fishtail sweaterband.

I have a problem. It's called Savers. A Goodwill, Salvation Army, consignment store.

Why do I love it?

1. Student discount days.

2. Family Dollar is next to it.

3. The "vintage" section that sometimes contains things from Target's summer 2011 collection.

4. Terrible framed paintings.

5. Sweater.

A typical Danie-Savers shopping experience involves me jetting straight to the sweaters, picking up at least five of them and carrying them around the store When I visit home my sister makes fun of me for my outrageous (AND REALLY WARM. AND SOFT.) sweaters. When you have to spend your winters in Minnesota, you need sweaters. I love my Savers sweaters. They keep me warm and usually require no jewelry. They're that special.

But I have this one sweater...it's uh...it's from a company called Girl Gear...that's a little past it's prime. 

I wanted to craft something for winter and I wanted to make use of this snazzy Girl Gear sweater. Because I can't let my sister win.

So I came up with this winter weather fishtail headband. All you really need is a sweater you can't seem to part with but are willing to repurpose. It's perfect. You're welcome.

You'll need: A sweater, scissors, a needle, and thread. 

1. Cut off one sleeve. My sleeves just happened to be long enough to work. I'd say they were about two feet long.

2. Cut down the seam of the sleeve so you have one flat piece of fabric. Starting from the bottom, cut eight strips about one inch wide. Leave a little over an inch at the top (so don't cut all the way up the fabric). Before you start braiding, tug each strip to make the edges curl under and look cleaner.

3. Start fishtailing! Split the strips into two groups (four and four). Start from the outermost strip on the left and bring it to the middle, adding it to the group on the right. Then take the outermost strip from the right and bring it to the middle, adding it to the left group. Continue doing this, keeping the braid fairly flat. 

4. When you reach the end, clip all of the ends of the strips on top of each other to keep them in place.

5. Bring both ends of the braid together and stack the clipped ends on top of the other end.

6. With your needle and thread, tack the ends together to keep them in place.

7. Cut another strip from your sweater, about 2 1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long. 

8. Stretch this strip to make the ends curl under. Wrap it around the ends of the headband and gather the edges on top of each other. Tack the strip to the headband. 

Lookin' good, kiddo.