Jen, I think you're right on with using the farrow or mistake rib. You could do wide stripes in contrasting or shades of the same color for interest. My grandson loves the mistake rib hat and scarf I made him with 4"wide stripes in white, gray, black and red (the hat had shorter stripes, of course). If you had more time or the inclination, the Fiery Dragon Scarf would be fun. I'm making that for my grandson this Christmas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fiery Dragon Scarf

Thanks Donna. Cute scarf! I am planning to make a plain scarf with fringe or perhaps one with stripes. Honestly though, I hate weaving in ends so I may avoid stripes... though that would be cute.

What is the typical size (length and width) of a child's scarf? These boys are ages 6 through 8.

Do you have a favorite yarn for kids' scarves? One that is not scratchy would be best....

I LOVE the dragon scarf! I plan on making one for my nephew
this Christmas.

Here is a link that might be useful: dragon scarf

That's a cute scarf too! Love the yarn at Morehouse Farm!

How old is the boy? Harry Potter fans may like a scarf in the colors of their favorite "house". If it's for a football fan, you can do it in team colors. For a younger child, this one is a quicker knit than the Dragon Scarf:

http://crazycatladymel.livejournal.com/89238.html

As for yarn, you can check out Red Heart's Soft Yarn which comes in lots of colors. I've heard that Thick and Quick pills quite a bit. A thick scarf might also be uncomfortable for a small child.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harry Potter scarf

I notice in Donna's pattern that the suggested length for a boy is about his height, so that would bring the length to about his waist when he wears it around his neck.

I had fun making a muffler for my son last Christmas. He is in his late 20s, and I was looking for an excuse to make him another scarf. So, I listed all the schools he has ever attended from preschool to law school. I got all the school colors, and made a single crochet scarf lengthwise making stripes in the order of the schools that he had attended. We had lots of blues and golds, but I did not worry about the repeats. I had planned to put a single row of white or ecru between each school, but I had to eliminate that plan as the scarf would have been too wide. Some schools had 3 school colors; the scarf went from left to right, red and navy preschool, blue and yellow elementary school, blue and gold for the first middle school and teal, purple and white for the 2nd one (the new school opened and our neighborhood was assigned). High school was teal, black, and white. Undergraduate was blue and gold. Graduate school was white and purple. Law school was a kahki. It was fun to make and quite simple. A great way to use up left over yarns too.

Sheilajoyce, what a great idea! That makes a truly personalized scarf.