Upcycled Yoga Bolster
Recycle your old clothes and avoid buying more exercise gear
By Hannah Connover-Arthurs
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This pandemic has been miserable for most people and I have had a handful of challenges myself during this past year of quarantine, but for the most part this has been an enriching and abundant time for me! Last March, when everything went into lockdown, I was at home spending most of my time with my sister and her four kids, who lived in the apartment below me. My sister had been training to teach kundalini yoga and one of the requirements for her program was to teach the kriyas she had been learning. My sister and I had both been changed by the practice of yoga. Through practicing Kundalini yoga, my sister was able to transition out of a toxic relationship and cope with life as a single racialized mother of four. We wanted to share this powerful medicine with our community. Once we went into lockdown, our only constant was the daily yoga practice that we shared with friends on zoom.
One year later, the practice has transformed into Mystic Seed yoga practice, our very own sister-run business, with a thriving, diverse, community of mystics! I never could have imagined that this pandemic would lead to a total career shift, but somehow it's created this amazing opportunity for my family. Ever since I started working, I've always dreamed of running my own business, but I thought I would be destined to work minimum wage kitchen jobs for the rest of my life. Starting this business with my sister has enabled me to use my creativity freely, on my own time and at my own pace. In some ways I couldn't be happier about COVID-19 because it's allowed people like me to break out of the box and create their own path.
There are so many ways for me to bring my love of crafting to yoga practice. We run the business out of my spare room, allowing me to decorate and refine our yoga decor. Every month we rearrange our set, using old recycled fabrics and pillow cases for our backdrops. I have started creating bolsters from old clothes shredded into yarn and knit into pillows. These bolsters act as a perfect support for sitting or propping up your back during practice since the shredded clothes create a dense supportive pillow. These pillows are a creative way to make use of old clothes and it means buying one less expensive piece of workout gear destined for a landfill.
Bolster Pattern
Materials
5-6 items of clothing to shred, preferably a thin fabric that is easy to cut up (shirts, jeans, pillow cases)
9mm circular needles
Darning needle
Shredded clothes or stuffing for inside pillow
1. Shred clothing into 1 inch strips. Try to cut pieces into long strips. Tie strips together end-to-end and roll into a ball.
2. Make the body of the bolster. Cast on 40 sts to 9mm circular needles (you can use straight needles if they are extra long). Knit in stocking stitch (alternating rows of knit + purl stitches) until you reach 20 inches. Cast off body at 20 inches.
Completed body of bolster 40 sts × 20 in
3. Make the ends of the bolster. Cast on 8 sts on 9mm needles. Increase 1st at the beginning and end of every other row (adding 2 sts total) until 18 sts are on your needles.
Once you have 18 sts on your needles, start decreasing the number of sts in every other row. Knit 1 less at the beginning and end of the row (decreasing by 2 sts total) until 8 sts are on your needles. Cast off and repeat this step to create the other end of the bolster.
Step 3 completed 1 end of bolster
4. Sew the body of the bolster. Using a darning needle and thin strip of your fabric yarn, sew the length (the 20-inch edges) of the bolster together on the wrong side.
5. Attach one end to the bolster. Sew one end piece to the circular bottom of the body (both the body and end piece should be turned wrong side out).
6. Stuff your bolster. Flip piece right side facing out and stuff the pillow with leftover shredded fabric.
7. Attach the other end. Sew on the other end piece to the bolster opening, right side facing out. Tuck any loose ends into the middle of the pillow.
8. Completed project. This is how your bolster should look when finished.
Editor: Anna Hou | Designer & Illustration Support: Kelsey Wolf | Photographer & Illustrator: Hannah Connover-Arthurs | Copy Editor: Katie Frankowicz
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