Dropped Stitch Scarf Knitting Pattern

A reader recently asked on my circular knitting machine dropped stitch scarf knitting pattern if I had a version for regular knitting. I didn’t, but I figured it could be done with needles just as well as the machine. I tried it out and this is the result.

I used a bamboo yarn, making this scarf perfect for transitional weather when it’s a little cool in the evenings or the mornings. It’s a surprisingly fast project and doesn’t take a lot of yarn to make a really long scarf.

Materials

For my scarf I used about 202 yards of Southwest Trading Company Bamboo, a DK/light/3 weight, 100 percent bamboo yarn that’s long been discontinued (I’m not sure the company even exists anymore). This dropped stitch scarf knitting pattern would be great worked in wool, acrylic, or just about any yarn you like. You can also use a heavier or lighter weight of yarn if you want, just make sure you use a corresponding needle size.

I used a size 7 US/4.5 mm 16-inch long circular knitting needle. If you don’t have a needle short enough for all your stitches to fit on, you can use two circulars, do magic loop with one long needle, or even use double pointed needles if you’d rather.

You’ll also need scissors and a yarn needle for finishing the project. A stitch marker is also helpful.

Want a PDF version of this pattern? You can grab it here.

Gauge

Gauge is not critical, but if you want to make a custom size it’s helpful to know how many stitches per inch/2.5 cm you’re getting with your yarn and needles and how much bigger dropping stitches makes your swatch.

My full swatch was 24 stitches and 30 rounds and it came out to 4.5 by almost 4 inches (11.4 by 10 cm) and when I dropped stitches it grew to 5 inches/12.7 cm wide by 9 inches/22.8 cm long. That’s an increase of 125 percent, which is the calculation I based my measurements on.

Size

The scarf actually came out bigger than I expected, at 102 inches/2.83 yards/2.5 meters long and about 4 inches/10 cm wide. If you want yours to be shorter you can knit a smaller piece to start with.

Add this project to your Ravelry queue.

Dropped Stitch Scarf Knitting Pattern

Using the needle of your choice, cast on 48 stitches. I used the crochet cast on, but I think any cast on would be OK. This one just felt like the stitches were not going to drop right out of it. Join for working int the round, being careful not to twist your cast on. Place a stitch marker to note the end of the round.

Knit in stockinette stitch (knit every stitch of every round) until piece measures 32 inches/81 cm.

On the next round, knit the first stitch. Drop the second stitch, but grab the top strand made by the stitch when you drop it and knit that.

Repeat this around, knitting a stitch and dropping a stitch. If you used an even number of stitches like I did, you’ll end with a dropped stitch.

The stitches will start dropping on their own, but not as much as you think.

Pull on the bottom of the scarf to get them to drop more quickly.

Bind off loosely. I used the knit 2 together through the back loop method.

I wanted to make mine a loop like the original, so I left a long tail when I finished my bind off and used it to sew the cast on and bind off together.

I did this just by stitching under the chain of the cast on and bind off respectively. Make sure you’re stitching in a loop and not attaching the wrong sides of the project to each other. Also be careful when you start if you don’t want a permanent twist in your project.

This seam is visible but you can always wear it at the back. If you don’t want a loop just sew the ends of the tube closed.

I like this dropped stitch scarf because you can loop it around a few times but it still doesn’t feel hot or heavy. It’s slower than the machine knit version of course, but still pretty fast and would make a great knit gift.

If you like it, like this project on Ravelry! Or get the PDF version.