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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways

December 8, 2014 1 Comment

Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways at HandsOccupied.com

This fall, Rachel of Lines Across launched Let’s Wrap Stuff, a website devoted to all things gift wrap related. To celebrate its launch, Rachel challenged me and a select group of talented bloggers to come up with a creative gift wrap idea using plain kraft paper. Who doesn’t love brown paper packages tied up with string? Check out all 24 of the creative kraft paper gift wrap ideas at the bottom of this post, but first here’s my take on the challenge…

Man, I love tassels! I really need to start incorporating more of them in my knitting designs. For now, I’ve got two different ideas for how to incorporate tassels in your holiday gift-giving, and both ideas take just minutes to DIY. First off, you need to learn how to make a simple yarn tassel.

How to Make a Yarn Tassel

Supplies

yarn (I went with Red Heart Super Saver in Burgundy, Hunter Green & Soft White.)
scissors
small piece of cardboard

Directions

How to Make a Yarn Tassel | HandsOccupied.com

Begin by cutting a small slit in one end of your cardboard. Grab your yarn(s) and put the tail(s) in the slit you just cut. Then start wrapping your yarn around your cardboard lengthwise.

How to Make a Yarn Tassel | HandsOccupied.com

When you’ve wrapped as much yarn around the cardboard as you like, cut your yarn and put the other end of your yarn through the same notch the you began your tassel with. Tie the opposite end of your soon-to-be-tassel together with some scrap yarn.
How to Make a Yarn Tassel | HandsOccupied.com

Cut your yarn at the opposite end of your carboard and carefully slide the tassel off the cardboard.

How to Make a Yarn Tassel | HandsOccupied.com

Use another piece of yarn to wrap and tie around your tassel near the uncut end. Trim any ends of yarn that stick out where they shouldn’t, and your tassel is ready to be a gift topper! (Or lots of other things!)

How to Make a Yarn Tassel | HandsOccupied.com

Get the look: Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap Idea 1

Of the two “looks,” I think this one’s a bit more modern than the second. I love them both equally, though, because look two feels like a little nod to handmade midcentury Christmastime, which is basically my favorite aesthetic ever. But this one, with is peppermint-look tassels and the spread out yarn, feels just a little more like something I’d see in a 2014 window display than the other.

Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways at HandsOccupied.com

For both looks, you start with a plain old wrapped gift. Then you gather up 3 long strands of yarn, one each of red, green & white. Wrap all three strands of yarn as one around your box several times, alternating where they overlap, leaving plenty of space. When you’re done, tie the two (well, actually 6) ends together with a knot and slide the knot to the backside of your package to hide it.

Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways at HandsOccupied.com

To finish look number 1, you simply tie two tassels (one made with red and white, the other with green and white) to the package where the wraps of yarn intersect or where you think they’ll look good.

Get the look: Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap Idea 2

For look 2, you simply wrap the three colors of yarn around your box just the same as in look 1, but you bring it all together into a tight band of yarn about 1/3 of the way down your box. Then you tie two tassels to each other and around the band of yarn. Wrap it a few times and secure with a knot at the back.

Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways at HandsOccupied.com

Both ideas are really easy, and a huge skein of Red Heart Super Saver generally runs around $3ish, so this is a cost-effective way to add some personality to your holiday gifts!

—

Check out this and 23 other amazing gift wrap ideas using plan wrapping paper and a little bit of DIY magic! 

Brown Paper Packages - 24 Creative Gift Wrap Ideas

1. Pom Pom Ice Cream Cone Gift Wrap by Let’s Wrap Stuff
2. Embroidered Wrapping Paper by Lines Across
3. Holiday Lights Gift Wrap by Burlap and Blue
4. Printable DIY Watercolor Gift Tags by Dawn Nicole
5. Chalkboard Painted Wrapping Paper by The Winthrop Chronicles
6. Let it Snow Neighbor Gift Printable by Ginger Snap Crafts
7. Upcycled Cardboard Gift Tags 3 Ways by Eat. Sleep. Make.
8. Kraft Paper Gift Card Envelope Printables by Delia Creates
9. Make + Give Christmas Tree Gift Topper by Make and Tell
10. DIY Wrench Wrapping Paper by Maker Mama
11. DIY Stamped Trees Gift Wrap by Shaken Together Life
12. Brown Paper Packages by Delineate Your Dwelling
13. Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways by Hands Occupied
14. Holiday Writing with Washi Tape by Club Chica Circle
15. Glitter-Dipped Gift Tags by The Thinking Closet
16. Coffee Container Christmas Gift Tags by Simply Kelly Designs
17. Gift Wrapping Ideas by C.R.A.F.T.
18. Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas by Making Home Base
19. Sewn Brown Paper Gift Card Gift Giving by Dream a Little Bigger
20. Chalkboard Gift Tag & Ornament by Tried and True
21. Easy Holly Ornament Gift Tag by Rae Gun Ramblings
22. Printable Hand-Lettered Christmas Tags by Persia Lou
23. Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas by Eighteen25
24. Washi Tape Christmas Tree Gift Card Box by That’s What Che Said

Filed Under: Christmas, How-to, Yarn Crafts Tagged With: christmas, gift wrap, how to make a tassel, tassel gift wrap, tassels, yarn tassel, yarn tassel gift wrap

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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  • This granny square-inspired crochet shawl is super fun to make because once you memorize how to work its easy stitch pattern, you can go to town until it's the size you want, or until you run out of yarn. A shawl like this one is the perfect way to show off your tassel skills, too!Granny Tassel Shawl

Comments

  1. Rachel (Let's Wrap Stuff)

    December 9, 2014 at 10:18 am

    These are beautiful Heidi! I’ve been really into making yarn pom poms lately, but I don’t think I’ve ever made tassels before. They turned out so cute and are a great way to wrap a gift. Thanks so much for sharing and for being a part of the series!

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

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

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Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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