DIY No Knit Scarf

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.

You’ll need:
– 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)

Leave a Comment

133 Comments

  1. Wren wrote:

    I love this idea…Now guess what everyone is getting for the holidays!

    11.2.10
    Reply
  2. Marisa wrote:

    Wow came out awesome! I’m all over that this weekend!

    11.2.10
    Reply
  3. Sarah wrote:

    Hello! Awesome idea. Thanks for sharing!
    http://luckylucychance.blogspot.com/

    11.2.10
    Reply
  4. Tammy wrote:

    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.

    11.2.10
    Reply
  5. Sandy wrote:

    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.

    11.2.10
    Reply
    • erica wrote:

      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

      11.2.10
    • Rebecca Davis wrote:

      Honestly, WTF! Yarn has other purposes than just knitting. Why do u have to be so rude, God bless you!

      12.16.18
  6. Love it!!! Thank you for the great diy.

    11.2.10
    Reply
  7. 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!

    11.2.10
    Reply
  8. Alarid wrote:

    …I’ve been known to do this with skeins of Malabrigo. Not in public, mind you.

    11.2.10
    Reply
  9. Antje wrote:

    this is just a perfect idea – easy to make, unique and it even looks great! Best, Antje

    11.3.10
    Reply
  10. I love it! I’d love to have one with a knit-cuff instead of the leather, like the contrast of knit vs unknit.

    11.3.10
    Reply
  11. Geneva wrote:

    ahhhhh i LOOOOVEE that, you guys have done it again!

    x

    Geneva

    11.4.10
    Reply
  12. AWESOME (and easy??)!
    -Jordana

    11.4.10
    Reply
  13. Jen L wrote:

    Oh I love this, darling idea!

    11.8.10
    Reply
  14. Alien wrote:

    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…

    11.17.10
    Reply
  15. Maggie wrote:

    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.

    11.22.10
    Reply
    • Rebecca Davis wrote:

      Come on! You don’t have to stay in style! You need to be unique! But, if u dont like it, than thats fine. I personally love it!

      12.16.18
  16. Unearthed wrote:

    Are you kidding??? This looks completely STUPID!

    11.22.10
    Reply
  17. Van wrote:

    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!

    11.22.10
    Reply
  18. Misty Funk wrote:

    Wow! Some people are so creative!

    11.22.10
    Reply
  19. erica wrote:

    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

    11.22.10
    Reply
  20. Kayla wrote:

    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

    11.23.10
    Reply
  21. 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!

    11.24.10
    Reply
  22. whitneymichele wrote:

    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!

    12.3.10
    Reply
  23. Melanie wrote:

    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

    12.21.10
    Reply
    • erica wrote:

      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!

      12.22.10
  24. Whit wrote:

    Hey,a new technique!

    1.15.11
    Reply
  25. Basementbirds wrote:

    Love it!!
    Is there anything you could recommend using instead of leather??

    1.20.11
    Reply
  26. Barb_in_GA wrote:

    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).

    6.16.11
    Reply
  27. NIkko wrote:

    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.

    6.28.11
    Reply
  28. Roni wrote:

    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!

    6.29.11
    Reply
  29. Amanda wrote:

    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!!!!!

    6.30.11
    Reply
  30. antboy wrote:

    I’ve got a knit-free scarf too… My 100% natural beard!! Beat THAT for lazy!!

    8.4.11
    Reply
  31. Rachel J. wrote:

    So excited to make this…but wondering where to get the leather from?

    9.11.11
    Reply
  32. Stacey-McG wrote:

    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

    9.16.11
    Reply
  33. Anna wrote:

    One of those ideas that makes you why didn’t i think of that.

    9.28.11
    Reply
  34. Wendy wrote:

    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….

    10.22.11
    Reply
  35. Lynne wrote:

    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.

    10.26.11
    Reply
  36. Liz wrote:

    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!

    11.7.11
    Reply
  37. Megan wrote:

    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.

    1.12.12
    Reply
  38. Christa wrote:

    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.

    10.29.12
    Reply
  39. Afan wrote:

    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.

    10.29.12
    Reply
  40. Rebecca wrote:

    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!!

    10.29.12
    Reply
  41. Christa wrote:

    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.

    10.29.12
    Reply
  42. Linda wrote:

    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.

    12.2.12
    Reply
  43. Marie wrote:

    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

    5.8.13
    Reply
  44. Kim wrote:

    Honestly people, do we need to go back to kindergarten and say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, DON’T say anything at all!” Shame on you for criticizing a person for having the guts to think outside the box, to post about it, and then be shut down by narrow minded individuals! I for one appreciate anyone who can think outside the box…..and enjoy it at the same time. Kudos to you, and keep on keeping on!

    7.4.15
    Reply
  45. Judy wrote:

    I found a great way to keep it from untwisting… try knitting it in the first place.

    3.10.16
    Reply
    • Rebecca Davis wrote:

      U need to shut up! Lets think back to preschool, ok? If u dont have anything nice to say, DONT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!

      12.16.18
  46. lynn wrote:

    Hello,

    My name is Lynn, the manager of Lynn Neckwear Studio in China.
    We are a accessory factory, make necktie, bowtie, hanky and scarves for my clients all over the world.

    Our factory located in Zhejiang, China.
    Main work on the custom designs, your design, your logo, and your lables.
    This is our speciality.

    I think maybe you will be interested in the uniform accessories.
    So if you need, pls contact us, we also can make designs for you according to your requirement.
    Thanks again.

    Best regards,
    Lynn

    2.22.23
    Reply