DIY Yarn Wall Hanging

We all know macrame is super hot right now, and beautiful. So I decided to try my hand an insanely entry level yarn/macrame-ish project – DIY yarn wall hanging. If you are looking for an amazing, hand-made piece that’s intricate and amazing – go to Etsy. If you want to feel crafty and cute, with very little skill, stay with me.

First things first, where is this thing going to go? I had a couple of ideas but I landed on either one of my kid’s rooms, or perhaps it’ll be a fall decorative item that I pull out during, well the fall season. That’s where you guys thought I was going to start at right? Not like, the supplies, but the logistics of where it’s going to hang. PS I also think this would make a super cute gift!

OK fine, let’s start with the supplies now. You’ll need a stick or a dowel, yarn, scissors, a measuring tape and some tape. Basically, you should have everything except the yarn, making this an awesome DIY home decor craft. I went outside and chopped a branch off of one of our trees. Make sure to look for a fairly straight branch since it will be going against a wall. If you don’t have access to a tree, ask a friend! If you really can’t get your hands on a tree branch, I’d recommend a dowel rod from a craft store. This one sells a 36 inch long dowel, I’d recommend a one inch diameter. You’ll have to cut the dowel, but for $3.30 it’ll give you roughly two DIY yarn wall hangings!

Next up, yarn. I’ve never worked with yarn so just picture me in a craft store starring at the vast array of yarn for fifteen minutes. It was overwhelming. My recommendation is to go in with a color palette idea of three to four yarns. My daughter helped me pick out the yarn colors since it was going in her room. But to be honest I wanted it to have a fall feel, so I gently suggested the orange. I love orange.

OK. Let’s make this DIY yarn wall hanging. First off, again, figure out where you’ll be hanging the piece so we can make sure the length of the stick fits and you’ll also need to know how long the yarn will be hanging down. If you’re unsure how long you want it to hang down, just make it longer. You’ll be giving the piece a haircut when you’re finished anyways.

You’ll also need to see what pattern you want your yarn hanging in. My daughter picked a stair V shape, no lie, I had no say in this. But if you look around Pintrest you’ll see lots of different ideas.

Make sure you also identify where the middle of your stick is so you’ll have an idea of where the pop of color needs to lie and how much of each yarn color you’ll be using.

It will be a guessing game of how much yarn to use and how much to put on the stick, unless you use my exact measurements below – then your life will be easier. If you take a look at the information below you’ll see how the spacing works on the stick. Once you’re figured out the math and the shape of your yarn piece, it gets MUCH easier.

• Stick – 15 1/2 inches long
• Space left on either end of the stick – 2 inches on each side
• White yarn – 1 1/2 inches (this is how much space it takes up on the stick)
• Grey yarn – 1 1/2 inches
• Blue yarn – 1 1/2 inches
• Orange/middle yarn piece – 2 1/4 inches wide

Now that we know the spacing, let’s see how much yarn to cut. I recommend you cut all the pieces of yarn the same length – 35 inches long. Guys, its not worth it cutting each yarn a different length. You use such a small amount of yarn on this project, so cut them all the same length. I didn’t. I was trying to be fruggle and it was super dumb. You’ll give your piece a haircut at the end of the project.

• 35 inches long for each yarn color
• 14 strands of the white, grey and blue yarn
• 8 strands of the orange/pop of color yarn

I suppose I need to tell you how to thread the yarn over the wood huh? Take your yarn and fold it in half, making sure the yarn is even. Place the looped end over the branch, hold the yarn open with your fingers. Gather the loose ends and pull them through the loop, towards the back of the branch. The part of the branch that will be facing the wall. Pull the loose ends down towards the ground till it’s tight up against the branch. Make sure the “knotted” end is facing down. Honestly you guys this, again, sounds complicated but it’s not. The demonstration is saved on the Girl Refurbished Instagram channel. It’s a great DIY yarn wall hanging tutorial. I’m not saying I’m great, it just helps you see how easy it is!

Once you’ve figured out the looping situation you’re good! I worked from the outside doing two colors at a time. I didn’t worry about making the yarn tight, or close together until I got more colors on. The yarn is forgiving, don’t worry.

Oh look progress. This project goes by fairly quickly once you’ve done that math and cut all the yarn!

So satisfying.

