Good afternoon! I am currently knitting my 1st scarf (I just learned how to knit a week ago!) and have no idea what the standard length should be. If it makes a difference, I am using sz. 19 needles and using Lion Brand Homespun yarn. Thanks!
Hi chie96. I happen to like long scarves and I am 5’1". So I knit my scarves at least 6ft long. They are so snuggly this way.
Hope this helps,
SBP
When I looked into this before I saw a lot of patterns that were between 4 and 6 feet long.
When I made mine, I made it 8 feet long because I wanted mine to be porportionately 2/3 of my height when draped around the back of my neck. But I made mine too wide at 6 inches because it is a mohair and is too warm.
My mothers, I made of a ‘trendy’ wool. hers is 18 inches long with a ‘key hole’ and 10 inches wide. It really stretches and gets narrower.
My husband’s is 8 inches wide and 6 feet long. He is 6’8" tall.
My children’s scarves are about 4 feet long.
The fun fur scarves I made for my SIL’s are all of 15 sts wide and really long. They look like spaghetti.
So… I don’t know that there is a normal so much as there is what is right for what you’re doing and with what you are knitting.
But like I said most patterns I’ve found are between 4 - 6 feet.
Best of luck!
it depends on the type scarf.
inside the coat scarves (very soft yarns) are often 40 to 50 inches.
the idea is wrap round neck cross in front and the scarf stays tucked inside coat. (the ends of scarf help keep chest warm)
then there are outside scarves (and in some places its cold enough to need 2 scarves.
these should be soft too, as they are often pulled up to cover mouth and nose…
this style scarf should be MINIMUM as long as the person is tall.
making it for a short woman? 5 feet, 5.5 feet might be long enough.
making it for a tall man? 6.5 feet on longer!
if its narrow and likely to be double wrapped–center of scarf at center front of neck both end to back, criss crossed and long tails down the front? add an extra 15 to 24 inches! (so a short woman scarf might end up being 7 feet long, a tall man or woman scarf , 9 feet long!)
short luxury scarves are very nice gifts for men, --and much less tedious to knit! work them in fine wools, with a lacy stitch, and they are also great for women!.
One general rule for scarf/shawl length i’ve read is it should be the same length as you are tall, but it is really down to personal taste and how you want to wear it.
start over, but debating that one. I made it way too wide (9") and doubt I’ll have enough yarn to finish if I don’t. So far, I have just over 18". Ugh!
You can but if it hurts too much… try the keyhole style.
It sounds like what you have would be nice in that style. You could make your keyhole soon and then essentially knit a bit more.
I’m just trying to think of a way so that you don’t have to tink or frog a bunch of your knitting! it is hard to do this on a first project and might turn you off knitting.
I don’t know if this helps, but on one of the Knit Bits on Knitty Gritty, Vickie suggests making the scarf as long as you are tall. (Or if you are making it for another person, it would be their height.) Which I guess makes sense because a taller person would probably need a longer scarf, and a shorter person would need a shorter scarf.
However, I always make my scarves 60" long. Don’t know why, but that is just the length I like!
the average scarf will be roughly equal to height. The minimum usable would probably be twice the neck measurement.
For a short scarf (neck x 2) + width of scarf would be better.
Most people could handle up to twice height - but depending on preference there is no real limit to length.
I was taught that you should hang the scarf around your neck (or the person who it’s intended for’s neck) evenly and the two ends should fall past your hips but not past your knees. Shoot for mid-thigh. (This works out to a little more than height.)
At that length you can tie the scarf in pretty much any configuration. My favorite is to fold it in half, wrap it around my neck, and stick the free ends through the loop on the other side – with this length, it fits quite nicely with not too much leftover on the free ends flopping about.
Just don’t forget safety. For children, in particular, scarves should be short enough to be tucked under the coat.
Every year in Canada, parents forget that scarves are dangerous - and every year, a couple of kids lose their lives when their scarves become entangled in playground equipment, caught in bus or car doors or entangled in bicycle wheels or under sleds. What’s even sadder is those who live but are brain-damaged for life. 
Strangulation is a real hazard with scarves - neck tubes or cowls are a much safer alternative.
http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=540&content_item_id=991
http://www.luhs.org/depts/injprev/HomeLeis/playgrnd.htm
I wear short (tucked in) scarves for the same reason - Isadora Duncan I’m not.
Jackie