Since I first learned to crochet and knit over a holiday break when I was in college, and scarves are what almost everyone starts with, I thought this week would be a good time for an easy (and free) scarf pattern roundup.  So if any of you decided to pick up the sticks or hook over the holidays and now want something a tiny bit more complex, here you go!

I just released a free pattern for that scarf above, called the Waving Chevron Scarf.  Much easier than you might think, it's a basic garter stitch scarf (so you only need the knit stitch, no purling) with simple increases and decreases forming the waving chevron.  And it'll work with any yarn weight and needle size, so you can play around with whatever you have on hand!



If you're new to knitting or crochet, I highly recommend signing up to join ravelry, hands down the best place to find patterns.  A search for free knit scarf patterns brings up 115 pages of results, so I've just picked out an assortment of easy, popular patterns to include in the roundup.  Starting with ImagiKnit's My So Called Scarf - a simple stitch pattern that makes variegated yarn really pop!



Next up, Brooklyn Tweed wrote up a pattern for this super basic concept that gives incredible results - a 1x1 ribbed scarf striping between 2 different balls of Noro self-striping yarn.  And his photography really brings out the best in the Noro Scarf!



Susan on Knit List turned a very basic rib pattern into the Scrunchable Scarf, and glides4fun on flickr made this pretty pink version of it:



Karen Baumer wrote the pattern for the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf, which uses some easy short rows for a really great look, especially when knit with self-striping yarn.  Mollieta on flickr knit this gorgeous version:



The Rainy Day Scarf by Unique One Sweaters and Yarn has a cool wavy pattern created just with knit and purl stitches.



Frazzled Knits has a pattern for an Easy Drop Stitch Scarf, which looks great in a variegated yarn!



Half-Assed Patterns has this Instant Gratification Scarf - "ridiculously easy and quick" sounds good to me!



If you want to try out some cabling, check out SIlver's Palindrome: A Reversible Cable Scarf, which looks the same on front and back:



Another great place to search for free knitting patterns is knitty.com, a seasonal online magazine packed with knitting patterns by independent designers for all skill levels.  All knitty's scarves can be found here.  My first pattern I ever wrote happened to be a scarf published in knitty, called Entwined, with built-in fingerless mitts:



If you want to venture into the world of lace, the Branching Out scarf by Susan Pierce is an easy pattern to try out!



And now, moving on to crochet!  Again, join ravelry if you haven't already, where you'll find 25 pages of free crochet scarf patterns.  A simple but great looking pattern for the Love Scarf by Annette Petavy can be found on crochetme:



Knitting Daily has a pattern for this wavy crocheted scarf called Float Away by Kim Werker, love it!



Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs posted a pattern for this One Hour Scarf, which is made with 4 different reclaimed yarns, yay!



Knitboy1 of Yarn Ball Boogie chained 200 stitches and made this amazing scarf with 5 shades of bulky Lion Brand:



Also on Yarn Ball Boogie, knitboy1 wrote up this "not REALLY a pattern" for Toof, a great striped crochet scarf:



Robyn Chachula designed Zen and the Art of Stash Diving on crochetme, a pretty, lacy scarf:



Coats and Clark has a pattern for this Crochet Cabled Scarf; this one was made by amy_cohas on flickr:



And lastly, The Mermaid's Creations shares the pattern for this cool Sushi Roll Scarf!



If you're new to either knitting or crocheting, don't be scared off by these patterns, you can handle a little complexity!  And if you're more advanced, it's always fun to have a simple project to work on when your mind needs a break, right?  If you have a favorite scarf pattern, share it in the comments, and if you make one you're proud of, show it off here or in the forums!