Once you’ve reached this point, with only one color left, you’ll need to start making the yarn tighter and closer together to make sure the last color will fit. It will start to look cleaner at this point, rather than loose yarn.

OK folks. Here we are, at the finish line. Now all we need to do is the haircut. Remember, learn from me and cut all of the yarn the same length so the haircut is easier. You’ll see below I didn’t do that.

For this particular cut, the inside is longer and we make cuts as we work our way outside. The steps are approximately 1 1/2 inches apart. I guess that just seems to be the number for this piece. Two tips. Go buy sharp, craft scissors. I used dull, crap scissors and my cuts were getting frayed. Also, it’s best to use some sort of straight edge to ensure your cuts are even. And no need to be super hardcore about this. You can move the yarn slightly up or down in the stick if you are looking for perfection. But I’m not looking for jarring perfection. I’m looking for a homemade craft that’s cute. So take it easy on yourself.

Lastly, you’ll need to take one more piece of yarn, 26 inches. Simply tie the yarn at either end of the rope, making a loop to hang the DIY yarn wall hanging. It’s super easy to make the loop to your liking. This entire project is! I would also recommend a cuter pin – I think I’ll take my advice and look for one now! Ta-da!

How to Make a DIY Yarn Wall Hanging

Supplies

• Four colors of yarn:
  • Dark denim color
  • Pumpkin color
  • My beige is called natural, but I can’t find it online – Almond is close
  • Again, I have slate, can’t find it – Dark grey is close
• Stick or dowel rod
• Scissors – craft scissors would be ideal
• Measuring stick
• Tape

Instructions

1. Figure out placement for the wall hanging. You’ll need to decide the size of the stick and how long the yarn will be. If you’re unsure where it will go, I say make it longer because you can always shorten it.
2. Figure out the pattern. My daughter opted for the V shape, but if it’s not your cup of tea, take a look around Pintrest, you’ll see lots of different ideas.
3. Figure out the spacing. You’ll need to determine how much space each of the yarn colors will take up on your stick. You can do an exact replica of mine, or adjust accordingly to your stick’s length and/or the pattern.
   • Stick – 15 1/2 inches long
   • Space left on either end of the stick – 2 inches on each side
   • White yarn – 1 1/2 inches (this is how much space it takes up on the stick)
   • Grey yarn – 1 1/2 inches
   • Blue yarn – 1 1/2 inches
   • Orange/middle yarn piece – 2 1/4 inches wide
4. Cut the pieces of yarn. I recommend cutting all the pieces of the yarn now, and make them all the same length. Remember, make them all the same length it’s easier. You’ll be giving your piece a haircut at the end of the project.
   • 35 inch long cuts of each yarn color
   • 14 strands of the white, grey and blue yarn
   • 8 strands of the orange/pop of color yarn
5. Thread the yarn over the stick. This will seem more complicated than it is. I have a super short video above on how to thread the yarn over, or you can check out my for Girl Refurbished Instagram channel for more visual instructions.
   • Take your yarn and fold it in half, making sure the yarn is even.
   • Place the looped end over the branch, hold the yarn open with your fingers.
   • Gather the loose ends and pull them through the loop, towards the back of the branch – the part of the branch that will be facing the wall.
   • Pull the loose ends down towards the ground till it’s tight up against the branch. Make sure the “knotted” end is facing down.
6. Finish threading all of the yarn over the stick. Once you’ve figured out the looping situation you’re good! Work from the outside in and don’t worry about making the yarn super tight yet, or close together, until you get to the last color, in this case, the orange. The yarn is forgiving.
7. Hair cut time. For this particular cut, the inside is longer and we make cuts as we work our way outside. The steps are approximately 1 1/2 inches apart. Two tips. Go buy sharp, craft scissors. I used dull, crap scissors and my cuts were getting frayed. Also, it’s best to use some sort of straight edge to ensure your cuts are even. And no need to be super hardcore about this. You can move the yarn slightly up or down in the stick if you are looking for perfection.
8. Make the hanging loop. I used a white piece of yarn, 26 inches. Simply tie the yarn at either end of the rope, making a loop to hang the DIY yarn wall hanging. It’s super easy to make the loop to your liking if you’d like it shorter.

There you have it! You’re very own, or a gift, or you’re kids DIY yarn wall hanging. PS. I think this would make a super cool DIY home decor party. Have your friends over, thread some yarn, and end up with a cute decor piece!