Knitless

  Sputnik Lampshade Revisited  Sputnik Lampshade Revisited

In 1957, the Soviets launched the first satellite, called Sputnik. This scientific wonder influenced industrial and textile designers, who used the space-age starburst designs on everything from wallpaper to chandeliers. Travel at the speed of light to present day with this cleaner, more modern take that will fit into your own personal space.

MATERIALS

Sputnik template (page 134)

Modern lamp with white shade

Cellophane tape

Awl

Tapestry needle

5 feet each of worsted weight yarn in five colors (light and dark turquoise, dark green, olive green, and orange)

   1  Make five black and white copies of the Sputnik template.

   2  Place the designs equally around the outside of the lampshade and tape into place on the top and bottom of the lampshade.

   3  Using an awl, puncture the center hole and all the holes around the Sputnik template.

   4  Remove the templates once you have done this all the way around the entire lampshade.

   5  Single thread your first color of yarn onto the needle and tie a double knot at the end.

   6  Going in from the inside of the lampshade, thread the yarn through the center hole of one of the Sputnik designs and pull the yarn through until the knot secures the yarn. The needle should now be through the front of the lampshade.

   7  Embroider the starburst, always beginning with the center hole before embroidering the next ray.

   8  Tie a knot at the end of the string on the inside of the shade, and cut off the remaining yarn.

   9  Change your yarn color and repeat Steps 1 to 8 for each burst all the way around the lamp.

  Pom-Pom Chair  Pom-Pom Chair

Fluffy balls gone wild! Brighten up a teenager’s room, modern office, or even a nursery with a seat that’s sure to make a statement. This is a great project to do with kids because pom-poms are so much fun to make, and you’ll need a lot to cover the chair completely.

MATERIALS

2½ to 3½-inch pom-pom maker

8 to 10 (170-yard) skeins medium weight yarn in multiple colors

Embroidery needle

Small, sharp scissors

Metal upholstered chair

   1  Follow the instructions on the pom-pom maker. Make about 140 pom-poms (depending on coverage needed for your particular chair), leaving the tails of the center knot about 8 inches long.

   2  Thread the tails through the needle and sew the pom-poms onto the chair, placing them next to each other until the entire chair is covered.

  Picture Perfect Earring Frame  Picture Perfect Earring Frame

Master your organization skills with this practical and attractive earring holder. It’s so much easier to make sound fashion choices when you are able to see all of your options displayed in clear view.

MATERIALS

Clear craft glue

Disposable bowl

14.5 × 17-inch frame (or size of your choice) with flat front

1-inch-wide foam paintbrush

5 yards worsted weight yarn in each of six colors (teal, orange, navy, red, olive, and off-white)

Scissors

4 (12-inch) pieces 18-gauge raffia-wrapped floral wire

Heavy-duty stapler and staples

   1  Pour the glue into the bowl.

   2  Start on the top left side of the frame, and paint a swath of glue about 2 inches wide on the front of the frame.

   3  Wrap the yarn around the frame, pressing it into the glue, and keeping the strands close together. Cut the end of the yarn on the back side of the frame once you are ready to switch colors. Add a dab of the glue to keep the yarn in place.

   4  Start the second color, and repeat Steps 2 and 3. Continue brushing glue on the front of the frame as you work your way across.

   5  Let it dry for one hour.

   6  Stretch the four pieces of raffia wire across the inside of the frame, stapling them taut onto the back of the frame.

  No-Knit Yarn-Bombed Chair  No-Knit Yarn-Bombed Chair

Reduce your carbon footprint by darning your old sweaters onto a chair. You can also consider visiting your local thrift store for supplies. The owl sweater inspired the bird theme here, but a deer sweater could invoke pine trees, a forest-green palette, and related flora and fauna. Let your imagination be your guide.

MATERIALS

FOR THE CHAIR:

5 to 6 different sweaters in a variety of patterns and coordinating colors

Hard-backed chair with spindles

Scissors

1 (2-pound) bag of polyester stuffing for the seat

Staple gun (electric optional) and staples

10 yards each of sport weight yarn in two coordinating colors (I used yellow and pink)

Yarn needle

FOR THE EMBELLISHMENTS:

Knitted sweater (I used pink)

10 yards sport weight yarn for trim (I used grass green)

I-crochet hook (optional)

Dressmaker pins

Small eyehook

2 (3- to 4-inch) decorative birds

3-inch birdcage decoration

12 inches (16-gauge) craft wire

Pom-pom maker

For the chair:

   1  Choose a sweater to cover the seat of the chair, and cut it down to cover the seat plus an additional 2 inches all the way around.

   2  Place a few layers of stuffing on the seat of the chair, and trim to fit. Place the sweater over the seat, and staple the sweater edges to the underside of the chair seat, starting in the front middle and the back middle, and the middle sections of the sides of the chair seat. Work your way out to the edges. You may have to snip parts of the sweater to get it to fit around the vertical spindles or back of the chair. If this is the case, fold the ragged sides of the sweater under as you are pulling and stapling.

   3  Hold a sweater sleeve up to one of the spindles in the back of your chair and cut a piece to fit around the spindle plus 1 inch extra all the way around.

   4  Measure 3 arm’s lengths of coordinating yarn, cut, and thread the yarn needle.

   5  Wrap the piece of sweater around the spindle, then pull the edges together, hiding the rough edges underneath, and darn or stitch them together.

   6  Follow Steps 3 to 5, cutting pieces of the sweaters to fit each part of the chair until all the sections of the chair are covered.

       For the embellishments:

   7  Make a flower by cutting the ribbed band or bottom edge off the pink sweater, about 2 inches wide.

   8  Cut the band at the seam to make one long piece of knitted material.

   9  Fold the sweater material in half. Then wind the fabric around itself into a coil, leaving about 8 inches as a tail.

 10  Measure 1 arm’s length of pink yarn, thread the needle with the single strand (not doubling it over), and tie a knot in the end. Starting in the middle of the flower, sew through the middle of all of the layers of the coil (see fig. a) beginning at 12 o’clock, then 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6, 8, and 10 o’clock until you’ve gone completely around the coil.

 11  With the remaining 8 inches of sweater material, make it look a little more petal-like by gathering and “bunching” it up around the flower. Sew through the last layer, working counter-clockwise until you have reached the end of your fabric (see fig. b).

 12  Leave an extra ½ inch at the end, tuck the cut edges under, and sew them securely in place.

 13  Sew the flower onto the chair back (as shown on page 17).

 14  Measure 6 yards of green yarn for a vine for your flower. Braid an 8-foot length of green cord (alternatively, crochet a single chain). Pin it onto the chair, wrapping it around the spindles, around the back of the chair, and around the legs. Single thread 4 yards of the remaining green yarn, and sew the vine onto the chair. Tie, knot, and cut the end of the yarn.

 15  Use the remaining yarn on the needle to embroider some leaves onto the vine.

 16  Screw the eyehook into the center of the underside of the seat, place the bird in the cage, and hang the birdcage from the eyehook. Wire the other bird onto the top right spindle.

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