I have always loved making homemade gifts for the Holidays. Before I was married I used to spend hours upon hours making my yearly projects for family and friends. Running after two little ones however has slightly dented the amount of time that I’m able to spend crafting. Unfortunately quick crafts generally mean they’re not as nice, that is however not the case with these necklaces which can be complete in as little as a half hour.
In general I have no skills when it comes to knitting or crocheting. My mother and father (my father picked up crocheting when he quit smoking too keep his hands busy) have both tried to show me how, but I’ve never had the patience. Luckily someone invented the knitting loom for impatient people like me who want to kit but don’t want to take the time to truly learn how. I invested in several looms a few years ago when fuzzy scarves were so popular, needless to say I became a knitting machine and 90% of the people on my gift list got a scarf that year. If you’ve never used a knitting loom, why not? They’re so easy, and relatively inexpensive. I think I purchased mine for $7 at Walmart. For this project you are essentially knitting or crocheting very skinny scarves that will become a necklace. It really is that simple and the end result is a truly unique piece of jewelry.
For this Project You Will Need:
- A knitting loom or the ability to knit or crochet.
- Fancy yarn, I particularly like the necklaces I’ve made with stained glass yarn, but fuzzy yarn is fun too.
- Some sort of bauble, stone, or charm of substantial size. You can find some really neat charms on cheapy dollar store jewelry, otherwise feel free to use, pins, clip on earrings, or repurpose any other type of jewelry you may have laying around. Mate less earrings are prime candidates for this project, you could always spend money on charms if you feel like splurging.
Using a loom I only knitted a “3 peg” scarf, meaning my chain only had 3 stitches per row. This worked really well for the yarn I had, you may want to experiment with yours to see what looks best.
One you get the necklace to your desired length, you will need to tie off the end. Leave a tail of yarn before you begin this process. If using a loom you begin with the loop from the peg on the end and pass it through the loop on the peg directly opposite, continue passing the loops in a zig zag pattern until you get to your final loop. The directions that will come with your loom will explain this much more clearly, it’s not hard, just tricky the first time through. Knot your remaining loop with the tail of yarn you left.
I like to leave a very long tail on both ends so I can secure the two ends of the necklace together. I don’t do anything fancy, just weave the tails in and out of the stitches on the opposite sides until the necklace is securely closed. You can use your knot as the back of your necklace or where you attach your charm, I’ve done it both ways.
You can slide your charm on the necklace before you tie the ends together, or you can attach it with more yarn after closing the necklace. What type of charm you’ve chosen will dictate this.
All of the yarn pictured was found at the dollar store, I used less than $.10 of yarn for each project. I’ve literally had this yarn for years, so it didn’t really cost me anything at this point.
The green charm was from a mate less hoop earring set, I never actually wore the earrings but I think it makes for a stunning necklace. The cost for this necklace was literally $.10, call it a $1.10 if you want to include the start up cost for the loom, but my loom paid for itself in Christmas gifts years ago.
I paid $3 a piece for the cross and the heart charms at Walmart, making these necklaces $3.10 a piece.
The best part about this project however is it only takes between a half hour and an hour to complete a very unique piece of jewelry that always illicits compliments. Happy Knitting!
What a clever idea! Thank you so much for sharing this idea. I think even I could do this :) For more visit Kasey at Lessons From Ivy.
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