I love tassels! They are a fun and cute finishing touch to so many shawl patterns. Initially when I started making them for shawls, I found them so intimidating! I was worried that they would be uneven, or lumpy-bumpy. I finally found a hack I really liked that makes making them fun and easy!
The trick is to find something that is uniform in shape and wrap the yarn around it. My little trick is to use a gauge tool. I find the gauge tool easy to use and I can also use the ruler edge to ensure the tassel heads are the same size! If you can’t find a gauge tool, you can even use your cell phone!
Also, the possibilities for decorating your tassels are endless! You can use beads, make a double headed one, or just leave them plain!
I made a quick video tutorial for this, that you can find here:
And if you are looking for shawls to add tassels too, I can recommend my Convergence Shawl and my Corinthian Shawl – both a fun, easy shawls with oodles of drape!
What you’ll need:
- Yarn
- Scissors
- Gauge tool – I used this one!
- Or Measuring Tape
Begin by wrapping yarn around Gauge tool, keeping the short end lined up with the bottom. The amount of wraps will depend on how thick you want the tassels and what kind of yarn you are using. I used Sport weight (2) in the video and wrapped it about 50 times. Cut the long end of the yarn to line up with the bottom of the tool.
Cut a length of yarn about 5-7 inches long. Placed this yarn under through the window of the gauge tool and tie a knot, ensuring that you only tie around the top half, or front side, of the wrapped yarn. Once the knot is secure, slide the wrapped yarn off the tool. Once the yarn is off, bring the knotted area to the top and lay the tassel flat.
Cut through the bottom loop of the wrapped yarn, keeping the top loop (where the knot is) intact. Line the loop up with the side of the gauge tool or with measuring tape. Cut another length of yarn, and tie it around the top of the yarn, about 1 – 1.5 inches away from the knot. This distance from the top of the knot should be based on your preference for how large you would like the tassel head to be.
Trim or tuck away any loose end and fluff up the head of the tassel as you please. Trim the bottom ends so that the tassel is even.
I hope this tutorial helps in creating beautiful tassels!
If you make them, please tag me on Instagram @thecraftycrochetier – I’d love to see them!
xoxo Serena
