Yarn Wall Hanging - Easy Home Decor | House Periodically Creative

All of this time working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has me identifying home projects left and right. Many of our walls haven’t had decor hung on them yet. I’m extremely slow deciding what I want. I have a GIANT stash of yarn, and yarn wall hangings on Pinterest caught my eye. Making some decor with stuff I have on hand already means no money to shell out, and more importantly right now, no stores to visit. Here’s how I made my yarn wall hanging.

Determine where you’ll hang it.

I had a few different places in my house I thought a yarn wall hanging would add some interest. This green, gray, and navy one hangs in my living room near my front door. The wall is a few feet across and above our TV. I chose a similar green to the crocheted catch all basket that sits by the door. My hanging’s color scheme compliments our green accent wall and gray couch.

By deciding where you want it to hang, you’ll know what size hanging you’re aiming to make, as well as what colors to search your stash for.

If instead you have limited yarn supplies on hand (and are not able/wanting to go to the store), you may want to pick out a color scheme first. Then figure out what room in your house that meshes well with.

Find some yarn wall hanging inspiration.

As with any of the important things in life (home decor, recipes, craft projects, etc.) I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. Try searches for yarn hanging or yarn wall decor. If you have a color scheme in mind, you can also search for yarn hangings with those colors.

I was drawn to designs that had more geometric and less organic lines. The texture of braids added some visual interest. I decided to use yarns of uniform weight. Some things to think about as you plan:

bright or neutral colors
heavy texture, uniform texture, or small hints of texture braids or knots
varying or uniform yarn weights
added aspects, like beads or feathers made from yarn

OTHER DIY DECOR: Magnetic Travel Map | How to Hang A Canvas

Search for a stick.

Neither us or our dog are getting out of the neighborhood very often right now. But lots of walks around the neighborhood means plenty of time to find a good stick. I found a couple of options while playing frisbee with our dog in a common area of our neighborhood.

You want a stick that’s sturdy. When you start adding yarn, you don’t want it snap.

Think about how wide your hanging will be, as you need a stick that’s at least that long. You can cut a stick down to size, but you can’t make it longer. (Unless you’re a tree and can grow longer branches.) Think about how that stick will lay against a wall. A few subtle curves will still lay fairly flush on a wall. More bends will give you more dimension.

If you’re not in an area that has a lot of trees or downed branches, look around your house for a substitute. Maybe you have some wooden dowels from another project. An old broom you can steal the handle from. Or even embroidery hoops to make a circular hanging.

Alright I’ve planned, now what?

Prep Your Stick

First, peel any bark off your stick. If you like the look, you can try leaving it on. But bark dries and may flake over time. Plus yarn will likely snag on it. Sand your stick a little to make sure it’s smooth and any remaining bark is knocked off.

Tie a pieces of yarn or string to each end of your stick. Being able to hang it while you work makes things way easier.

Find a place to hang your yarnless stick. I used a tall lamp in our basement. You can try over a door hinge, door knob, or a chandelier. Kind of like making friendship bracelets as a kid, you want your project to be anchored somewhere while you work.

Add Yarn

I knew roughly how far down I wanted yarn to hang, and cut pieces of yarn a little more than double that. The piece of yarn I cut first became the measuring piece all other yarn was cut the same length as. Almost like a template. I went a little longer than what my hanging would be, so I could trim everything at the end.

You can cut all your yarn at once, then add it. Or you can add it as you cut it. I did a mix of both. I used two pieces of yarn at a time. Experiment with more or fewer pieces each time you add yarn to see what look you like best.

With two strands together, I folded them in half to find the center lengthwise. Holding the center behind the stick, I flipped it over top of the stick. Then stuck the yarn ends into the loop and pulled tight. Experiment to see if you like the look of flipping the starting look back to front or front to back.

Continue adding yarn. Make each block of color as wide as you want.

Finishing Touches

Now’s the time to add braids or beads if you want them. I added 3 thin braids to mine. The navy one blends in because it’s so dark.

It’s likely your yarn isn’t all hanging at quite the same length. If you like the look of a raw hanging go for it. Maybe you want all the same length. Or maybe you want the bottom to be more of a geometric design. Make sure all of your yarn is combed smooth and hanging straight down before you start trimming. Trim your yarn to whatever length/pattern you want.