Did you knit skinny scarves back when everyone was knitting skinny scarves? Well, let’s just say I did….a lot! I loved them! And being me I have saved them as I have a hard time getting rid of things I make and I know that I can “reverse knit” them if I want to reuse the yarn.
Inspired by projects I have seen lately that involve string art I thought I’d use my pink, white, and black skinny scarf stash to wrap a giant heart to make a big Valentine’s Day decoration.
To make the base heart I went to the recycled bin and scored a big cardboard box. To make it super sturdy and the right size and shape I layered the 4 sides as you can see in the photo.
Next I sketched out the heart shaped curves on the top and cut them out.
I used hot glue to glue all the layers together to make a really solid heart base.
For the first few scarves that I wrapped I went over each of the previous wraps. To secure the scarves to the cardboard I used sewing straight pins into the corrugated edge of the heart.
After the first few scarf wraps I began weaving them under and over the previous ones to create a “plaid” look.
You’ve heard of free-form knitting or crochet? I call this free-form weaving.
After I had the heart completely covered I used a bit of painter’s tape to secure the ends on the back of the cardboard heart out of sight.
To hang the heart I hot glued a piece of wire to the back side of the heart just under the “V”.
If you like this free-form weaving technique but don’t happen to have a stash of pink and white skinny scarves you can try it with scraps of clothing, sweaters, fabric or yarn.
I bet this would also look cool with other shapes and colorways.
Stefanie Girard is a crafter with a re-purpose. She has been cutting stuff up since she was old enough to hold a pair of scissors in her tiny hands. She earned her degree in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and move to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry first as a Set Decorator and Prop Master then onto TV Producer specializing in How-To TV shows for HGTV and the DIY Networks. After writing 5 craft books for the Quarto Publishing Group she now spreads the crafty word online through book reviews and original projects with a focus on recycled elements.
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