Thursday, March 12, 2015

How to Make a Yarn Tassel


So here's the thing - tassels are an excellent flourish for many knit projects, and can take a hat or a scarf from "blah" to "bam!" They're also very easy to make by following the steps below.


1. Cut a rectangle of cardboard. The height should be at least as long as you want your tassel (you can always trim the ends; you can’t make ‘em grow!), and it should be wide enough to fold in half easily.


2. Fold the rectangle in half width-wise. 

 
3. Tape together (for convenience – you can skip that part if you want a challenge), and begin wrapping yarn over folded cardboard. 


4. Wrap until desired fullness is reached – I wrapped this bad boy 30 times, and it’s a bulky yarn. Then, slice tape, if you used it, and, using a crochet hook, pull an 18” length of yarn under the top of the wrapped yarn and tie tightly. 


5. Cut yarn at seam of folded cardboard at other end of tassel. 


6. Cut 36” length of yarn (roughly), and use it to wrap tassel approximately 1” to 1.5" from tied end, depending on the size of the thing and how you'd like it to look. Wrap until desired look is achieved. 


7. Using tapestry needle, tuck in end. Trim ends, if they look wonky, and affix to knitwear/cat/fancy underwear/Christmas tree.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you for the pictorial. I made these in Girl Scouts in, oh, say, about 1964 so the photos really helped to clarify the little I remembered. :^)

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    1. Gee, I'm surprised to hear you don't remember things perfectly from then. ;) Of course, I can't even remember stuff from last week!

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  2. I like the idea of attaching it to my cat. Very chic.

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  3. Used for attaching to hat for someone who is about to shave their head for charity in November! Thought they might replace their lack of hair for a while! Also give them something to twiddle!

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  4. Thanks for the awesome pattern!

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