Tag Archives: yarn

Macrame Air Plant Hanger

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Hello everyone!

Today I’m sharing a DIY with my new obsession: Air Plants. I know. My last post also involved air plants… its an obsession.

plant hanger

You Need:
you need
-Yarn
-Key Ring
-Scissors
-Air Plants

One:
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Cut three strings of yarn in equal lengths, about 3 feet each. Pull the yarn half way through the key ring and tie them to the ring.

Two:
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Tie two of the yarn strands together two or three inches down from the key ring. Do the same with the remaining strings.

Three:
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Repeat step two, but tie two different strands together each time than you did the last. Repeat this step one more time.

Four:
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Tie the same group of strings together a second time, not with different strings like the past two steps.

Five:
airplant
Repeat step three once more. Knot all of the strands together leaving about six inches of lose strands hanging. Insert an air plant so that it sits on top of the large knot. Pull it’s leaves through the strands of yarn to secure the plant. Hang it up and you’re good to go!

airplant 2

airplant3

I hope you all enjoy this new DIY!

The Whale's Endeavors

-The Whale

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DIY Stick Weaving

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Hello, everyone!

I have a new DIY for you today!

stick_cover

I’ve been pretty into weaving lately. It all started about six months ago when I saw this tutorial on my favorite blog… I came up with my own DIY adjustable loom, and ever since then I’ve been experimenting and learning new tactics and creating all sorts of new pieces!

This stick weaving is super great for beginners for a few reasons: It’s basic weaving. No crazy textures or tassels (as fun as those are!). You don’t need a loom. The stick acts as it’s own loom, so you don’t need to spend any time or money making or purchasing a loom. This weaving can be as big or as small as you’d like depending on the size of your stick.

You Need:
stick_you need

-A ‘Y’ shaped stick
-Thread (though you really could use yarn, I just feel it looks cleaner with thread)
-A variety of yarn

One:
wrap
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Take your thread (or yarn) and tie one end around the beginning of the ‘Y’ part of your stick. Pull it tight to the other side, and wrap it around twice. Pull it back to the beginning side, and wrap it around twice again. Repeat this until the thread goes all the way up the stick, then tie it again. Make sure you keep the thread pulled at tight as you can while you do this step.

Two:
Plan out the design you’d like for your weaving. A lot of people like to sketch out a basic plan with their yarn colors. I tend to skip this step and follow a vision in my head, but it all depends on what works best for you.

Three:
Cut a decent length of the yarn you’re starting with. Pull it up over the first thread being sure to leave at least 4″ of yarn hanging under. Begin weaving your design following the direction of the stick by pulling the yarn under the next thread, then over the next, under, over, under… you get it (but here’s where I first learned if you’d like more detail). Weave until you’re ready for your next color (or just do the whole thing in one color if you’d like!), then end with the yarn going under a thread. Cut the yarn leaving at least 4″ hanging. Pick your next color and start where you left off in the same way. It’s really straight forward and simple, especially once you get the hang of it!

Four:
Once you’ve finished your weaving, turn it over and tuck all the loose yarn ends under the threads. You’re done!

stick_done

I hope you guys enjoy this DIY! I’d love to see any weavings you create!

The Whale's Endeavors

-The Whale

Quick Adjustable Loom DIY

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Hey there, everyone!

So, I have recently picked up a new hobby. I came across this weaving class series on one of my favorite blogs, and decided to give it a try. One thing about me: I don’t like spending money on something that I’m not sure I’ll like or use… Weaving requires a loom. Since I wasn’t certain I would even enjoy weaving, I didn’t want to make the commitment of purchasing a loom I potentially would barely use.

easy adjustable loom diy

There are a ton of DIY Loom projects on Pinterest, but most of those also required me to purchase something or another. I wanted to use only things I already had. Here’s what I came up with!

You Need:
you need
-A box with a lid (such as a shoe box)
-Nails or screws (I used screws because that is what I had)
-Hammer
-Measuring device
-Marker
-Box cutter

One:
make even
Cut the box so that it is the same height as the lid. I simply put the lid next to the box and traced where to cut.

Two:
dots
Use your measuring device to mark dots 1/2″ apart on one side of each component of the box.

Three:
screws1
screws2
Insert a nail (or screw) where each dot is. Leave about 1/2″ of the nail raised above the surface.

easy loom
diy loom
You’re done and ready to get weaving! The great thing about this ‘loom’ is that it’s easy to adjust it for most any size weaving. Just place the two components as close or as far apart as you desire!

I’ve made a few weavings now, and I must say that I do enjoy it! While I probably would not have regretted purchasing an actual loom (and I may still do so with one of these: looms), I am glad that I tried it out beforehand.
weaving

-The Whale

Hanging Basket Planter

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Hey there!

So I completed a small project over the weekend that I want to share with you guys!

basket planter

I’m pretty into houseplants. Mostly succulents and cacti. This weekend I went into ‘get stuff done mode.’ This resulted in me re-potting all my house plants and cleaning up my little cacti gardens. I’ve had this vine type plant on my windowsill pretty much ever since I moved, and I had been thinking it would make a good candidate for a hanging piece! I had picked up a small basket I enjoyed at a thrift shop a bit ago, and had been trying to decided exactly what I wanted to do with it. It worked out perfectly for this project!

paint
First thing I did was spray paint the basket white. I really wanted to keep the fresh, clean look of my apartment going on.

