Friday, November 5, 2010

yarn-wrapped letters

i've had these block letters for a while (mine and my husbands initials), but i didn't know what i wanted to do with them. i was about to resort to painting (which is fine, i just wanted to try something different), but i've been seeing on different blogs the popularity of yarn, including simply wrapping things in yarn. which is FANTASTIC! i had yarn in the house, so that's what i decided to do. hope you like it!
  
supplies you will need:
block letters
yarn
scissors
that's it!

directions:
(these aren't really step-by-step directions, but more like tips and guidelines.)
1. begin wrapping the letter with the yarn. my recommendation is to wrap horizontally at first. (though really you can do it any way you want!) and unless you have to wrap a letter with a hole (Bs, Os, Qs, As, Ps, Ds, Rs, etc) you don't need to cut a particular length of yarn.
2. tackle the more difficult areas first (my ex: the middle part of the K). it doesn't have to look pretty in the beginning.
3. keep wrapping, and make sure the "uglies" (where you have to criss-cross to get to other parts of the letter) are on the back side.
4. make sure you cover every single bit of the letter, even the sides.
5. when you're done wrapping horizontally, start wrapping over that vertically. you don't have to, though, this is just how i do it. i learned that i like to wrap the letters in the direction that i would write them. does that make sense?
6. on the back, tie off your yarn (using some of the already wrapped yarn) and snip off the extra. 


you're done!
now you can decorate with your masterpiece, add embellishments, use them as tools to help your child learn his ABCs, or whatever!

here's what i did with mine:
i found this gaudy frame at hobby lobby for half off, and had to get it. 
great thing about it is i can use it for decorating AND as a photography prop!


happy crafting!

87 comments:

shadia said...

this is genious!!!!!!!!

Theresa said...

They look amazing...and I like the frame you chose.
Found you over at somewhat simple.
Cheers!
Theresa

Catherine said...

I'm visiting from New Friend Friday. Awesome idea with the monogram, looks great!

Maria Gridley said...

Oh LOVE that!!! Thats gorgeous!!

Christina @ The Tattered Tag said...

I stumbled upon your blog via WWU @ Tatertots and Jello. Very crafty cute idea! Thanks for inspiring.

Summer said...

LOVE it! Thanks for the inspiration!

poindextr said...

love it! very sweet and imaginative! Thank you so much for sharing :)

High Street Cottage said...

Hi Bailey, you did a really good job on those. That type of craft is easier said than done. Getting the yarn to not look bunched up, yet smooth is not easy, really well done. tami from the high street cottage

Renters No More said...

I saw your link over at Tattertots & Jello--I love your yarn letters. What a unique idea to do a monogram.

Dixie Mom said...

That turned out awesome! You did such a tidy job of wrapping them. I think mine would look like a first grader did it.
Found you on the soiree....

kpmattingly said...

Great job! Fun and inexpensive decorating idea!

Jenn said...

These look so cute! I love the colours you choose!

Courtney {a thoughtful place} said...

Get out of town! I love these so much. I am so drawn to the texture of them. I would love to do a monogram for my son's room. So cute. Thank you

Sandy Ang said...

Such a creative idea to dress up wooden letters ! They now have such a warm and cuddly feel.

sarah said...

I love this idea. The texture rocks.

Jordan said...

Bailey, I LOVE these!! This might be Christmas present worthy for a few friends of mine. Thanks for the idea!

Megan said...

wow, these are awesome! I want to feature this project on crazydomestic.com, but I can't find a place to email you! email me @ crazydomestic@hotmail.com and let me know if that's ok with you!

Kristy said...

Love the texture the yarn adds to the letters

Just Simply Live said...

Oh my word!!! I HEART THESE SOOOO MUCH. You are amazing.

Pressed Petals said...

wonderful idea! off to check out more of your blog.

Holly @ Roller Coaster Life said...

this is soo pretty! i love it!! you could really make them any color you want!! how awesome!

i have to go to hobby lobby this frame is so gaudy i love it! haha

tara said...

i bought the stuff to do this today and i'm getting ready to attempt it, but i'm starting to realize that there's not much to a "c" so i'm not sure how cute it will be because i think pretty much everything will be going in the same direction. hmmmm...

love the idea though! thanks!

Madigan at madiganmade said...

Love the colors and the texture! Great job!

bailey k. said...

thanks everyone!

@tara - no it will still look great!! look at the curves of the "B" of mine, it looks good!

