DIY Yarn Art

A lot of what I make and do, is really simple, easy peasy stuff. This is definitely one of those crafts.  But, man did I have fun making this one. From getting to pick out colors, to cutting and stringing the yarn, it was all enjoyment. It was relatively quick to make and adds big color and impact to a wall with very little cost.

I'm so in love with all the great macrame projects and fiber weaving out there lately. I'm sure you've seen Mandi's (of Vintage Revivals) macrame head board and all of Rachel's (of Smile and Wave) weaving projects on her instagram and pinterest.  And when we were at the Fig House for Oh Joy for The Land of Nod launch party, I was so inspired by the gorgeous art in that place. I was especially in love with the String Sculptures by Nike Schroeder. So this is my dummies version. Yarn Art is kind of a fancy name, but I'm not sure what else to call it.

This is so simple to do.  Start with a twig, branch or just a piece of dowel.  Hang it from a wall so that you are working with gravity. Cut lengths of yarn twice as long as you'd like your piece to be. Then fold the piece of yarn in half and place the folded end over the twig towards the front.  Pass the ends of the yarn through the loop and then pull tight (see images below). Slide each length of yarn right up against the last one, leaving no gaps. 

When you have all the yarn on your branch, then you can play with trimming the bottom.  I decided, an asymmetrical angle would be fun.  But, a V or W or curve would all look great as well.  I cut a paper template, then held it up the the bottom on the yarn piece while I was cutting.  It was nice to have a guide.  The bottom of mine is far from perfectly straight.  Some of the yarn wanted to spring back up, or had stretched out.  I'm totally ok with this though, I'll probably give it another trim in a couple days, after it's hung for a little while longer. 

I used a mixture of different yarns. The dark green was a 100% cotton yarn and hung the nicest, because of it's weight.  The others were chosen for their color and are mostly polyester blends. This piece is not staying on this wall, but when I do install it, I want to hang it without a string.  I'm going to try to drill through each end of the branch and attach it to the wall with plugs.  The branch has a natural curve in it, so the yarn will hang away from the wall.