Crochet
After the paint was dry, I grabbed some of my favorite mint colored yarn, and crocheted ‘straps’ directly to the basket. If you were trying to recreate this look, but don’t know how to crochet, you could easily braid some yarn and achieve something similar.

planter
I crocheted a consistent loop over a doorway to my living room so that there wouldn’t be a knot on the top.

planter2
planter3
After that all I had to do was add the plant! I kept it in a plastic pot I also painted white, so that no dirt or water would leak through the basket.

Pretty cute, yes?

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-The Whale

Geometric Blanket

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Hello, hello!

I have a new crochet project to share today! (I’m sure you notice my crochet posts become more common during the colder months!)

geometric blanket

I was inspired to make a geometric type blanket after I saw a similar one on Pinterest.
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To create this blanket, I crocheted strips of hexagons, sort of like super long granny squares, in various patterns and colors, and then connected them together.
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I’m pretty pleased with this one! I now have a desire to attempt more geometric sort of designs… maybe a triangle blanket? Time will tell!

-The Whale

Bruges Lace Scarf

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Hey, everyone!

I have a new project to share with you!
bruges lace

I found the bruge lace stitch at crochetme.com and was intrigued! I really liked the curvey zig zag look that it created, so I decided to attempt to create a scarf with the stitch!
scarf
I’m pretty pleased with the results!
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I’m pretty pleased with the results!

-The Whale

Crochet and Denim

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Hello, Hello!

I have a new upcycle today! I’m pretty excited about this one! Mostly because it was a lot of work…but also because I’m really pleased with the results!

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I had been on the prowl for a denim shirt in the thrift stores for some time now. I had the idea for this upcycle and so finding the perfect candidate was important. I finally found one I considered worthy a few weeks ago!

Before:
jeanbefore

For this upcycle, I cut out the back of the shirt and used the cut out part as a template to crochet a design. I really wanted it to be somewhat lacy. After I had the crochet part done, I sewed it in the place where the back had been cut out. Done.

After:
denimcroch

I’m really happy with the pattern I chose to go with! I like how its both a bit geometric and lacy! I also am a huge fan of the combination of denim and crochet! I did an upcycle for crochet shorts over the summer and they were a huge hit!

What do you think of the denim/crochet combination? Love? Hate? I’d like to know your opinion!

-The Whale

Crochet Shorts Upcycle.

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Hello all!

So today I have another old jeans upcycle. I have a few pairs of jeans I no longer really wear, so I figured if they will get more use as shorts, why not? For this pair I used an old black pair of jeans and crocheted a boarder around them!

It was really quite simple.

To Begin:

I started with just a simple pair of cut offs.


I then cut triangles into each side.


After that I cut small holes all along the bottom edges where I wanted the crochet boarder. The holes need to be just big enough for the crochet hook.


I then got to crocheting! I did three single crochets into each hole and then chained two between each one. For the triangles I did a series of double crochets.

Results:

The filled in triangles.




I really liked the end product! What do you think? Do you like the crochet/denim combination?

-The Whale

Bicycle Seat Cover!

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Hello all!

So today I want to share a recent crochet project I did! I made a seat cover for my beloved bicycle! I found this one on Pinterest a while ago and have been wanting to try it out ever since. Results:

I didn’t have a pattern or anything. I simply traced my bike seat and tried to follow that accordingly. It’s a bit looser than I would like but still works out well!



I really love my bike! I found it in my Grandma’s barn a few years ago and some friends of mine fixed it up for me. It’s from the 60s and is called a Schwin Breeze. Best bike ever. The weather here has been perfect for bike riding lately so it’s gotten a decent amount of use!

-The Whale

Kitten Toys DIY!

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Hello Hello!

So today I wanted to share with you two cute DIYs for some kitten toys! I’ve had my rescue kitten, Cully, for about two months now, and I decided it was about time she got some new toys to bat around!

Anyways, toy number one is what I call a ‘kitty duster’… you know… like a feather duster for cats to play with!

Kitty Duster

You will need:

-small dowel rod (or a stick of some sort)
-tacky glue
-feathers
-yarn or string


Step One:
Apply tacky glue to one end of the dowel rod and attach the feathers on all sides of it until you feel there are enough feathers.


Step Two:
Apply more tacky glue at the tip of the dowel rod (on the feathers) and attach the end of the yarn. Begin to wrap the yarn around the feathers down the dowel rod until the feathers are tightly secured. I wrapped the dowel rod a bit past the feathers even.


Step Three:
Apply more tacky glue to the end of the yarn and secure. Now all you have to do is wait for the glue to dry completely and you’re ready to play!


Cully was a fan. :]

This next toy I call ‘The Puffball.’ This one is great because it uses so few materials and can be made in various sizes!

The Puffball

You will need:

-Yarn
-Something to wrap it around (I used my tv remote, but it depends on how big you want the puff to be. The thicker the thing you wrap it around the bigger the puff will be!)


Step One:
Start to wrap the yarn around your object. Make sure to wrap over the beginning string to secure it.


Step Two:
Continue to wrap the yarn until it is thickly layered.


Step Three:
Pull the yarn off of the object. Make sure to hold onto it so that it doesn’t lose its shape.


Step Four:
Take a string of yarn the length you would like the toy to be and tie the end around the bunch of yarn you wrapped around the object. Tie it tight! I like to even wrap it around a few times to make sure it is as tight as can be.


Step Five:
Cut the loops on both sides of the yarn bunch. After that all you have to do is fluff out your puff!


She’s so precious!

Both of these toys were a hit with Cully! After you have the basics you can experiment as well! I later combined the two methods to make a feather bunch on the end of a string.

Hope you enjoyed these fun DYIs! Also, don’t forget my Etsy Shop is having a 25% off sale when you use the code LOVEWHALE at checkout!

-The Whale