How to Make a Simple Yarn Tassel (A Pretty Good One: My Two Cents)

Picture Tutorial for 6(9) in/15(23) cm Tassels

Materials include:

•   26g/39g worsted weight yarn such as Rowan Pure Wool Worsted 
•   A 3x6(8x15)in/8x15(20x38)cm sturdy piece of cardboard
• Two lengths of yarn for tying and wrapping the top areas of the tassel
• Scissors

        

1. Starting at the bottom of the cardboard, wrap the yarn around the cardboard the long way about 50 times. This will give you 100 tassel “strands.” If you’d like a fluffier tassel, feel free to wrap even more times.

Don’t wrap too tightly or you might bend your cardboard as I’ve done in the picture below! Tight wrapping might also shorten the length of your tassel or make it harder to remove from the cardboard.

2. Thread a length of yarn about 6in/5cm or a bit longer through a darning needle (or use your fingers) and run the piece of yarn under all the wraps at the top. Tie them together tightly at the top with a double knot. Carefully slide the yarn off the cardboard and lay it carefully onto a table. Smooth a bit if needed.

3. Cut another length of yarn about 10in/25cm long. About 1inc/2.5cm down from the top knot, wrap the yarn several times around all the strands, creating a “neck” at the top of the tassel. Tie off or tuck end into the wraps on the neck.

Carefully sliding a scissors through all the bottom loops, cut through all the loops to create tassel strands.

To smooth out the yarn strands, wet thoroughly as if to block and hang to dry. Once your tassel is dry, trim the ends to make them even. If you want to be fiddly, you can comb the strands out after they dry and before the final trim to really make them even. Tie them onto the corners of you hat!