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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo

May 27, 2013 1 Comment

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

I was hanging out on Pinterest and found this awesome rainbow illusion fan – the blades are painted primary colors, so when the fan’s on, you see a rainbow of color. Suffering a bout of instant inspiration for applying the idea to other surfaces, I realized my newly rekindled interest in yo-yoing was the perfect place to take the rainbow concept for a spin. (Sorry. Puns. They’re just so tempting to use when you write about crafts.)

Supplies

  • white, red, yellow & blue paper, all 8.5 by 11 inches
  • computer printer
  • Mod Podge Super Gloss
  • paint brush
  • rubbing alcohol
  • scissors
  • this template

Directions

Measure the diameter of your yo-yo. If it’s 2 inches, you can use this template as-is, but if it’s a different size, you’ll need to adjust the template accordingly. Print the template with a regular computer printer onto one each of each of your four sheets of paper. Cut two slices of the red, blue and yellow papers from the template, leaving whole the white circle templates.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

Carefully cut out the two white circles from the template and set one aside. Grab one of each colored slice.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

With the black lines facing away from you, hold your white circle up to a light source.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

Paint a layer of Mod Podge onto three non-adjacent slices of the circle (leave a dry slice between each Mod-Podged slice).

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

With any visible template lines facing down, place a primary colored slice on each of the patches of Mod Podge.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

Wipe down your yo-yo with rubbing alcohol. Paint a thick layer of Mod Podge onto one side of the yo-yo, and place the paper circle on the center of it. There’s a convenient ridge on the yo-yo I used for this project that made centering the paper easy.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

Paint another layer of Mod Podge over the top of the placed paper circle. After letting the first side dry totally, repeat the process of creating and decoupaging a second paper circle onto the opposite side of the yo-yo.

How-to: Optical Illusion Yo-yo at HandsOccupied.com

 I first posted this project at Mod Podge Rocks last month. I write a monthly tutorial for Mod Podge Rocks, which you should check out on Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter for tons of decoupage craft project instructions.

Filed Under: Decoupage, How-to, My Work Elsewhere Tagged With: crafts, diy, kids crafts, mod podge, optical illusion, rainbow, yo-yo

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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  1. Science Meets Crafts Program Kit: Rainbow Illusion Yo-yos | Library as Incubator Project says:
    September 20, 2013 at 6:42 am

    […] out How to Make Rainbow Optical Illusion Yo-Yos for the step by step on making these one at a time. I encourage you to make one yourself before […]

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
The latest Hands Occupied stitch tutorial features The latest Hands Occupied stitch tutorial features the Dimple Stitch & landed on YouTube last week... right in the midst of a bunch of life chaos. In the hubbub, I forgot to share the beautiful “wrong side” of the stitch. Isn’t it lovely? 😍 Read more about the hidden inner architecture that gives the Dimple Stitch its great depth on the blog & catch the video tutorial, both linked in bio. ✌🏻
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Pictured: The wrong side of a large swatch of dimple stitch knitting on a light blue background. It is knit in red wool yarn. 
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Yarn is @kelbournewoolens Germantown via @knit_picks. 🧶☺️
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#handsoccupied #stitchtutorial #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #youtube #knitting #red #wool #knitter #knittersofinstagram
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