Zig Zag Tweed Scarf in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool - 80953AD

Zig Zag Tweed Scarf in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool – Free Knitting Pattern (80953AD)

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Lion Brand Yarn guides knitters through creating a striking Zig Zag Tweed Scarf with a satisfying, rhythmic construction that produces a bold zigzag silhouette. Rated as an Easy skill level project, it is an excellent choice for knitters who have mastered the basics and are ready to explore simple shaping techniques. The finished scarf measures approximately 6 x 60 inches (15 x 152.5 cm), making it a generously sized accessory suitable for year-round gifting or personal wear.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single long, textured scarf with a distinctive zig zag shape created entirely through strategic increases and decreases along one edge. Rather than working a straight rectangle, the knitter builds and reduces the stitch count in a repeating cycle, which causes the fabric to angle back and forth, forming the characteristic zigzag profile. The result is a visually dynamic accessory that looks far more complex than the simple techniques required to make it.

Materials Used

• Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in Oak Tweed – 150 to 200 yards, one ball. This is a workhorse yarn known for its durability, natural fiber content, and earthy tweed tones that add organic texture and visual depth to the finished fabric.
• Knitting Needles: Lion Brand Knitting Needles, Size 10.5 (6.5 mm). The larger needle size, combined with a doubled strand of yarn, creates a fabric with good drape and a pleasingly chunky hand.
• Finishing Tools: Large-Eye Blunt Needles (set of 6) for weaving in ends.

Key Techniques and Construction Method

One of the most important construction notes in this pattern is that the scarf is worked with two strands of yarn held together throughout. Before casting on, knitters are instructed to wind the single ball of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool into two separate balls so that both ends can be worked simultaneously. This double-stranding technique not only speeds up the knitting process but also produces a denser, warmer, and more substantial fabric than a single strand would yield.

The scarf begins with a simple cast on of just 2 stitches and grows through repeated increase rows before being shaped back down through decrease rows. This cycle of building up and reducing stitch counts continues until the piece reaches the full 60-inch length, at which point the remaining stitches are decreased to a close. The construction is entirely flat knitting, worked back and forth in rows.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques Used

• Garter Stitch (k every row): The entire scarf body is worked in garter stitch, meaning every row is simply knitted. Garter stitch creates a squishy, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges on both sides, making it ideal for a scarf that will be seen from all angles. The gauge for this pattern is set at 14 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch with two strands held together.
• Kfb (Knit Front and Back) – Increase: This is the primary increase stitch used throughout the pattern. To work a kfb, the knitter knits into the front of the next stitch without removing it from the left needle, then knits through the back loop of the same stitch before sliding it off. This creates one additional stitch and is used at the end of every increase row to build the stitch count from 9 stitches up to 19 stitches per zigzag cycle.
• K2tog (Knit Two Together) – Decrease: This standard right-leaning decrease is used on every decrease row to reduce the stitch count back down. The knitter inserts the needle through two stitches simultaneously and knits them as one, neatly eliminating a stitch. The decrease rows bring the count from 19 stitches back down to 9 stitches, completing one full zigzag repeat.

Pattern Structure and Shaping

The zigzag pattern follows a clear and repetitive rhythm that makes it easy to memorize after just a few repeats: