This is a free crochet pattern and video tutorial showing how to crochet the Shay Scarf, an easy single crochet scarf in bold and fun color blocks. There are 4 sizes included so you can make one for everybody in the family.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on them, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I love and hope you’ll love them too! Click here to find out about the different affiliate programs I am apart of. This post also contains shop links to my yarn shop and craft store, Yarn Crafts & Coffee.
Find the free crochet pattern instructions below, or purchase a printer-friendly, ad-free PDF on Ravelry by clicking here.
In a hurry? Pin this for later when you have more time!
I found myself one evening looking for a fun, easy project that I could do while cuddling with my cats and watching TV. I knew I wanted it to be a scarf, so I looked at my yarn stash to see what colorway/s I had that would be enough, and the purple section caught my eye. I love working color blocked patterns, and I really liked the idea of an ombre effect, especially since the darker color is a harder one to photograph in an entire project by itself, so it worked out perfectly! I grabbed the 3 purples I had, and went to work.
You can work this scarf in a solid color, in the color blocks shown, or in stripes! Perfect project for stashbusting.
Shay is an easy crochet line that features simple single crochet stitches. This is a beginner friendly series, and this scarf is great project to pair with watching your favorite TV show or movie. Use a soft tape measure to measure as you go, and stop at the length desired. Working in a color block pattern, you’ll want to count once you’ve reached this measurement just to make sure the blocks are of even rows.
Find more Shay accessory and home decor crochet patterns on EyeLoveKnots, and Shay accessory and wearables crochet patterns here on Cre8tion Crochet.
Make a matching Shay Clutch, also worked in simple single crochet stitches.
Looking for another easy scarf crochet pattern? Try out the Brett Haylee Scarf!
Behind the Scenes of Cre8tion Crochet:
With my two biggest fans, Callie and Shiloh <3
This scarf is part of the Back to Basics Crochet Event 2026 hosted by Yarn Crafts & Coffee featuring single crochet patterns.
Ad-Free Printer Friendly PDF:
Cre8tion Crochet newsletter subscribers get access to Exclusive Subscriber Content, like the free PDF of this pattern via the Free File Library – you’ll find the tab on the top menu. The library is password protected so sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive a Welcome email containing this month’s password, or if you are already a blog subscriber, reference your latest newsletter for this month’s password. From the library, you’ll be able to access the PDFs via Google Drive – you do not need to have a Google Drive account to view and download the PDF.
From 10/22/26 through 10/26/26 at 11:59pm EST, you can grab a free copy of the PDF for the Shay Scarf on Ravelry using code COLORBLOCK26. I earn my income from the number of pageviews my blog sees, so please do not share the code, but instead share the link to this post so others can find it. Thank you!
If you would like a PDF version of this post, you may get one through either my Etsy Shop, Ravelry Shop or LoveCrafts Shop for a small fee. This fee is to compensate for the views lost when you no longer need to return to the blog to for the information, as you will have your own copy. In a hurry? Pin this for later when you have more time!
Save this to Your Favorites On: AllFreeCrochet, FaveCrafts, Crochet Pattern Bonanza, Cheap Thrifty Living, DIYideaCenter, AllFreeHolidayCrafts, Free Crochet Tutorials
What Supplies Do I Need to Crochet a Single Crochet Scarf?
- 135 (270, 390, 600) Yards of Worsted Weight Yarn in Total
- H8/5mm Crochet Hook
- Tapestry Needle
- Scissors
- Optional: Soft Tape Measure
Yarn Talk:
For my purple scarf, I divided the colors evenly by 3 to have big, bold blocks of color. I used Red Heart Super Saver in Dark Orchid, Medium Purple & Orchid colorways; Respectively it’s 45 (90, 130, 200) Yards per color block to do the same.
Feel free to use any worsted weight yarn from your stash – pick your favorite! If the finished size is essential to you, then check your gauge, but if not, then just start crocheting – you can even go up to a #5 chunky weight yarn for an oversized, cozy scarf.
I picked Red Heart Super Saver because I wanted to use yarn that I had in my stash already, and after the first wash, it gets softer and cozier, plus it works just fine for keeping warm in cold Florida weather. When choosing your yarn, keep in mind when you’ll use your scarf and the level of warmth you would like it to have.
As a cold weather scarf, animal fibers are better for keeping warm against the wind, and while alpaca works great, my go-to is always a 100% superwash merino wool, like WeCrochet Swish Yarn or Cascade 220 Superwash, or a wool and acrylic blend, like Lion Brand Wool Ease or Cascade Pacific. These that I’ve mentioned hold up well to wear and tear and machine washing and drying. Acrylic yarns do okay in cool weather as long as it’s not that windy, otherwise, the wind goes right through them, but the nice thing about this scarf is that the stitches are tighter with less gap in between so it does do better with the wind. If you prefer a cotton yarn, use a cotton blend for added durability, like Lion Brand Made with Love.
If you have concerns about using Red Heart Super Saver and similar because of the roughness and stiffness of the fabric, I have a couple tips!
- If the yarn is too rough for your hands to crochet with, remove the skein wrapper, place the skein into a mesh lingerie bag, then machine wash it by itself on the gentle cycle in cold water with a mild detergent. Once it’s finished, toss it into the dryer on low heat – you may need to run it through 2 – 3 times to get the center dry.
- To add softness and better drape to the finished piece, crochet in it’s entirety and weave in the ends, then wash and dry in the same manner (with or without the lingerie bag) or simply dry once with a dryer sheet.