April@gingerbreadgirl said...

what?? those are sooo great!!! I love the yarn colors you chose...those are awesome...

tara said...

i did it and it looks great! (even my hubby loves it! well...as much as a man can be excited about a yarn covered letter. ha!)

Rene said...

This is the cutest thing I have seen! I'm bookmarking it for sure!

-Rene

Meg said...

So fun! I love the direction you took the yarn in. Great idea!

Hanna said...

Hi!! I am your newest follower from the crafty link up! I love finding new blogs and yours is lovely:) You can find me at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com
Take a peek at my giveaways if you come by. Everything is handmade and gorgeous!


These are gorgeous! great photography too! I also love your blog design very nice blog you have here:)

Hollie said...

so cute!!! love how neat and clean they look!

Kristy said...

I found you at Fingerprints on the Fridge - these are fantastic! Love it.

Jenglamgirl said...

LOVE THEM! K- so I have seen and even have a twine letter "L" never have seen it with Yarn, and I love it. Your color choices and framing them are great too. Love the blog and header too. Thanks for linking, xo Jen

Stacey said...

I love these. I've seen so many Mod Podged letters but I like the texture these add to the decor.

http://boyohboyohboycrafts.blogspot.com

Pam said...

I am so in love with these.... new follower, and I MUST find the letter font you used. The ones at my hobby lobby have ugly dots on the ends... very middle school. :( Where ever did you find them?
pamela.eaton@gmail.com

Black and White {Side by Side} said...

These are so cool!!! I'm featuring you on my favorite finds today. Stop by!

Courtney {a thoughtful place} said...

I will be featuring these tomorrow on my blog, if that's okay. I couldn't figure out how to get a hold of your email! :)

http://www.thoughtfuldesigns.blogspot.com

joyh said...

I'm in love with these!! I saw these on b&w side by side blog- they're so cute! I may have to do this for a Christmas gift :) And the picture at the top with your puppy- TOO MUCH CUTENESS!!! :)

Molly Hammond said...

love! wish i had done this for my wedding!

http://threesisterz.blogspot.com/

craftymamablog said...

I love this! I did a small feature on my blog, feel free to check it out and grab a button!
http://thecraftymamablog.blogspot.com/

Amanda said...

I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :)

Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/yarn-wrapped-letters/

If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

Erin said...

What a great idea!!! So fun and unique! :)

the 30 girl said...

I love this idea! The yarn gives so much texture and is such a great alternative to paint!

Michaela said...

Just saw these on Courtney's blog (A Thoughtful Place) and totally love them. You're so talented and creative! So glad I found your blog!
XO
~Michaela

Keya said...

I really like what you've done with your letters! I live for yarn, but it never occurred to me to wrap it around those wooden letters. How odd, huh? Really cute idea! I'm a new follower. Hope you can stop by for a visit sometime.

www.zibelineknits.blogspot.com

emily said...

I'm over from A Thoughtful Place -- your letters are amazing. Love what you did with them!

Emily @ Finding My Aloha said...

So super cute! I love the frame too!

DANA said...

That is awesome! I would love for you to link up at my Strut Your Stuff Party!
http://danajeanward.blogspot.com/2010/11/strut-your-stuff-party.html

Heather said...

These are SOO cute!

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Bailey - I simply adore these! Fantastic colors and the yarn adds such a neat texture! I featured this on the Sunday Showcase Round Up. Thanks so much for joining in the fun! Stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Hope you are enjoying your week ~ Stephanie Lynn

Terrie B x said...

Oh How Beautiful..I adore these.I love them in the frame!!!!Fabulous:)
Thankyou for sharing at the PA Blog
Terrie
http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/

Jen said...

Love,Love,Love this!!!
I'm featuring this on my blog today!
Hope you don't mind!

Beckie said...

So beautiful! I too am featuring these today so head on over and take a look! Thank you for linking them up to the party! Have a fabulous Friday!

Kelsey said...

I adore these! I just made my own... you can see them at tatteredandinked.blogspot.com! Thanks so much for the inspiration! :)

Nama Halacy's Comfy Cottage said...

I am your newest follower! I am seriously going to go home and make these tonight! Love, love them!

Him and Her said...

awesome, very cool....and cheep and easy, love!

Margaret B said...

Ah! I'm so doing this! I found a beautiful old frame a long time ago and have been puzzled with what to do with it...until now! I'm going to have to follow now!

a little lovely said...

i'm featuring these tom! thanks so much for sharing :)

Kathy said...

