Upcycled Knitted Scrunchie
An ingenious re-use for your plastic bag stash
Hannah Conover-Arthurs
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For most of my life I have been the type to wear my hair up. Having my hair in a bun is so much easier than wearing it down; a good up-do can be sophisticated and empowering. I am mixed race, so my hair is kind of thick, fluffy, fuzzy, and nappy. It doesn't always behave the way I want! I wouldn't want it any other way, but falling in love with my hair has been a long journey.
Lately, I have been really into wearing an up-do because of a scrunchie that I received as a secret Santa gift. I've pretty much been wearing that scrunchie every day since! I had been noticing a lot of handmade and vintage scrunchies online, and I thought it would be fun to make one from some upcycled trash. My goal is to knit nearly all of my essentials, and a good scrunchie is as essential as it gets!
These scrunchies are super durable and made out of upcycled trash. They are funky and one-of-a-kind. They will brighten up any up-do and are super easy to make yourself! Here’s how you do it:
Materials
2 Lightweight plastic shopping bags
5 mm (8 US) knitting needles
Darning needle
Elastic (at least 8 in [20 1/4 cm])
1.
Cut up some bags. You can use any lightweight plastic shopping bag (preferably a colorful one). Cut the bag into 1/2 in (1 cm) strips.
2.
Roll your strips into a ball. Tie the strips together, end to end, and roll the long strand into a ball. If you need more plastic yarn, you can always shred more bags.
3.
Cast on and knit. Using 5mm (8 US) knitting needles, cast on 40 stitches with your plastic yarn. Work in a stocking stitch (knit 1st row, purl 2nd row, repeat). Cast off when scrunchie is 2 inches (5 ½ cm) wide.
4.
Sew it up. Sew up the scrunchie with a darning needle and the plastic thread, right side facing out, tucking the loose ends in the middle of the scrunchie.
5.
Insert the elastic. Using a darning needle or a knitting needle, thread elastic through the middle of the scrunchie. Join elastic with a knot, making sure your scrunchie has a little bit of scrunch but is not too tight for your wrist.
6.
Sew up the edges of the scrunchie. This is how it should look when you are finished.
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