We love Rike Feurstein. Her hats are sick and her chunky knits are lusciously bold and amazing. And when we saw her Dylan scarf, we thought it was genius. A scarf that didn’t require knitting? Sign me up! We love to knit but it can be time consuming and time is money, right? Here is our attempt at making a no-knit scarf for those cold days ahead.
- a 6oz skein of soft yarn
- leather scrap
- 7/8″ velcro squares
- a pair of scissors
- a ruler
You’ll start by transforming a skein of yarn into a hank of yarn, which is yarn that is loosely wound into a large ring shape and then twisted. To make a longer scarf that can be doubled up around the neck, set two heavy chairs side by side. Cut a 3 inch piece of yarn and reserve for later. Anchor the yarn to the top of a chair and start wrapping the yarn tightly around the chars (the tighter the wind, the better). Once your done, gently pull the hank off the chars, twist it a few times and lay it flat on table. Tie the start and end pieces around the yarn to keep the hank together. Tie off a 3rd section of the scarf with the small piece of yarn you cut earlier, dividing the hank into thirds. (Click images to enlarge)
Cut 3 pieces of leather at approximately 1.75″ wide and 4″ long. Stick 2 velcro squares to one end of the leather with both layers attached. Tightly roll the other side of the leather towards the velcro, hiding one of the three tied off sections of the hank. Repeat the same steps for the other two sections. Feel free to use a glue gun or leather glue in place of velcro.
Voila! A plush scarf that didn’t involve knitting. Super easy!
(top image from here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)
I love this idea…Now guess what everyone is getting for the holidays!
Wow came out awesome! I’m all over that this weekend!
Hello! Awesome idea. Thanks for sharing!
http://luckylucychance.blogspot.com/
Wow—I have lots of beautiful yarn sitting around and can’t wait to try this. Thanks for turning a pretty picture into something that people can really make.
That is about the stupidest looking thing I have ever seen. I am a knitter and that is just a waste of yarn, IMHO.
Take the yarn and knit with it, people! Even a simple garter stitch scarf is really lovely, but this idea just looks lazy to me.
Love it!!! Thank you for the great diy.
We are not discouraging people from knitting. This is a DIY for those who can’t knit, just might not have the time, or simply like the look of the scarf! Thanks to everyone for the positive comments!
xx
AWESOME!! I love it. Someone once taught me how to crochet, and it was a disaster, so I can’t imagine how hard knitting would be for me. Definitely will try this out!
…I’ve been known to do this with skeins of Malabrigo. Not in public, mind you.
this is just a perfect idea – easy to make, unique and it even looks great! Best, Antje
I love it! I’d love to have one with a knit-cuff instead of the leather, like the contrast of knit vs unknit.
ahhhhh i LOOOOVEE that, you guys have done it again!
x
Geneva
AWESOME (and easy??)!
-Jordana
Oh I love this, darling idea!
hmmmmmm…I tried this, but my hank just doesn’t stay very cohesive…I tried twisting it, but how do you prevent the twists from untwisting? Love the idea, but I’m afraid I might not have been up to the challenge…
This would be cool if it didn’t look so ridiculous. I hope someone gives me one of these so I can use it to make something that doesn’t look look like an accident.
Are you kidding??? This looks completely STUPID!
I can’t knit (trying to learn) buy I don’t like this look. Nope, it is indeed a waste of yarn. And it does look lazy. Maybe it needs some twists, embellishment? Nah…just knit!
Wow! Some people are so creative!
thanks for your comments. you don’t have to like the scarf (and AGAIN, we are not hating on knitting in any way) but honestly, can’t we think of more wasteful things in this world than a $3 skein of yarn? xx
I just tried this last night! It was so easy and it is sooo cozy! I want to make one in every color! I am totally giving these as Christmas gifts this year.
Love the blog! Thanks!
http://www.thistimearoundblog.blogspot.com
omg….so f-ing brilliant. Now the material that I have had sitting around my house for 2 years without time to knit or crochet with can finally be used!!! thank you!
i think this is interesting, not lazy. i love crochet and knit, but you can use yarn all sorts of ways. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most beautiful!
I love the idea and I am trying to make one for my Mom for Christmas right now… but I am having the same problem as “Alien”… How do you keep it from untwisting???
Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Melanie, it helps to tie off a few sections of the scarf after you have twisted it so that it stays in place. Then, cover those ties with the leather bands. Inevitably it will not stay tightly wound/twisted that should help! Good luck!
Hey,a new technique!
Love it!!
Is there anything you could recommend using instead of leather??
Love this. Not lazy or stupid at all. I regularly fall in love with yarn in the shop, then realize once I get it home that nothing I do to it will increase its awesomeness. Perfect solution and totally reversible (against the day when I do find the perfect pattern).
Come on people, be for real…that looks ridiculous; I don’t like it at all. It looks like the skein you buy in the store. Looking at the first picture, I thought it was the yarn’s label.
