12 “not knit or crochet” ideas for novelty or fancy yarns.

This round up of ideas was originally published in March 2016. It’s been updated and republished.

I don’t know about you, but this has happened to me SO often; I see a beautiful textured yarn that just seems so pretty and interesting and I find I've bought it before I've really thought about what I am going to make with it.

There are so many different types, eyelash, bouclé, slub, sequined, nub, chenille, ribbon, ladder, loop ....

Some fancy or novelty yarns are a dream to knit or crochet with but some are really not!

For me, trying to crochet with anything too fancy is a bit of a problem, a lot of fluff and I just can't see the stitches. Knitting can be a little easier with a fluffy yarn, but only a fraction.

So if you, like me, have bought balls of gorgeous looking yarn that just sits there making you feel bad for not putting it to good use, then I've found a few rather lovely alternative ideas.

Fun ways to use novelty yarn that’s not knitting or crochet

Using Novelty Yarn for Gift wrap; an alternative to ribbon

I bought this lovely textured yarn quite a few years ago. I found it in a discount bin and imagined crocheting a long, thin, floaty, elegant scarf to wear on mild spring days.

I crocheted about a foot and realised that I was making something that looked like an old rag...

Rather than wasting it, I’ve been using it as a pretty alternative to ribbon for gift wrapping.

It's easy to use leftover fancy yarns and wools (or anything that turned out to be a "purchasing error") as an alternative to ribbon.

I always think a pom pom is a fun topper on a present. They are quick and easy to make with a pom pom maker, if you’ve not got a pom pom maker there are a few different ways you can make them. Just make sure you use an extra long strand of yarn for tying the pom pom in the middle and then you can use that for wrapping the gift.

If you visit Sum of their Stories often you might recognise this fluffy fur yarn, it's left over from my chunky rib hat making adventure.

Confession time: I have never really made anything successful out of eyelash yarn. That's not to say you can't, I'm sure very skilful people make extraordinary things from it, but for me it just has too much going on. However it can look really pretty with plain gift wrap.

I’ve found some more ideas from across the internet with all sorts of ways to use fancy or novelty yarns that don't involve knitting or crochet. Just click through the photos to go to the tutorial (Unfortunately some of the blogs and websites featured are closed now. I’ve left the photos here as they might be handy for inspiration)

Kristin from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia used cardboard and a fluffy yarn to make this beautiful heart shaped wreath. So simple, so effective, and you could cut any shape card to make a wreath for any time of the year.

This gorgeous knotted wall hanging from The Gathered Home used a mix of yarns. Apparently not a quick project but there is a great step by step tutorial to lead you through the process.

Or if you are looking for something super quick, how about a knotted scarf like this one from Something Turquoise?

Here's another wall hanging idea, this one is from A Designer at Home. Unfortunately this blog doesn’t seem to exist any more but it looks simple enough to recreate. The fancy yarns are just knotted onto a metal hoop and trimmed at the bottom to a nice shape.

sequin-textured-yarn-flowy-tumblr-imoroccan-wedding-blanket-inspired-wall-hanging.jpg

How about this for an activity for the kids? Yarn wrapped sticks from Mum in the Mad House.

Or maybe you know some kids who would like to make yarn wrapped fish. Fantastic Fun and Learning show you how, and you are not limited to fish, any simple shape would work.

This garland was from enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe (another website that doesn’t exist any more sadly) she’d made it for a baby shower but it would be a beautiful decoration for all sorts of occasions. I'm thinking what a lovely photo backdrop it would make too.

All sorts of different yarns were knotted onto a strong twine.

This is an old lampshade given a complete makeover using what looks like the kind of twine you can make with fabric scraps (like I used for a bracelet once here) I found this originally on Blog a la Cart, another site that doesn’t seem to exist anymore sadly, but it doesn’t look too difficult to recreate.

You’d need to strip an old lampshade back to it’s wire and then wrap it with your textured yarn.

Now I know I promised no knit or crochet but... this necklace type cowl is finger knitting - that doesn't really count does it?

It's from Fiber Flux and there is a video tutorial to help you make it too.

I really love this pom pom cushion from A Stroll Thru Life, so classy and designer looking but a simple DIY.

And finally a beautiful star ornament from Vicky Myers Creations. It’s a great upcycling project, made from old curtain rings and cardboard.

Do you have any novelty yarns in your stash that are just too hard to knit or crochet with? Have any of these ideas inspired you to use them up? What you do with the space you make is up to you of course, but if it results in another trip to a yarn shop I can't be held responsible!

Julie

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