Make a Simple Tassel

Sometimes your knitted or crocheted F.O. cries out for a little more, well, something. You certainly don’t want to detract from all of the hard work you put into your piece, but maybe it could just use a little pizazz to draw the eye here or there. That something may just be a tassel and, don’t fret!, they are super easy to make. I don’t make them often, but a busy mosaic shawl I designed a while back cried out for a tassel at each of the 3 corners.

To make a simple tassel you will need several yards of yarn and some stiff card stock or cardboard. Match your yarn to your project and be sure to choose an appropriate size for your tassel. A cut open cereal box or a folded index card will both work well, bonus points if you are recycling. To make the tassel, first estimate how long your tassel should be and then cut a rectangle of your cardboard that is twice as long with some extra length thrown in. So if you want your tassel to be 2 inches long, double that to 4 and then add another inch for good measure

Fold your cardboard in half and string a length of your yarn up against the fold as you see I have done, above.

Wrap your yarn around the cardboard from the folded side to the open side to make your tassel. If you are making multiple tassels, keep track of how many winds that you do so that all of your tassels will match in the end.

When you have wrapped enough yarn for your tassel, slide the free strand down to the open end of cardboard and tie off your wound up yarn as tightly as you can.

After you have tied off the tassel at the top, cut through the bottom strands at the fold and liberate the tassel from the cardboard.

You should have a pouf that looks like the above–almost done now! Take another strand of yarn and tie off below the top.

Bury the ends of the tie inside the “neck” so that they don’t stick out.

The last step is to trim the bottom ends which are most likely straggly and uneven.

And there you have it! A simple tassel! Use the ties at the top to anchor it wherever you need it. Or maybe use it for a present wrapping decoration. Or…?

If you’re interested in the shawl, the pattern is available at my Ravelry shop: Aztec Reveries Shawl. Check it out!