Scrap Yarn "Necklace" Tutorial

Remember last week?  Huh. Neither do I. Summer sunshine makes me spacey.

Anyway, I believe I told you I was going to share a fun tutorial involving scraps of yarn. Now to be honest,  I've been hemming and hawing about whether or not to follow through on my promise because my original idea for this tutorial didn't quite work out. And I'm not totally in love with the compromise I ended up with. But given the beauty that is never-ending internet space, I'm going to share it with you anyway. So start collecting up some yarn scraps and read along for a free little tutorial on how to make this necklace!

BABY SCRAP NECKLACE

Materials You'll Need:

Some scissors and....
A whole bunch of yarn scraps, the more the better.
They can be any length from 2 inches to 2 feet, but I think it's best, if possible, to use scraps that are all the same gauge. See that one straggly red piece hanging out in the picture above? That's a piece of dk I tied in by accident and it really does stick out. Of course, I'm realizing now that I could just snip it out and replace it with another scrap.  So, you know, just dig in to your scrap bag. No worries.

 Well, that's it for the materials list. (It is just a necklace made from yarn after all...You've probably guessed by now this will not be rocket science).

STEP 1: Tie your scraps together to create a ball or skein of "scrap yarn."  You'll want to tie them together using a square knot. Find instructions here. Basically, you'll cross the end of your new scrap over the tail of your last scrap. The new scrap is on your right, the old scrap on your left. Then it's "right over left, left over right." So essentially, pay attention to the color of your new scrap to add on. You'll only be moving that color yarn. You'll end up with a strong knot like this...

STEP 2: When you've gotten through all your scraps or have had enough of tying knots, wrap your "yarn" around the back of a big chair to create a skein.  Use some extra scraps and tie around all the strands in a few spots to keep them together when you remove it from the chair.

OPTIONAL STEP : Once you remove your skein from the chair you might want to give it a good soak and let it hang out to dry to straighten any wonky strands.

STEP 3:  You'll have the beginning and end of your yarn hanging out from your yarn circle. Adjust them so that you have one strand hanging at opposite ends of your circle. Like this....

STEP 4: Now, wrap the loose strands around till there's a little tail left and then tuck that tail back under the wrapped yarn and pull. Trim the end.

 

 STEP 5: Trim off any unruly bits and pieces and then grab your necklace by either end where the wraps are. Take a longish piece of yarn and thread it through the ends like this....Adjust the length, then tie it on!! 

You can also twist it a few times before you thread the yarn through for an effect like this...

 

Admittedly, I feel a little silly wearing yarn scraps around my neck. But, I am still terrified by that horrific mound of yarn leftover from industrial factories, and all of the fiber waste that must exist in the world (just check out the sale racks at chain stores). 

So I'll wear my necklace proudly, and if anyone tries to give me crap about it, I'll tell them my neck is a rather lovely place to hang out.

It's way better than the garbage.