I CAN knit and crochet, but I just made this scarf right now and love it! I have crocheted a ton of scarves but they end up looking like everyone else’s scarves– this idea is so cute and so unique, my new favorite. Thanks for the idea!
Love This Idea!!!!! im going to make one as soon as i have the $ for the materials. And whatever to the negative comments i cant knit to save my life so THANK GOD for your ideas. Im going to see if i can get someone to knit that hat for me as well. i lLOVE that blue hat and scarf!!!!!
I’ve got a knit-free scarf too… My 100% natural beard!! Beat THAT for lazy!!
So excited to make this…but wondering where to get the leather from?
I cannot believe I missed this entry. These look amazing. So easy and I love the leather detail. Finally I can work with yarn and make my grandma proud!
theknowitallreport.wordpress.com
One of those ideas that makes you why didn’t i think of that.
Sorry, I don’t mean to hate on any idea, but this does look a bit like you were in the middle of preping your yarn to put it in a ball and then just stuck it on your neck and forgot that you left it there! perhaps and occasional braid throughout the strands would make it look like an attempt at a project. IDK, whatever….
Today, I was just directed to this website by a dear fiber arts friend who knits and crochet. I don’t do either, but I love and respect anything that involves fiber. I’m in my studio on a daily basis working with all kinds of fabrics, beads and luscious yarns. IMHO, I love this project and one can use your creativity to really “jazz” up the scarf, like adding other fibers, using interesting fabrics in place of the leather, recycling scraps of fur, ethnic fabrics, —-the sky is the limit. Just have fun and let the magic happen.
I made this no-knit scarf last night and love it! I used a pretty fuschia color yarn (so soft!) and tied it off in 4 places (instead of 3) with this awesome metallic snakeskin leather strap/trim. As a first attempt I am really happy with it, but am definitely going to make another one to try and correct the little imperfections that come with doing something for the first time. I also think braiding the yarn would look great too and want to try to incorporate that next time. Thanks for the great idea!
Thank you for this idea. I work in a nursing home and we are always looking for ideas for the residents to create something handmade. I made one to use as a sample and they fell in love with it. Most resident are not capable of knitting anymore. Thsis project still gives them that warm “homemade knit feeling”, Thank you.
I don’t see why showcasing this scarf requires women wearing nude colored camisoles to create the illusion of nudity. I’m not a prude, I just don’t see what one has to do with the other…show a shirtless man next time with a scarf, makes as much sense.
Christa, it’s fine to dislike the picture, but you should be complaining to the right people. As the post says, the top picture is from the Rike Feurstein page, the rest are from Honest… If you hate their picture (although I did not think it created the illusion of nudity at all, simply a dull color to make the scarf “pop”) then go tell them instead of criticizing someone who didn’t take the picture.
I think this is brilliant! I chuckle at the purists who seem to feel yarn is just for knitting. That’s like saying acrylic paint is just for realism and not for impressionism or abstract styles. I don’t knit or crochet, but some beautiful yarns I see would look wonderful hot glued to an interesting piece of reclaimed wood and hung on the wall! If people limited art to just one use for a certain media and weren’t accepting of experimentation and evolution of the craft, where would we be? There’d be no discovery, no “happy accidents”, no brilliance. Where would Keith Haring have been if someone told him paint belongs on a canvas? And was he “lazy” because he didn’t paint in the meticulous detail of Peter Paul Rubens? What about minimalism? Is it any less brilliant because it’s easily reproduced? Sure…YOU could’ve done that…but did you?? No, someone else did and that’s why they are brilliant and you are not. (hee, hee) Anyway, I think this scarf is very cool, hip and modern, and it looks cozy warm, too! I’m making one and going to try Wendy and Lynne’s suggestions to add a braid or some embellishments like beads or gems to customize it. If it works, I’m make a few for Christmas! Great idea!!
Thanks Afan, I didn’t think I was being overly negative, i actually enjoy this site. ill leave the harsh and judegemntal comments to you though, it seems you’re good at that. Have a nice life.
Ya know…I don’t usually leave comments on sites like this; I just enjoy them. I can’t believe the negativity and lack of imagination in some of the comments here. You can always tell the ones that have no artistic vision. I knit, crochet, wet-felt and enjoy the huge variety of creativity from fellow artisans. I fell sad for anyone so one-dimensional that they cannot tolerate any deviation from the commonplace. Get over it people! I’m willing to bet there are lots of other ideas this page has sparked in people not stuck in such rigid mindsets.
For something a little bit more texture you could also try doing several crochet slip stitch hoops and gathering them together! This is great for that warm handmade look/feel for those who aren’t really comfortable knitting! Knitting/crochet can be difficult for some people, or they simply don’t have the time to do it. This is also perfect for a simple project or even to just use up older yarn. If you’re wearing it, then you’re not wasting the yarn at all!
As for the slip stitch scarf I mention, here’s a pattern for one:
http://www.magiccitypost.com/community/diy-crochet-chain-scarf