Valentines day is fast approaching, and so, rather than delight you with tales of my lurve, I have a simple and cute idea which can be used in many ways: to decorate cards, to hang above a bed or on a door, to decorate a place setting, for the top of a cake (making kids names is especially cute!)
You need very few materials; this is where your yarn ends, scraps and random lengths can be used. I used two pipe-cleaners, but for longer words or if you were making them larger in size, you will need more. Practice and experiment with your word, to work out how it goes together- this is how I formed my “love” word:
Try keep the pipe cleaners relatively smooth, the more you wind them around, the more the wire in them gets sharper and bendier…
When you are happy with how your word has formed, start wrapping in yarn. Just remember with each change of yarn, leave approximately an inch which you secure under the next piece of yarn: in effect, wrapping over this “tail”, securing the previous piece and keeping it all neat.
I like the random look to this, with no rhyme or reason to the colour combinations, but it would look equally great all in one yarn, or in a rainbow…
(and wouldn’t the word “Noel” look fantastic in candy cane red and white?!) (Darn, why didn’t I think of this last winter??)
The only minor difficulty is tying in the ends, but if you use a darning needle, thread it with the “tail” of yarn and draw it back through the wrapped yarn, you can secure it in well (otherwise, a dot of strong superglue would work, if you are not too heavy handed with the glue…)
And Voila! A piece of yarn wrapped love in time for Valentines Day !
I love it! Such a pretty idea Em! I’m going to make one of these! x
i love this idea! i was looking for a small valentines gift for a friend. this might be it….
Wow, brill idea Em. LOVE it! Ha ha, pardon the pun!;) must find some pipe cleaners and do my little girls names with it, for their doors. Super cute!! Thanks for the tutorial 🙂
Love it! Dunno if I’d have the patience….but if you had some in your shop….?
Thanks for being so down to earth and inspiring at the same time!
What a brilliant idea, I love it. It’s simple and very effective.
Emily! How fekin cute!! I love this! I actually think the lads might sit down if I pipe cleaned their names and do their own wrapping! How cute. And I love the candy cane Noel idea.
Love-ly!
Beautiful!
Love your site and happy to find you through Rainbow Way 🙂 Super cute idea and I love that you don’t need expensive supplies. how much time does is take (approximately) to create “Love” wire?
Hi Becky Jane! thanks for coming over and your comment 🙂 I think it took me around an hour; I’ve been meaning to make more, maybe with the children’s names perhaps. The hardest part is keeping the yarn flat as such so it doesn’t get bunched up. Please do send a link when you have made one!