https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/knit-wall-hanging • Posted by Gingham Ginger
Macrame and weaved wall hangings, once the thing of the past, are very popular again. And I love it! They add a softness to the room and at the same time texture to a wall. Many fiber arts projects are about function. It's good to remind people and yourself that fiber arts takes creativity, skill and time. A handmade scarf can be loved and ogled but it doesn't quite get the thoughtfulness that a piece on display does. For sometime now I have wanted to try making a knit or crochet wall hanging. I decided to go with knit because I have this fabulous stitch pattern book called Reversible Knits by Lynne Barr with many unique stitches in it that I wanted to try. Which, is why I called this project a sampler. Unfortunately I cannot give the patterns for the stitches I used but I can tell you how I made the piece and you can find which patterns inspire you and want try for you own piece.
Macrame and weaved wall hangings, once the thing of the past, are very popular again. And I love it! They add a softness to the room and at the same time texture to a wall. Many fiber arts projects are about function. It's good to remind people and yourself that fiber arts takes creativity, skill and time. A handmade scarf can be loved and ogled but it doesn't quite get the thoughtfulness that a piece on display does. For sometime now I have wanted to try making a knit or crochet wall hanging. I decided to go with knit because I have this fabulous stitch pattern book called Reversible Knits by Lynne Barr with many unique stitches in it that I wanted to try. Which, is why I called this project a sampler. Unfortunately I cannot give the patterns for the stitches I used but I can tell you how I made the piece and you can find which patterns inspire you and want try for you own piece.
Start Knitting! Pick 3 Different Knitting stitches to use for your piece. I picked to Lacy ones and one 'chunky' one. Work the piece in reverse. So the first one that you stitch will end up being the bottom of your piece and the last one will be the top. For mine I used the stitches (in order of finished piece) Garter Triangles, Loops and Half Nelson. I made it 106 stitches wide but when I did the garter triangles I had to adjust it a little for pattern to work. My knitting needles 3.5mm and the yarn I used is Madelinetosh; Holi Festival. I decided the length for each section as I made it. It's all up to you. Have fun with it. Don't cast off!
Once the knitting is complete you need to add the dowel. I used a wooden dowel that my husband cut down to size. This was super inexpensive (like 59 cents!). You could also use a copper pipe from the hardware store. I told you not to cast off in the last step because you will be knitting it right onto the dowel. I first would cast the knit with a regular needle but then pull the yarn making a large loop and slide it onto the dowel then pulling it tight. But not to tight as you need to slide the yarn into place once it is all casted on.
At the bottom of the piece I added fringe with tassels. I feel like it adds so much to the piece when you do this. To measure the yarn for the tassels I measured by holding the yarn to it, seeing how long I wanted it to be, doubling that and added a few inches. I cut 15 strands for each tassel. For my piece I was able to easily insert a tassel in-between each gap on the lacy pattern. If you can't do that with your piece maybe you could count by stitches and use less strands as to not stretch out the stitches. Fold the 15 strands in half and insert the folded part into the piece from right side to wrong side making a loop. Pull the string ends through the loop and tighten. Once all tassels are on the will not hang evenly. Lay the piece on a table and trim them in an even line. Tip: I did mine on a wood table that has center line on it that I used to guide my scissors and keep even. Some people cut the tassels to form a point (shortest on the ends and longest in the middle). Add a string for hanging. I used 3 strands and tied them to each end. NOW HANG!