No-Knit Yarn Strawberry Tutorial
Today’s yarn strawberry tutorial comes complete with a shout out to the super awesome Trashtastika at the Fashionate Traveller!
Recently she took a trip to Japan and I was incredibly jealous of the fabulous time she had ^_^
Lo and behold a package arrived on my door step…
How lovely was she to pick me up presents?! Everything else will be used in other posts but today I want to show you this:
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It is a bow pin that came off a mini top hat by Baby the Stars Shine Bright with little dangly crocheted strawberries. These strawberries are a reoccurring theme among several Lolita brands and you can easily make cherries with the same pattern. I wanted to make my own crochet or knitted pattern to make lots of these because they are so cute! But here’s the thing… there are lots of you crafty people out there who can’t knit or crochet so I set about finding the easiest way in the universe to make them that didn’t involve anything fancy or complicated that even the most un-crafty person could do… let me know if I succeeded 😀 What you need:
Cut 6 long pieces of the red yarn, the length I used was as long as my arm span but I had lots left over so you could use less. Also I am using 8 ply yarn which is why I need 6 pieces, if you are using something thicker then you might only need 3.
Tie the pieces together at the end with a knot.
Now plait the yarn and when you get to the end tie it in another knot. If you don’t know how to plait check here. You get something like this:
Do the same this with the green yarn but this time use only 3 strands not 6.
I am going to use white thread in these next parts so you can see what I’m doing but you should use red so it matches the yarn. Also ignore all the paint on my hands, I took these photos while I was waiting for another tutorial project to dry, I can’t wait to show you which one! So anyway thread your needle. Take one end of the red plait you made and curl it around on itself. hold it in place with a stitch like this:
This is the bottom of your strawberry! Now keep following the spiral you started and stitch in place.
Put it on the edge of your thumb to shape it more into a rounded bottom. Also you can cut the loose ends off around 1cm from the knot to make it easier to see. This is it from the outside:
And this is it from the inside so you can see my stitching
Continue with the spiral pattern for several more rows, it should follow the rough shape of your thumb ^_^ In the photo below I’ve added white lines so show you where each row of the plait is.
See how it fits perfectly on my thumb? Maybe I’ll start a new trend… thumb warmers coming soon to a store near you!
When you think you’ve done enough rotations (I did 7) you should pull your thread tight like a drawstring so it closes the hole at the top slightly.
Cut the rest of the plait off leaving a tail of around 20cm or so.
Grab the end of the plait along with any left over scraps of yarn have.
Scrunch it into a ball.
And stuff that ball inside the strawberry, this is what’s going to act as the stuffing.
Now use your thread to pull the gap completely closed ^_^
Tie it off and you have a big fat strawberry ball!
Now let’s make a stalk! Grab your green plait and tie it to the top of your strawberry.
Cut it off at however long you want the stalk to be and tie in a knot to stop it coming undone.
With the rest of the green plait sew it next to the first knot like this:
Make the plait form a loop and stitch the top in place… this will form a leaf 😀
Continue making leaves around the whole top of the strawberry and stitching them in place like this:
When you reach the beginning again, twist the plait once more around the stem to hide the knots and any loose ends. Stitch in place.
Cut off any extra plait and hide the end under one of the leaves. Stitch it securely so it doesn’t unravel.
Now add little white stitches all over the strawberry for seeds ^_^
And you’re finished! Yes it may have taken a little more effort than a seasoned knitter or crochet..er(?!) might have taken but you don’t have to learn a whole new skill just for one tiny accessory! Add some ribbon and some lace and you’re well on the way to a cute accessory 😀
What do you guys think? Let me know if any of you make a yarn strawberry too! |
