Patriotic Braided Chain Scarf – Free Crochet Pattern

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With Independence Day quickly approaching us, I wanted to share a free, quick, and easy crochet pattern with you to help you show off your patriotism this Fourth of July!

Braided chain infinity scarves were one of my first key items in my Etsy store and at craft fairs, so they hold a very special place in my heart. While it is important to develop consistency while chaining, they require very little crochet expertise. The entire scarf can be made just by chaining, which makes it a very beginner-friendly project.

The scarf I will be showing in this tutorial is red, white, and blue in honor of the upcoming holiday, but you can easily make this scarf in a variety of color combinations to match the season or your favorite sports team. You can either use one color of chunky yarn or three colors of worsted weight yarn – whichever you prefer. Below I have included some pictures of scarves I have made using chunky yarn.

Patriotic Braided Chain Infinity Scarf Tutorial

Materials:

  • Caron Simplify Soft in Harvest Red
  • Caron Simply Soft in White
  • Caron Simplify Soft in Dark Country Blue
  • Size M (9 mm) Crochet Hook
  • Size J (6 mm) Crochet Hook
  • Tapestry Needle
  • Medium or Large Button

Abbreviation:

HDC: Half-Double Crochet

Braided Chain

With the size M (9 mm) crochet hook and all three colors,

Chain continuously. When the chain has reached your desired length, fasten off. Tie the two ends of the chain together into a tight knot and cut off ends.

There is no need to count your chains as you go. You can use a tape measure to check the length of your chain.

Important Tip: When you make your chain, it tends to get wavy or curl. To straighten it, just pull on both ends. I run my hand over it and pull down on it several times to get it to straighten out before I tie it off so I get a nice, finished look.

Here is a thicker version of the scarf, made with 17 loops.

For the thicker scarf, my chain was 61 feet and 8 inches (or 740 inches) long, which allowed for 17 loops and a finished scarf length of about 18 inches.

Here is a thinner version of the scarf, made with only 5 loops.

For the thinner scarf, my chain was 15 feet and 5 inches (or 185 inches) long, which allowed for 5 loops and a finished scarf length of about 19 inches.

You can make it longer or shorter depending on how low you would like your scarf to hang and how full you would like it to be. The fewer the loops you make, the longer the scarf will hang as additional loops cause the scarf to bulk up so the loops won’t hang as low.

Band

With the size J (6 mm) crochet hook and all three colors,

Row 1: Chain 25, HDC into the second chain from the hook and all the remaining chains, chain 1, turn (24 HDC).

Row 2: HDC 19, chain 3, HDC into the last two stitches, chain 1, turn (24 HDC).

Row 3: 1 HDC into the each of the first two HDCs, 3 HDC into the chain 3 space, and 1 HDC into each of the remaining HDCs (24 HDC).

Fasten off and weave in ends. Attach button (pictures below).

My finished band measured 8 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches high.

Here is the finished scarf with the band attached. I always make sure to position the knot under the band so that it can’t be seen and to prevent it from ripping.

Alternative Method

If you are not comfortable enough with crocheting to make the band, you can also wrap yarn repeatedly around the scarf to bunch it together where the band would go. The only downfall with this method is that the binding cannot be removed, so the length of the scarf cannot be adjusted.

Here is what the scarf would look like when you bind it with just yarn. It took about 2-3 yards of yarn to wrap it like this.
You can also position the binding behind your neck so that it is not seen. This helps keep the scarf from changing lengths while you are wearing it, but doesn’t show the binding if you are not a fan of the wrapped yarn method.

I hope you enjoyed this pattern! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below or e-mail me at onecraftatatime@gmail.com.

If you would like to purchase a finished Braided Chain Infinity Scarf, you can find them in my Etsy store using the following link: T&C Crafters on Etsy.

I would love to see your finished project! Please use #onecraftatatime or tag me @OneCraftataTime when sharing on Facebook or Instagram!

I ask that you please do not copy, sell, republish, or redistribute this pattern. You may sell items produced using this pattern, however, please do not use my photos for your product listing.

Happy crocheting!

~ Candace 🙂