How to Make Your Own Yarn Tassels!

Tassels are a great way to add a special finish to any of your crochet or knit pieces, but can also be used in other fun ways, such as on the corners of pillows or blankets! You can even make a cute tassel garland! I am a pretty firm believer in if you can add tassels, ADD THOSE TASSELS.

This particular tassel tutorial pairs with my free Granny Isosceles Triangle Scarf Pattern, which is a perfect beginner triangle scarf/shawl pattern, but you can easily use these simple steps to make your own yarn tassels for whatever project you’d like! This will get you started on the basics on how to make yarn tassels and you can easily adjust to you’re liking or pattern specifications!

The tassels pictured are made with worsted weight yarn (Lionbrand Heartland – affiliate link– in the color Yosemite), but you can make them in any yarn, any size, any length! They are totally customizeable, you just need to adjust the object that you are wrapping around and how many wraps you make around it! It’s a great way to use up scrap yarns in your stash as well!

Materials Needed: (some of these are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I receive a small commission when you click through and purchase!)

• Any yarn. Amount/color/weight will depend on your project and preference! (The orange is Lion Brand Heartland “Yosemite”)
• An object roughly the length of your desired tassels
• Scissors (the sharper the better, so you’ll get nice, neat ends!)
• A yarn needle
• Optional: beads with large holes

It’s a simple process, and the most “complicated” part is just trimming the ends to be even! I usually grab a large bowl, turn on a podcast or flip on Hulu, and trim all the ends until the tassels are perfect! It might take a little time, but remember, the tassel is worth the hassle!

If you’d like a video version, I also have this video showing how I make my tassels for a different shawl project. The ones in the video are lace weight, but you can apply the technique and tips to any type of yarn or any size tassel!

Overall, both these tutorials can be adapted to any tassel length, or any yarn weight, or any amount of floof by just changing up the object you are wrapping around and how many times you wrap it!

So, here’s how I make my yarn tassels!

1. Find an object roughly the length that you want your tassels to be. I typically use a coaster off my coffee table, but you could use a small book, or even just a scrap of cardboard cut to your desired size! Keep in mind you will lose a little length in trimming the ends of your tassels!

2. Wrap your yarn loosely around that object, lots! I typically do between 30 & 45 times, but this will depend on your yarn thickness, as well as how fluffy of a tassel you are going for! Just make sure if you’re planning on multiple tassels you count how many wraps you do, so you can be sure they all turn out the same size!

3. Thread your yarn needle with approximate 8” of yarn, and sew it through your tassel. Tie it tightly around all your wraps.

4. Cut yarn at the opposite end and remove the tassel from your object.

5. With another piece of yarn, wrap around your tassel. I usually wrap the yarn close to the top 1/3 of the tassel, and typically about 6-10 times. Again, this depends on your yarn and your preference! I often do this step in a contrasting color of scrap yarn to add a color pop to my finished scarf!

6. Trim all your ends, for a nice even, fluffy tassel!

Repeat steps 1-7 for your desired number of tassels! Using the long tails at the top, sew the tassel onto your shawl or whatever your desired object! On my Granny Isosceles Triangle Scarf I like to add them in all three corners, but you could definitely add them to just two corners, or even just the middle point! You can also easily add a bead or two to the tassels before sewing them on, just make sure to pick beads with a hole large enough to thread onto whatever weight yarn you’re using!

To get a printable version of the Granny Isosceles Triangle Scarf, with the tassel tutorial included, you can visit my Etsy or Ravelry shops! I also include tassels in my Tidal Fades Shawl, Tidal Fades Shawl DK, The Forgotten Lore Shawl and the Hope & A Future Wrap!

Not making tassels now? Make sure to save this post for all your future tassel making later by pinning it now!