This free scrunchie knitting pattern is for a DIY hair accessory created by knitting a simple tube in a lace stitch, and then folding it around a hair elastic and sewing it up.

This scrunchie also forms the gauge swatch/tension swatch for the Falmore River socks, to be published on 31st March 2025. If you are knitting it as a gauge swatch, it is important to use a sock weight yarn and match gauge. If you are knitting it just as a scrunchie, why not experiment with different yarn weights and needle sizes? The scrunchie will come out bigger in thicker yarns.

Jump to the section you need below.

Introduction

Scrunchies make great stashbusters.

A knitted scrunchie isn’t just a pretty hair accessory. It’s a brilliant stash buster. When you have just finished knitting a larger project, such as a cardigan or pullover, and have that annoying three quarter skein of yarn left over that’s not quite enough to use, but too much to throw out … what do you do with it?

Knitted hair accessories are one solution to that problem. They don’t need much yarn at all. Each of these Falmore River scrunchies uses only 10 grammes of yarn/ 36 meters of yarn, if using a sock yarn. They are also a small, quick knitting project. Make one to match a favourite outfit, or make a little stack for party favours for a Child’s birthday party. If you are planning a stall at a craft fair or farmers market, scrunchies and other DIY hair accessories can be a winner. You can make them quickly without needing a lot of expensive yarn, and they are sure to be popular. (If you are planning on making items from this pattern for sale, please read my copyright information at the end first, and only do so on a small scale)

The advantages of swatching

Do you swatch for every knitting project you start? Even socks? As a designer, I truely believe in the importance of swatching. But here’s the confession. I seldom swatch socks. I just want to get started on my project. (Patience is not my virtue). Sock yarn tends to be quite consistent, and I know my tension for most stitches … at least, that’s my excuse.

Especially for newer sock knitters, swatching really helps, though. I know it can feel like a distraction. And that it seems as if you are spending time on ‘useless knitting’ that will just get frogged or thrown away. For that reason, I try to turn swatches into useful things. Even if you have to swatch 2 or 3 times on different needles or with different yarn to match the gauge for the socks, you at least end up with a few usable scrunchies to wear, or gift. And if you are using a standard 100g skein of sock yarn, you will still have more than enough yarn for a pair of socks.

Materials.

As a swatch for the Falmore River socks:

Yarn required: 
Any sock yarn. Most sock yarns use 75% wool, 25% nylon. I prefer to look for sock yarns without nylon, perhaps using silk for strength or manufactured with a durable wool in a high twist. In the samples shown, one yarn is 100% wool, the other is 75% wool, 25% nylon which comes entirely from recycled plastic bottles.

Yarn used for samples: 

Yellow sample:
Life in the Long Grass Singles Sock. 100% superwash merino, 366 meters / 400 yards in 100 grammes: 10 grammes/ 36 meters required.

Petrol green sample:
Kremke Soul Wool Edelweiss Classic, 4 ply, 75% wool, 25% recycled polyester, 420 meters / 459 yards in 100 grammes: 10 grammes/ 36 meters required.

2.5mm needles – recommend long (60 – 80 cm) circulars for magic loop, or double pointed needles.

Darning needle for weaving in ends.

To make as a scrunchie

If just making a scrunchie, you can experiment with different tension, yarn weight and needle size. Try Double Knitting yarn and 4 millimetre needles. The scrunchie will come out bigger than the size stated here, but should work well.

Abbreviations and Accessibility

This pattern is presented with 2 options. It has a ‘quick read’ option presented first for those who want the traditional layout with abreviations.
It is then written out without abbreviations, to aid screen reader accessibility, and to make it easier to read for dyslexic and other neurodiverse knitters. Use the table of contents above to jump to the right version for you.

It is presented in black text with a slightly off white background. A stitch chart is provided, with all information in the chart also written out line by line.

The terms used are:
Knit, knit two together, yarn over, cast on, bind off.

Time to make:

2-4 hours

Tension/Gauge

36 stitches (6 lace repeats) = 10 cm / 4 inches over pattern panel.
40 rows (4 lace repeats) = 7.5 cm / 3 inches over stocking stitch and pattern panel.

Stitch Chart

Stitch pattern (Using standard abbreviations, repeated below in line by line instructions without abbreviations):

Note that the scrunchie starts with 1 row knit, so round 1 of the stitch pattern is round 2 of the line by line instructions below, and so on

Rnd 1: [k4, k2tog, yo].

Rnd 2: [k5, p1b]. 

Rnd 3: [k3, k2tog, yo, p1].

Rnd 4: [k4, p2]. 

Rnd 5: [k2, k2tog, yo, p2].

Rnd 6: [k3, p3].

Rnd 7: [k1, k2tog, yo, p3].

Rnd 8: [k2, p4].

Rnd 9: [k2tog, yo, p4].

Rnd 10: [k1, p5].

Pattern Begins – quick read version with abbreviations

Cast on 84 sts and join to work in the round without twisting.

Rnd 1: K to end. (84 Sts)

Rnds 2-11: Work stitch repeat as given above (14 repeats per rnd)

Rep rnds 2-11 another 3 times.

Rnd 42: K to end (84 sts)

Cast off/Bind off.

Pattern Begins – line by line accessible version without abbreviations

Cast on 84 sts and join to work in the round without twisting.

Round 1: Knit to end. Stitch count: 84 stitches

Round 2: [Knit 4, knit 2 together, yarn over]. Repeat this step to end of round. Stitch count: 14 repeats of lace panel.

Round 3: [knit 5, purl 1]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 4: [knit 3, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 1]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 5: [knit 4, purl 2]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 6: [knit 2, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 2]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 7: [knit 3, purl 3]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 8: [knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 3]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 9: [knit 2, purl 4]. Repeat this step to end of round.

Round 10: [knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 4].

Round 11: [knit 1, purl 5].

Repeat rounds 2-11 another 3 times (for a total of four repeats)

Round 42: Knit to end

Cast off (Bind off). Disconnect yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing together.

Assembly

Place your hair elastic inside the scrunchie, and fold your knitting in half, lining up the cast on and bind off. Thread your yarn tail onto a darning needle, and sew together the cast on and bind off edges. Sew in ends. Give it a tog so the hair elastic sits on the inside by the sewn up seam.

For this scrunchie, the best blocking tool is time. When you first sew it together it may try to sit in a cylinder. Give it a pat, and leave it for an hour. The inside lace repeat will settle and contract, and it will take on a nice scrunchie shape. You can gently spray with water or steam, and pin it to a blocking board to speed up the blocking process if desired.

Laundry and care instructions:

A hair scrunchie should not need washed too often, but any item can get grubby. (In my house anything may be stolen by a naughty dog, and brought out into the garden where it gets muddy). I recommend a hand wash or gentle cold wool wash machine cycle for these scrunchies, even if you have made them in a yarn such as cotton that can take a long hot wash. This is so that the elastic band sewn inside does not perish.

Check out other Fairythorn patterns

I hope you enjoyed this free knitting scrunchie pattern, and have fun wearing it. Why not post to Instagram, and tag me @TheFairythorn so I can see? You can also create a Ravelry project page to show it off.

Have you seen this other free scrunchie knitting pattern?

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Copyright

This pattern, including the wording and the pictures, are my work and copyright. Please do not distribute them except by using the link to this blog post. You may not copy in any way, including by making your own videos, if they are directly based on my work. 
This blog is not intended for commercial use. You may sell finished items based on this pattern only if you have made them in your own home, with your own hands. However, selling your own makes from this pattern, especially for charity, such as at a school fair to raise money for your local school, is strongly encouraged. I would love to hear about your event, and how it went.