I love your yarn letters -you have them wrapped perfectly -and I always see yarn at Goodwill and other thrift stores even frames like your one from HL. Very nice :-)

Carolyn said...

I am completely in love with these letters and have everything to do it. I'm just stuck on how to hang the letter "L" the way you have yours hanging inside the frame. Any suggestions? Feel free to email me at cfalbro@gmail.com if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear it : )

Stephanie said...

This is such a great idea! It's definitely inspired me to get creative with some Christmas presents! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

Katie Bright said...

these are so so cute!! i'm definitely going to give it a try! :) and, i'm your newest follower!

Sarah Jane said...

Love it! Just tried to wrap one myself after seeing the one on Creature Comforts. I really like the yarn you used and how you wrapped them. I'll have to try it again...and I might share on my blog if you don't mind!

Lara said...

this is so adorable. I want to make these for my kids! Where did you get the letters from? I love this font and how flat they look but can't find them anywhere!

meredith said...

These are amazing!! As a knitter, having new ways to use left over yarn is always a plus! haha! I will definitely have to try one in my initial!

Love your blog too! First time reader and I'm hooked!

Whitney said...

Love this! I wasn't sure how to get the yarn wrapped just right and this actually helps a ton, haha. Thanks!

Paisley Card Co said...

Love this idea! I can't wait to share with my readers! It's the perfect idea for monograms/initials used at showers, birthdays, weddings, etc.!

sarah @ life {sweet} life said...

This is absolutely adorable...I can't wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing! :)

G and H said...

I am totally in love with this project!! I love the colors you used. How perfect would this be for bridal shower or wedding decor? Including it in our roundup today! Decorating with monograms Thanks for sharing!!

Jessica said...

Such a creative project!! I just gave it a try and it turned out perfect!! Take a look....www.balancingthedream.blogspot.com

Julie {CalleLillyCafe} said...

Love this idea! I want to try this w/our ginormous paper mache' letters I bought from Michaels forever ago!

ELIZE said...

achei seu blog bem interessante parabénms.se quiser olhar meu blog .

Megan Brooke said...

This is such a cute idea! Those are actually my initials too ;)

shan said...

Okay, so I tried this lovely idea... how did you get the corners? I'm having a rather difficult time covering them without the yarn slipping off.

Thanks!

bailey k. said...

@ shan - i didn't really have a problem with mine; i think sometimes it might just be the shape or thickness of the letters. i would say that if a little bit is showing still but you can't notice it from a few feet away, then you're fine. if you can tell even being feet away, i would just use a little bit of glue so the yarn will stick where you want it. hope this helps!

maddy said...

Love this! Will have to try..

Letters

Dani said...

must make! new follower! I blogged about this! come check me out!

Kimberly Finkel Davis said...

I love this idea! Thanks for sharing. :)

Mel the Crafty Scientist said...

Found your post from The Inspired Room and I just LOVE this! The textured yarn makes it fun and interesting and then with the frame... it's just such a fun, unique, personalized piece of art (that didn't cost a fortune). Loving your blog - now I'm your newest follower! : )

Kenda said...

I LOVE this! -- about to head to Michaels right now :)

lmt said...

I know this is an older post but I see that I'm not the only one who is still noticing it. Brilliant idea and I love how you framed the finished product! Nice work!

Chrissy said...

Just found this on pinterest. Absolutely love this idea & cannot wait to do it myself!

Thank you for the inspiration!
Im following your blog now as well!

Chrissy said...

Love Love this super easy tutorial!! I've already made one, can't wait to make more!
I featured your craft on my blog as well!

http://formamas.blogspot.com/2011/07/yarn-letter.html

Stephanie @ Spray Paint and Spit Up said...

Thanks so much for the tutorial!! I had wanted to do one, but wasn't exactly sure how... this made it easy for me! Thanks again and I look forward to seeing more from you!

chick said...

Hi - like everyone else - I love these. I went to Michael's and Joanne's this weekend and they didn't have the letters. I loved the ones you used - where did you find them?
thanks

Gina said...

Thanks for the great inspiration. I made a yarn letter for my daughter's room. It turned out perfectly.

http://selacava.blogspot.com/2011/10/yarn-letter.html

Jakarta Hotel said...

Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is great blog. A fantastic read. I'll certainly be back.

Rumah Dijual said...

I enjoyed reading it. I require to study more on this topic. Thanks for sharing a nice info..Any way I'm going to subscribe for your feed and I hope you post again soon.

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