Draft stopper—what’s that? Three knitters share their playful draft-blocking creations
The fun and customizable draft stopper helps keep your home warm. Three knitters introduce their practical creations.
Placing a blanket or rug in front of an exterior door or window is a common way to reduce drafts. This winter, craft enthusiasts have discovered a more creative way to keep out the cold—DIY draft stoppers.
In practice, it’s a knitted or fabric tube filled with items like an old sheet, mismatched socks, batting, or even cat litter. The idea is to place the tube at the gap under the door or window to keep the cold air out.
Knitted draft stoppers appear especially popular on social media, and it’s no wonder. This simple tube is a great way to use up leftover yarn! Of course, nothing stops you from making the draft stopper “shell” by crocheting or weaving on a loom instead.
Three knitters share what it was like to create their draft stopper:
A timely project for leftover yarn
Sanna Loponen got the idea for her draft stopper from a Facebook crafts group. She stuffed the knitted tube with an old sheet.
“I had accumulated a lot of leftover yarn, and especially this winter, a draft stopper felt like a very suitable way to use it up. It was easy to make, and it stayed interesting because I got to switch yarns quite often.”
According to Sanna, her draft stopper—about 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick—has worked well. Usually, there’s a slight draft at the bottom of her door, but thanks to the tube, the cold air has stayed outside.
A dog named Vilma
Epe Spets had received a heaps of yarn from a friend and had already made a throw blanket and socks, but smaller balls of yarn in various colors still remained. After hearing about draft stoppers, she decided to put the leftovers to good use.
“Because I like to be playful, I made my tube into a dog. I put it together with a smile on my face, and I even felt like adding a collar and leash that would fasten to the door handle,” Epe says.
The knitted dog was named Vilma.
“I managed to use up an old duvet cover and towel inside. For the head, I used pillow stuffing.”
A tube made from three tablecloths
Arja Heino filled her draft stopper with three old tablecloths.
“The draft stopper was really fun to make. By experimenting with the number of stitches, I got the diameter I wanted for the tube. I didn’t think too long about the colors; I just used whatever leftovers I had.”
