Sunday, December 31, 2017

Yarn Necklaces, Part 2: Help! I Can't Stop Making Them!

Last week, I showed a whole bunch of wrapped yarn necklaces made just in time for the holidays. Chanukah and Christmas are now over, but I'm still making 'em! My friends like the necklaces made with variegated, gradation-dyed, and ladder yarns best. Here are two of my newest:
They're now embellishing Petra and Jen! 
The purple one below is a sort of lariat

It contains the following delicate metallic variegated yarn that is way too thin to do much with it by itself...

...a very cool zigzaggy lavender yarn; and a fluffy wool, all crocheted together into one chain. 
The next crochet lariat is made from one variegated yarn - Lion Brand "Landscapes," which I just found at Michaels - plus a ribbon ladder yarn from my stash. (Chain one long row of Landscapes; return with double crochet for the second row; tie off, and then chain a contrasting yarn right up the middle.)
It's perfect for Southern California winters - a little more than a necklace, but much less than a scarf. 
I even dared to go rusty orange. This has about 4 different yarns, crocheted into a chain. 
Another controversial color: 
Neon green, with hints of blue - five different yummy fibers. Do green necklaces give the face a sickly pallor? It's worth it, for the tactile joy. 

The cardboard "loom" I used to make them, shown in the last blog post, doubles as a portable display case. Here are 8 necklaces wrapped around the 12" x 12" cardboard. Front: 
...and back....
Aren't these fun to look at? Find the tutorial and more examples here. Wishing you a happy, healthy, creative 2018!

PS Don't use ugly yarn in necklaces. I considered using the following yarn in several: 
But it's greyish, looks old because it is, and wrapping didn't make it any more jewelry-esque. So instead I crocheted it into a basket with a lid, and used the leftovers from the orange necklace above to give it a pompom.

 The good thing about baskets is you don't have to wear them!


8 comments:

  1. LOVE these necklaces. What kind of clasp/closure do you use? I hope I can remember this idea for next year because somewhere I have lots of yarns from when I could crochet without pain in my arthritic finger joints.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ann, so far I haven't used a clasp at all - I make sure they fit over a head (ie mine). In my previous post, I showed how I like to wrap the meeting point with ribbon and embellish it with buttons, but those don't come apart. To make a clasp, I think I would have to use a bead cone - there are lots of how-tos on youtube. I just haven't gotten around to trying it. This is indeed a fabulous way to use up yarn without actually crocheting or knitting it (though I suppose if you wrap too hard and too long, your arm could start to hurt!) Thanks for your comment, let me know how it goes!

      Delete
  2. Very pretty and fun.
    What a wonderful stash-buster! I have so much funky yarn from weaving projects that would be perfect for these!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are doing a great job...they are beautiful...Some one gave me one..a simple one..it is clasped by itself and can move to different sizes...I do not know how...ha ha ha do not make ugly necklaces with ugly yarn...got it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cathy, those necklaces are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you, Maggie,and Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well...I have always loved your creativity even when your blog was so simple. I am going to try this. I am very excited...Thank you mucho xo

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting!