This fun, funky hanging “lamp” was so much fun to make! This whole year – 2019 – I have a goal to USE MY STASH! I know many of us yarn hoarders feel the same way.
I am a thrifter.
A junker.
Going to thrift shops is part of my local business since I also paint and restore furniture and upcycle other items. Many times in those adventures, I am fortunate enough to score giant bags of brand new yarn at unbelievable low prices – but, what this means is that my stash has grown out of control and I am running out of storage space. So, I am de-stashing this year! I have done several de-stash projects this year. Take a look at these:
So, for this lamp I selected 5 balls of a #3 baby weight cotton in minty blue – this yarn is so beautfiful, but I knew that it really wasn’t the right yarn for my niche and what I typically make. I also chose 3 balls of a baby velour material in blue- I guess it would have made a nice hat or sweater, but again, I am just not a baby garment maker. So, all of that baby yarn went into this lamp as well as some scraps homespun and a lot of white and gray/silver leftover skeins of yarn.
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase items from my page, but it doesn’t change your cost. Any and all purchases help support me and my page so I can continue to bring you and post free patterns and inspiration – and thank you for all your support.
I also used my Joann’s coupons to get 3 different sizes of hoops for this project – never pay full price at Joann’s – there are always coupons available and if you download the app you can sometimes even get 40% of your total purchase! That is what I did for these – so, I was able to get them all the same day.
I started by removing the outer rings and storing them for later – for this project I only used the inner rings.
Here is a basic “how to” for this lamp:
I started by laying out my rings and cutting 9 equal lengths of yarn. Mine were about 12″ long, but this part isn’t crucial – you do need to make them longer enough to have the amount of space you want between your rings. After you cut your lengths, LOOSELY tie them so that you join the top to the middle and the middle to the bottom. I also tied 3 pieces to a small ring at the top about the size of a napkin holder. A metal ring about the size of a keychain would even be fine for the very top hanger part. You want to keep these first ties loose because after you get all your fiber on the rings you may need to adjust them to level your piece out.
Once you are satisfied with this part, start getting those big strands cut. I wrapped my yarn all around my large pinning board, but you can use an assortment of things – I have used bed post, two chairs placed the width I wanted next to each other, etc. My lengths were 48″ around my pinning board. I did 3-4 balls at once to make it quicker and then after all my loops were cut I wrapped 2-3 pieces around each of my loops varying the colors I used in each section.
TIP: STEAMING YARN ON A PROJECT LIKE THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!! It will relax your fibers and get the kinks out so they lay nice and straight and flat – its like a flat iron for hair – this part really makes a huge difference!! I used a garment steamer and for vertical projects like this it really is worth the investment – especially if you sell your goods like I do. It makes a big professional finish. See THIS POST on Steaming. My steaming post also has a link to the steamer that I use and the newest iron I have had to buy. I use both for steaming my work, but the garment steamer is a life saver for all my boho fiber hanging pieces.
So, what I did is do the middle top section and then steamed it and then trimmed the bottoms straight. Then I did the middle piece and steamed and trimmed and finally the outer loop. It will be hard to steam and trim the middle if you do all three parts at once.
Then – the BIG FINALE! – Add a hanging pendant light. I chose this one and it absolutely made this project “shine!” The light I chose has a remote control and just hooks into the top. It has different modes to select from and runs on batteries so NO PLUGS ARE NEEDED.
I mean, look how perfect this is. I love it so much and it sold right away from my Facebook page. This is a must have piece of decor for your gypsy souls
This first link is the actual light that I purchased for my project. I’ve also included a few more of my favorite things <3
