Here’s a fun little project to brighten your decor and upcycle at the same time. All you need to make upcycled napkin rings is some yarn (this is a great stash-buster) and a few curtain rings.
If you don’t have any extra curtain rings lying around the house, check your local thrift store. I had to ask at the counter at mine, but then was shown a whole box of them. The larger ones, typically either in wood or plastic, are perfect for this project.
Here’s how to make upcycled napkin rings:
Before you start, remove any hardware, like these metal screw eyes:
Then, wind a ball of yarn that’s small enough to fit through the middle of the rings from each of the yarns you plan to use. Next, wrap the first color once around the ring. Leave a tail that you pass over with the first wrap:
Keep wrapping, but leave the tail free, pushing the yarn together so it covers the curtain ring completely:
To change colors
Once you have as much of the first color as you want, cut the yarn, leaving a tail. Start the next yarn color, also leaving a tail, but this time wrap both tails under the new color:
Tip: make sure you always wrap the yarn in the same direction.
Don’t worry if it’s a little loose at first. After you have a few wraps of the new color, you can pull both tails tight. Keep wrapping with the second color, pushing the wraps together like you did for the first:
Sometimes the tail at the beginning of the first color can start to get a bit loose, especially if the yarn is slippery. If that happens, use a straight pin to keep it in place:
Keep adding colors in the same way until you are almost at the end:
Finishing the napkin rings:
Make sure to finish with the same color you used to start. This way the knot you make to tie both ends together will be less noticeable. Once the curtain ring is completely covered in yarn, cut the last ball of yarn, leaving a tail, and tie it in a knot with the first tail:
Pull the knot really tight. Twist it so it is on the inside of the napkin ring. Then, use a little clear-drying glue to hold the knot in place. I like to use a toothpick to get the glue right in the knot. When the glue is dry, cut the yarn ends close to the knot:
You can use a little more glue to flatten the ends, too.
What I love about these napkin rings is that they coordinate, without being exactly the same. If I run out of a color before they’re all finished, that’s ok.
This is a great stash-busting project since you can make them with any yarn:
If you still have yarn left after making these napkin rings, you can always make some reusable makeup wipes. They work best with cotton and/or linen yarn, though. Check out the Creatorvox post here for directions.
As always, feel free to ask questions or leave comments. Don’t forget to subscribe to Creatorvox to get new posts right in your email. You can also follow Creatorvox on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more tips and tricks between posts. Thanks for reading, and happy making!