Handmade yarn lei

The week we spent in Hawaii was so close to graduation that the stores were filled with graduation supplies, like really cool colorful leis.  They were fascinating and I had to have one but Walmart was charging $10 a piece.  So I found out how to make them myself and I want to share with you, besides, as usual it's cheaper to make.

You'll need,

2 skeins of Fun Fur yarn (Walmart)

1 yard of ribbon

2 kukui nuts or fat beads (optional)

1 chop stick or pencil 

tape

scissors

1. Begin by inserting one nut or bead on one end of your ribbon, approx. 6" from the end and tie to keep in place (this bead stops your hard work from sliding off the end)

2. Tape the other end of the ribbon to your chopstick at the SKINNY end, tape it securely.  Now you have a yard of ribbon with a bead knotted at one end and a chopstick taped to the other.

3. You'll use both colors of yarn (if you chose 2 different colors) together as one, doubling the thickness of yarn.  Tie the yarn onto the middle of the chopstick with a square knot.

4. Now the yarn in secured onto the chopstick, the fun begins.  Holding the chopstick like a wand in your right hand and the yarn in your left, you simply begin wrapping the yarn around the chopstick, wrap, wrap, wrap... 

...not too loose and not too tight. You now have a chopstick full of wrapped yarn.

5.  Gently slide the yarn down the chopstick to the ribbon end, slide most of it off onto the ribbon but leave a few winds still on he chopstick.  Keep winding, keep sliding it onto the ribbon, repeat.

6.  By now you are seeing your lei, it may look thin but when you are finished you will slide the whole thing closer together and it will look fuller.

7.  When you run out of one or both colors of yarn you are finished wrapping.  

8.  Slide your completed yarn wrap off the chopstick so it's entirely on the ribbon, here's where you can make your lei as long or as short as you want by adjusting how much you slide the wrapped yarn closer together along the ribbon. 

9.  To finish it off one end at time, tie the end of your yarn and the ribbon in a square knot.

10.  Slide the nut or bead over the end and knot it off, leave extra ribbon beyond the nut and repeat for the other end that already has the nut. 

                                       

11.  Tie the two ends of ribbon together and you have your completed yarn lei.  Enjoy!  Mahalo!  

I think it took me all of 15 minutes from start to finish.