Monday, November 02, 2015

yarn wrapped statement necklace

When my friends over at iLoveToCreate asked if I would try out their new product Tulip® Custom Color Lab, I was pretty excited. While I don't knit, crochet or weave, I LOVE finding interesting ways to create with fiber. Custom Color Lab lets you take the art of dyeing yarn into your own hands which means you can create one-of-a-kind yarn to craft with.
iLovetoCreate was kind enough to send me three different types of yarn to play with-  chunk weight, worsted weight and lace weight and a ton of different colors of dye.

DYE THE YARN:
1. I started by mixing the dye- this process is as simple as adding water to the bottles of dye and shaking them up. 
Note: Dye comes with plastic gloves but I forgot to wear my gloves..of course!
2. Next I dampened the yarn with water and laid it out on a work surface.
3. Technically you are supposed to untwist the skein of yarn and lay it in an oval shape but I like to break rules! I actually found (by experimenting) that twisting and untwisting my yarn skein throughout the process of dying enabled my colors to blend and I was able to also hold onto areas of white yarn- something I wanted to achieve.
Note: there are a variety of different ways to dye the yarn- you can dip it into containers of dye, you can space dye it (like I did), use a paint brush to apply dye or even dye projects that are finished.
4. I used a variety of colors on each skein of yarn.

5. Next, I wrapped the yarn in plastic and let it set for about 4-6 hours.
6. Once the dye was set, I rinsed the yarn and let it dry.

I knew I wanted to create a wrapped statement necklace. I loved the warm rich colors of my yarn and I thought they would create a really unique piece of fiber jewelry.

CREATE A NECKLACE
1. Using cotton clothesline rope (you could use any kind of rope), I began to wrap my yarn using small dots of glue about every 1/2 inch. 
2. I alternated colors to create contrasting stripes. 

3. I thought it would be fun to add another element besides fiber so using some sterling silver wire, I wrapped wire over the top of the yarn.

4. I continued this process on five strands of yarn wrapped rope, using different color combos for each strand. Each skein of yarn that I dyed had so many different shades of color (black, grey, turquoise, blue, fushia, brown, etc) so I was able to use a lot different colors and shades.
5. The last step was to add to add a clasp to the back of the necklace. After gluing all of the edges of each strand together, I glued painted canvas over the raw edges.
6. Then I hand sewed silver end bars to the canvas.
7. Last, I attached a lobster clasp to the end bar.
I am so happy with the way that this project turned out! While a fiber statement necklace isn't for everyone, I love how textural and unique it looks!


21 comments:

Unknown said...

This is beyond awesome! Thanks for sharing your wonderful inventive ideas!

Rachel Jolley said...

Oh my, just LOVE this brilliant creation of yours, how clever and stunning, this I have to have a go at! By the way, your hair looks utterly gorgeous!

Sharon Stanley said...

this is just stunning! i love how it looks so organic and like some high-end art piece! beautifully crafted.

Meg said...

gorgeous!!

Jeannette said...

this is just stunning,oh my i love this,how clever,this i have a go at!Your hair are georgus.
beautifully crafted.

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

LUV IT!

Anonymous said...

Wow !

Meghan Thimjon said...

This is amazing! I love your hair!!!! I am sure you did that yourself too! So talented!!!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm -- just a small segue to an answer to the question of what to do with my ziplock bag of tiny balls of leftover sick yarn...

Anonymous said...

Too early in the morning -- that should say "sock yarn"...

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic necklace. I have followed you for years now and you look fantastic. You haven't aged at all. The pictures of you are beautiful.
Barb
Charlotte, NC

Magda said...

Stunning! absolutely!

Audrey said...

Alisa, that deep pink color is YOUR COLOR. It brings out everything in you that is already beautiful in such a vibrant way. I also really love this project and am looking forward to seeing if I am one of those girls who could pull off a fiber statement necklace like this!

AlexM said...

love it!!!
Thanks for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous project! Great pictures!

TXMess said...

Beautiful; love it! Thanks for the great tutorial. :)

Jo Murray said...

That's fabulous...AND an easy way to dye....many thanks.

Stephanie said...

lovely! thanks for sharing

Indiana Health Insurance Exchange said...

So pretty. I love those necklaces. It looks so easy to make.

Unknown said...

Beautiful! What a fun project to try! Thanks for sharing!

Jean BH said...

Love this necklace. I have made a few similar to yours but mine did not jump at me. I was timid on the colors. Your statement piece really makes a statement. I will go back to the drawing board. Thanks for sharing your creation.

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