Learn How to Make Tassels out of Handspun Yarn
We hand spinners and fiber farmers have a very niche market, and it can be difficult to make a profit with our beautiful yarn, especially if we don’t live in an area where fiber art is popular. There are many ways to diversify your income and add value to the yarn you’re creating. Learn how to make tassels, and you will have another great product made from your yarn!
When I first started my fiber art business, I had two main goals: 1. make an income; and 2. teach my community about hand spinning and textiles. My regional area doesn’t have much in the way of spinning guilds, fiber farms, yarn stores, etc. I really wanted to interact with my local community through area craft shows and festivals, but I knew the number of people interested in buying handspun yarn was going to be dismally low. I spent time brainstorming and crafting, trying to think up some products I could make and sell out of my handspun yarn.
Many hand spinners make and sell handknit items such as hats and shawls, but in my warm climate, I knew even those beautiful items would not sell well at local craft shows. And besides, I’m a very slow knitter. After playing around with some ideas, I finally settled on the idea of handspun tassels.
What Are Tassels?
Tassels are fun! They are an ancient form of adornment and decoration made from strands of fiber gathered into a bundle. Humans love them! We put them on everything: clothing, jewelry, accessories, home decor, shoes, decor in public buildings. They show up in paintings, and we even carve them in stone to decorate statues, monuments, and gravestones.
Tassels are versatile! They can be designed to have any aesthetic. Rustic, bohemian, glam, Victorian, Gothic, preppy, minimalist, maximalist, medieval, modern, rock star, western/cowboy, Americana, farmhouse, cottagecore, neoclassical, wabi-sabi, art deco, industrial, witchy, corporate chic, cyberpunk, and on and on. The possibilities are endless!
Tassels are easy to make! I’m going to focus on tassel earrings in this tutorial, but you can also make keychains, zipper pulls, or whatever you dream up. Use your own homegrown or handspun yarn to make tassels that represent your farm or brand.
Design a Tassel for Your Customers
I tend to design mine to have a bohemian aesthetic, with a nod to 1960s and 1970s hippie and rock star aesthetics. I keep my tassels a touch toned down (rather than super wild and funky) so that they are attractive to those who want to wear a statement earring that goes with an everyday look. But with a good understanding of the aesthetic(s) that appeals to your customers, you could make a completely different tassel design that would be a bestseller for your business.
Do your customers like bold and funky and artsy? Use chunky, colorful art yarn with lots of texture, and make super long tassel earrings that drape.
Do they like rustic and Western? Make sturdy tassels in rustic spun wool, with antique metal findings. Maybe incorporate some leather fringe.
Luxury? Use handspun angora, precious metals, and gemstones.
Soft, cozy, cottagecore? Use handspun angora for softness, and wooden beads or caps.
Sleek and minimal, but also glam? Make thin tassels out of lustrous handspun silk in black, white, or silver, pared with small, shiny metal findings or beads.
The Perfect Finished Product for Fiber Artists
Handspun tassels have a lot of potential as a product for us fiber artists. They go beyond the expected products we create (yarn, hats, and shawls) to a bigger market that can have a solid place in any craft show or boutique shop. Tassels are quicker and easier to make than knitted items, and they can have a higher profit margin. They make great gifts, even to people who aren’t in the fiber art world. In short, handspun tassels are versatile products and could potentially bring in more income to our fiber art businesses.
Materials Needed (Includes Affiliate Links)
- Handspun yarn
- Scissors
- Strong string
- Earring findings (hooks, jump rings, etc.)
- Needle-nose pliers
- A thin, firm, rectangular object (smartphone, piece of cardboard, book)
- E6000 Glue
- Q tips
- Jewelry end caps
- Optional: Beads, charms, or embellishments
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Choose the Yarn
When making handspun yarn tassels, it’s important to think about durability. Tassels are cut at the ends, so the yarn has the potential to unwind. Significant handling/wear and tear can also damage the yarn. Earrings don’t typically require much handling, so you can opt for more delicate yarns. On the other hand, keychains will experience a lot of handling and wear and tear, so make sure the yarn used for them is super durable.
Make the Tassel
Grab your yarn and your rectangular object. Place the end of the yarn at the edge of the object and start wrapping the yarn around the object. The width of the object will determine the length of your tassel, so keep that in mind. Count how many times you wrap the yarn around. You can wrap it as many times as you want -more times will make a fuller tassel, less times will make a sparser tassel. Just remember how many times you wrap it, so you can replicate that for the matching earring. I usually do around 20 wraps.
When you’re done wrapping, cut the yarn at the edge of the rectangular object and slide the yarn off.
Your yarn will look like an oval. Find the ends of the yarn, and then locate the opposite side of the oval from the ends. Use the string to tie a double knot around the loop of yarn at that spot, so the yarn ends are opposite the knot (do not fold the loop in half yet.)
Slide the scissors through the oval and clip the yarn opposite the knot. These are your tassel ends. You now have a tassel!
Assemble the Earrings
Use a Q-tip to spread the E6000 glue inside the jewelry cap.
Shove the knotted end of the tassel into the jewelry cap, using a clean Q-tip to push it in firmly.
Using needle nose pliers, connect the jump ring to the tassel cap and the earring hook.
Finishing Touches
Pay attention to detail. Is the jump ring securely closed? Is there any visible glue?
Next, steam the tassels and use your hand to block them into shape.
Lastly, trim the tassels. Make sure earring pairs are identical in length.
Why Tassel Earrings?
- Marketability: Tassel earrings made from handspun yarn are a unique and affordable handmade accessory.
- Versatility: Tassels appeal to a wide audience, and they are easy to customize to fit your businesses brand. I believe there’s plenty of space in the market for many fiber artists to make and sell tassels, as long as we all stay true to our unique style.
- Low Material Cost: Uses small amounts of yarn, has a higher profit margin than knitted or crocheted handspun hats, shawls, etc.
- Storytelling: Each pair tells a story of the fiber artist and/or farm behind the yarn that reaches an audience beyond those who are typically into fiber art.
By learning how to make tassels, you’ll add another valuable product to your offerings, helping to diversify your income and showcase the beauty of your handspun yarn. For hand spinners and fiber farmers in niche markets, especially in areas where fiber art isn’t widely popular, finding creative ways to add value is essential. Tassels provide a simple yet impactful way to turn your yarn into something both unique and profitable.
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