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Everywhere I look I’ve been seeing interesting, stylish, playful, and, most importantly, cozy textile necklaces. Inspired by this pervasive trend, I put some scrap fabric and old wool sweaters to work and crafted up some fun textile necklaces of my own. The perk, the cost was nothing but a little bit of crafting time.

FELTED SWEATER NECK SCARF HYBRID

Materials:
Wool sweater (felted in the washing machine/dryer)
Scissors
Seriously, that’s it

Directions:
1. After felting up the sweater in a hot wash cycle and run through the dryer, cut the bottom half of the sweater away from the arms (a horizontal cut from armpit to armpit).
2. Starting at the bottom, cut around in a circle to create one continuous strand of “sweater yarn.” (You determine the width of the strand – mine pictured above is about 1 inch wide)
3. Once the entire bottom “tube” of sweater is cut into yarn, coil it into a circle scarf with the strands at the length that you’d prefer.
4. Using one end, tie off the bundle using a coil knot.
5. Throw around your neck with a basic tee for added flair and warmth!

SCRUNCHY NECKLACE

Materials:
Fabric of choice
Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
Fleece fabric (although you could use elastic)
Some patience

Directions:
1. Cut a strip of fabric approximately 5 inches in length (or whatever width you’ll want your necklace after it is doubled over, sewn, and turned right-side out). Mine finished is about 1.5 inches in diameter. You’ll want to cut a long strip of fabric that can be looped into a necklace the length you want.
2. Length-wise, fold the strip in half inside out, and sew it closed, right along the edge.
3. Here’s where the patience comes in … turn the long, skinny fabric tube, right side out. It’s amazing how tiring my fingers found this activity.
4. Once the tube is right side out, cut another long strip of fleece (or elastic) that will fit inside the tube and give it some weight.
5. I used a tapestry needle to thread the fleece fabric through the entirety of the tube of necklace fabric.
6. To give it the scrunchy effect, I made the fleece fabric shorter than the necklace fabric.
7. Once you have the look you desire, sew the ends of the fleece to the ends of the fabric tube, and then sew the ends together. To give it a clean finish, I used some extra necklace fabric to wrap around the ends and sewed it in place.
8. Now wrap, tie, drape and knot to your heart’s content.

Photo: Ashley Weeks Cart