Tools & Notions:
We have lots of great crochet hooks in our Yarn Crafts and Coffee Yarn Shop. The most popular, and preferred by Candace and Emily, are the Clover Amour Crochet Hooks with the soft handles and smooth metal hook. Alexandra prefers metal crochet hooks with large, ergonomic clay handles and just loves the fun designs from SiennasBowtique and BronzeShepherdStudio! If your preference is wood, the LYKKE brand are lovely, smooth and sturdy.
Tapestry Needles with the blunt, round end are essential for sewing and finishing in crocheting. The blunt, rounded end allows the needle to pass easily through the fabric created by yarn without snagging (or getting your fingers) in the process. Aside from the more common Straight Tapestry Needle, a Bent Tip Tapestry Needle makes weaving, grafting and sewing so much easier on the hands. The long oval eye makes threading strands of yarn easier, though you may still want to use a needle threader.
Scissors are an essential tool. When I’m working on the go, I like to carry a pair of folding scissors as they fit perfectly in even the tiniest of bags. When I am working at home or have more space in my bag for a larger notions pouch, I like to use a pair of lightweight, all-purpose scissors as they are so versatile and great for a variety of things from cutting yarn strands and trimming yarn ends after weaving in to cutting out a care tag to include with a handmade gift.
Keep a tape measure handy if gauge is essential to you, or you want to measure as you go (rather than counting rows).
How Long Does it Take to Crochet a Single Crochet Scarf?
I worked up the adult small size in just over five and a half hours.
Measurements:
- Toddler: 4 1/8″ by 31″
- Child: 5 3/4″ by 45 3/4″
- Adult Small: 6 1/4″ by 60 1/2″
- Adult Large: 7 1/8″ by 70 5/8″
Gauge (Not Essential):
Measure the width of the scarf after about 6-8 rows, and it will equal, respectively about: 3 1/2″, 5 1/4″, 5 3/4″, 6 1/2″.
Abbreviations (US Terms):
- SC – Single Crochet (Photo Tutorial)
Pattern Notes:
The beginning chain 1 does not count as a stitch.
I did add a border to my scarf for a more finished edging, but you do not need to add one. If you opt not to work a border, add two chains to the beginning to add two stitches to the width, and one row to the height. This way the scarf comes out to about the same finished size.
Working in the color block pattern, change colors in the last yarn over of the previous stitch to match the next color section. I also changed colors within the border to match the color blocks along the edges, but you can also just do one colorway all the way around.
Color Block Single Crochet Scarf Video Tutorial:
Solid Color Single Crochet Scarf, Written Crochet Pattern:
Chain 14 (20, 22, 25). SC into the 2nd chain, and each chain across. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
R2 – 129 (192, 255, 298): Chain 1, turn. SC into the 1st SC, and each SC across. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
Checkpoint: Your scarf should currently be 1/2” smaller than your desired finished size.
Proceed to the Border.
Color Block Single Crochet Scarf, Written Crochet Pattern:
Note: For my scarf, Color A was Dark Orchid, Color B was Medium Purple and Color C was Orchid.
In Color A, chain 14 (20, 22, 25). SC into the 2nd chain, and each chain across. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
R2 – 43 (64, 85, 99): Chain 1, turn. SC into the 1st SC, and each SC across. Switch to Color B and fasten off Color A. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
R44 – 86 (65 – 128, 86 – 170, 100 – 198): In Color B, chain 1, and turn. SC into the 1st SC, and each SC across. Switch to Color C and fasten off Color B. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
R87 – 129 (129 – 192, 171 – 255, 199 – 298): In Color C, chain 1, and turn. SC into the 1st SC, and each SC across. [13 (19, 21, 24) SC]
Checkpoint: Your scarf should currently be 1/2” smaller than your desired finished size.
Proceed to the Border.
Border Notes:
The border is optional, but I like to work one to give a more finished look.
I am working a simple single crochet round, but you can change that stitch up to any that you like, or add additional rounds to the border.
As written, my corners will be more of a squared corner. Another way you can do this is (SC, HDC, SC) into the same stitch. For a more rounded corner, you can work a (SC, chain 1, SC) or 3 SCs into the same stitch.
I finished my scarf with a slip stitch join, but you could also finish your scarf with an invisible join, which creates a clean, consistent look. Either way, this stitch will count as the final stitch for the border.
As you work the border, if it begins to ruffle (caused from a change in tension), then you can go down a crochet hook size (to a G6/4.25mm) to work the border, or block the finished scarf.
Border:
Border – Work in a solid color, or change yarn colors to match the color blocks:
Chain 1, turn. SC into the first stitch, and each stitch across, (SC, chain 2, SC) into the last stitch to form a corner, evenly SC (that’s 1 stitch per row) down the side of the scarf to the last stitch, (SC, chain 2, SC) into the last stitch to form a corner, SC across the opposite side of the foundation chain over to the last stitch, (SC, chain 2, SC) into the last stitch to form a corner, evenly SC (that’s 1 stitch per row) up the side of the scarf to the first stitch. SC into the same stitch as the first, then slip stitch join to the 1st SC.
Fasten off, and weave in the tail ends.
Feel free to use this information to make and sell your own items. When sharing, designer credit is appreciated, but not required. All Cre8tion Crochet Patterns, Photos and PDF’s are protected under copyright. They are not to be copied, distributed or sold – doing so is copyright infringement and stealing! DO NOT copy and paste my pattern anywhere, and DO NOT share the written pattern with others, share the link to the pattern instead so others can find it themselves.
Join one of our awesome Facebook groups to share your creations, and see what others are up to!
– Yarn Crafts & Coffee Community
– DIY Home On Rockwood Lane
– Alexandra Lane Lifestyle
Leave a Reply