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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:

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

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  2. 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!

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

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

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  5. Anonymous12:07 AM

    Wow !

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

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  7. Anonymous4:19 AM

    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...

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    1. Anonymous4:21 AM

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

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  8. Anonymous5:16 AM

    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

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  9. Stunning! absolutely!

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  10. 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!

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  11. love it!!!
    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  12. Gorgeous project! Great pictures!

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

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

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  15. lovely! thanks for sharing

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

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

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  18. 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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