I'm a knitter. I'll admit it. I love it. It is such a great outlet for me because I don't read books, so I need things to keep my fingers busy. By far, my favorite part about knitting is my group of girls (and one guy) who meet up each week at a bar near my house to drink beer and knit. Appropriately named, felt-n-belch. I digress though…
If you are in the mood to make your own wedding garter, here is a simple (and free) pattern. The project cost me 99 cents…that's right, 99 cents. I used one spool of blue and white striped satin ribbon from one of the mega craft stores and knitted it up. (I already had the needles, so I didn't factor them into the total price.)
disclaimer: this pattern is super easy…if you know how to knit. if you don't, click here to learn, but make sure you read my tips for diy before you start down this path!
Materials…
size 2 knitting needles
3/8 inch wide satin ribbon (i used about 31 feet for a wedding garter to fit me.)
small crochet hook or needle for weaving in ends
Directions…
Cast on 4 stitches with the ribbon, leaving at least a 6 inch tail (more if you want the bow to hang lower). Knit all rows (garter stitch) until it reaches desired length. It will stretch at least an inch or two, so keep that in mind when determining your length. You want the wedding garter to be tight enough so that it won't fall down, but not so tight that it leaves a mark (check this out about fitting your wedding garter). Bind off so that the tail hanging (at least 6 inches, or to match the length of the cast on tail) is on the opposite edge as the cast on tail. Weave in any ends of joined ribbon with a small crochet hook or needle. use the tails on either end to tie it in a bow and secure it around the leg. you can wear the bow in the back to hit it, or the front as a decoration.
The possibilities with this knitted wedding garter are literally endless. You can use different color and texture ribbons. You can make it wider or thinner by casting on a different number of stitches.
The whole project took me about an hour from start to finish.
Looking for more DIY? Check out my DIY series for more patterns and advice.