16cm wide.
I hope you’ve been able to make your scarf, and I will definitely respond sooner to any more messages from you.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I don’t update it like I used to, but am grateful for all of you and do my best to support your creative endeavors.
~Missy
I am trying to find wool for a Ravenclaw scarf. Please would you tell me which wool you chose – silver or bronze?
Hello!
For Ravenclaw, I would choose silver. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy knitting!
Can this be done on a circle loom?
Hi Jason, Knitting this scart on a circle loom is actually a brilliant idea! I think it would work well.
Hello, thank you for a wonderful pattern! I made my brother one in slytherin colors. I am an experienced knitter but surprisingly have never done a project with a fringe! Would you block the scarf before putting the fringe on or after? Thank you!
Hi Shannon, I would block the scarf before putting on the fringe. If you use man-made fiber, you can quickly steam block with an iron, as normal blocking won’t have any effect on acrylic yarn. Happy knitting!