Arts and Crafts Projects Using Yarn (No Knitting or Crocheting)

There are lots of ways for those of us who love yarn (but aren't knitters or crocheters) to incorporate yarn into arts and crafts projects. Here are just a few projects that I've made that have yarn in them. 

Bracelet 

 
I made this bangle bracelet of a soft, multi-color, fuzzy yarn. The main color is a tangerine shade. I wrapped yarn around a center core, which is a plastic bangle.





At the right, you can see a close-up view of the side of the yarn-wrapped bangle.
It's available on my Etsy PaulaDJewelry site. Click here to see it on Etsy. 





Needlepoint
 

Wool yarn is often used in needlepoint. The close-up above is from a partially worked canvas as is the picture at the right. There are several colors of wool yarn in this needlepoint picture. I used an Elizabeth Bradley kit for this canvas. It's from the Victorian Collection. I started this needlepoint years ago and work on it occasionally, although I haven't had time to needlepoint lately. Maybe someday I'll finish this one!
Textile Art Work

Here's a cute little textile art work I made of a polyester furry fabric with felt and yarn accents. The mouth is made of black yarn. A bit of yarn often can be used for detail work in textile art projects. The little bell around the lamb's neck is a real brass bell. It's tiny, but it actually rings.

Fashion Sewing

Here's a purple tweed jacket, lined with black silk, that I made of a nubby purple tweed fabric. The fabric is a blend of both synthetic and natural fibers, and the yarn in the weave is thick enough to be used as a strand in making a braid, which is what I did to trim the jacket. I made the trim, which goes all around the jacket's edges and trims the sleeves, by pulling out individual strands of the fiber and braiding them together, then sewing the braid in the center of a black grosgrain ribbon.

Needle-Felted Textile Art

 
This needle-felted picture is framed in a box frame with glass in it, so the photos aren't as clear as I'd like. I used wool yarn to needle felt my version of purple sage. For the base fabric, I selected a vintage green linen handkerchief with crocheted edges. If you're going to use yarn to needle felt on a base, be sure to use wool yarn.



Ten Cozy Mystery Series for Yarn Lovers, Knitters, and Crocheters

These cozy mystery series are listed in the order of the number of books in the series, from the longest series to the shortest.

1. Needlecraft Mystery Series by Monica Ferris

When Betsy Devonshire takes over a needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota, she finds that she has a knack for knitting as well as a hidden talent for crime solving. 19 books.

Needlecraft Mystery Series

 

 

 

2. Knitting Mystery Series by Maggie Sefton

This series is also known as the Kelly Flynn Mystery Series. Kelly is a knitter, living in Colorado, who often visits the fabulous yard shop next to her office and also solves mysteries in her spare time. 16 books.

Knitting Mystery Series

 

 

 

3. Crochet Mystery Series by Betty Hechtman


Molly Pink learns to crochet and find a killer when she joins a weekly crochet group in Tarzana, California, and the murders just keep on coming in this eleven-book series..

 Crochet Mystery Series

 

 

 

 

4. Seaside Knitters Series by Sally Goldenbaum

Not long after Isabel “Izzy” Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters. 11 books.

 Seaside Knitters Series

 

 

5. Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries by Anne Canadeo

The Black Sheep Knitters group meets once a week at Maggie Messina's Black Sheep Knitting Shop in Plum Harbor, Massachusetts, to share knitting tips, recipes, and gossip with murder thrown into the mix. 8 books.  

Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries

 

 

6. Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren

For readers who like their knitting hobby paired with a paranormal theme, the Vampire Knitting Club hits the mark. Lucy Swift runs
Cardinal Woolsey’s, a yarn shop in Oxford, England. 7 books.

 Vampire Knitting Club

 

 

7. Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery Series by Molly MacRae 

 

When Kath Rutledge inherits her grandmother's yarn shop, The Weaver’s Cat, in Blue Plum, Tennessee, she also inherits a ghost and becomes involved with the Thank Goodness It's Fiber group. 4 books. 

 Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries

 

9. Knit and Nibble Mystery Series by Peggy Ehrhart

This series, set in a charming New Jersey town, features Pamela Paterson, founder of a knitting club called Knit and Nibble. Books in the series include ideas for knitting projects and recipes for goodies referenced in the books. 3 books.  

Knit and Nibble Mystery Series

 

 

 10. Crabapple Yarns Mystery Series by Jaime Marsman

 

Mysteries, knitting, and a yarn shop, Crabapple Yarns, all figure into this cozy mystery duo: The Brief Haunting of Raspberry Hill and The Knitting Fairy. 2 books.

Crabapple Yarns Mystery Series