IMG_0285Happy Friday, babes!

Yes! The weekend is nigh and we for one are a little over hyped about the whole Halloween thing! Pumpkins are carved, sweets have been bought and my hubby may or may not have borrowed a smoke machine and creepy green lights… What does it say about us that we’d go to such great lengths to spook our neighbours kids?! Hmmm, I don’t know!

As you well know, we have been just LOV-ING all things Autumn this year, maybe even more so than normal, and you can expect a warm colour palette, pumpkins and a beautiful October sunset from today’s DIY… I don’t know about you, but we’re utterly besotted.

So, what are we making? Well you guys, if you love the idea of a DIY, or you’d love to be able to knit but it just won’t happen (*hangs head and reluctantly raises hand*) this tutorial is for you! Choose the most gorgeous wool you can find, and then in three simple steps, you can create this sweet autumnal garland!

For your wedding, a little seasonal get together with the girls, or even just to decorate your abode – this garland is super simple to create and exemplifies everything cosy and autumnal!

As always a massive thanks to Old Bear Media for shooting this DIY with us (and carrying a load of pumpkins and a chair down to our local fields!) #legend

Let’s get into it then shall we?

buntingIMG_0291IMG_0328IMG_0281Oh and that sweet little cinematic light box?!

I know! So cute, hey?! It’s completely customisable too; get yours from the lovely people at Wedding Mall.

So, about this garland we’re making…

You Will Need:

  • Wool – we went for 4 different shades of the same texture, but you do you boo! Mix up textures, thicknesses, create your own colour palette… Go wild!
  • Brown String – we decided to go next-level rustic on this one, so paired our warm toned wool with simple brown string
  • Ruler
  • Fabric Scissors

No really… That’s it!

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Step One: Measure and Cut

Ok! First up, we need to measure the main string for the wool to hang from!

We only did a small length to hang across the width of our peacock chair, but this is totally up to you – these garlands would look beaut adorning barn walls, swinging through woodlands, even on the back of reception chairs, so measure your length and add a good 30cm to each end for the sake of knotting and in case of inaccuracy.

For the record, our brown string measured 180cm.

IMG_0197IMG_0200IMG_0206Next up, you wanna estimate the length of wool you’re gonna need to cut:

  • Place your wool at right angle to the brown string to get a feel for the length you’d like for your ‘flags’. We wanted the flag itself to be just under 15cm long.
  • But wait, hold up, don’t snip yet! You’re gonna need double this length!
  • Create a loop over the top of the brown string (to allow a little excess for the knot) and then match the initial length
  • Now you can snip 🙂

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  • Ok, now you have your first length of wool, measure it. Ours was, (most conveniently!), 30 cm
  • Now it’s a case of rinse repeat!
  • We cut 20 strands of wool per ‘flag’ from each colour

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Step Two: Knotting

Ok, so you’ve got all your wooly strands cut for each ‘flag’ on the garland, now it’s time to get knotting them onto the brown string.

There’s only one knot to learn and it’s a pretty simple one: the Lark’s Foot knot.

Best get straight into it, as you’ve got a fair bit of knotting to be getting on with! So, with your length of brown string laid out in front of you:

  • Take a single strand of your cut wool
  • Fold it in half
  • Place the loop at the halfway point underneath the length of brown string and perpendicular to it at the point at which you want the first ‘flag’ to begin on the garland

IMG_0227IMG_0228With me so far? I knew you would be!

  • Take the ends of the wool and thread them over the brown string and through the wool loop
  • Gentle pull the threaded ends back towards you to tighten the knot

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  • Pull the knot nice and tight
  • To neaten the knot, simply slide the loops around the brown string together
  • Now, repeat with all 20 strands of wool

IMG_0233IMG_0234IMG_0236Make sure you’re knotting as close to your previous knot as possible (or, if you’re a Sloppy Joe, like me, just scooch them up to each other to eliminate any gaps!)

Done you’re first ‘flag’? Rad! Move onto the next colour wool, leave the desired length of brown string between them and get knotting again!

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Step 3: Trim to Finish

FYI: this step is totally optional and I’m sure many of you will prefer the rustic charm of your handmade garland pre-trim!

However, if you want to get a cleaner edge to your ‘flags’ just give them a little haircut! It makes for quicker knotting (knowing you don’t have to be as accurate and can tidy up at the end) and creates a gorgeous squared-off look to each ‘flag’.

IMG_0253IMG_0254Et Voilà!

You have yourself, after rather a lot of therapeutic (I hope!) knotting, a completed wool garland!

Now to style it up however you see fit and enjoy!

We opted for a super boho peacock chair (which was actually an eBay steal for our own wedding a couple of years ago now, as some of you might already know!), reflected the burnt orange wool in the pumpkins and picked out the pale grey wool with the addition of a sheepskin rug, and, of course, that super on-trend cinematic light box!

Oh and Mother Nature just did her glorious autumnal fallen leaves/stunning sunset thang as well!

Which, you know, totally stole the DIY’s thunder! #nobiggie

IMG_0282IMG_0318IMG_0276IMG_0299IMG_0302IMG_0290IMG_0329IMG_0287IMG_0333IMG_0286What can I say – we got a real big crush on Autumn!

We hope you guys enjoyed this simple how-to! Please do ask in the comments below or on our Instagram if you have any questions, or if you just wanna share your garland creation – we’d love to see!

Have yourselves a gloriously spooky weekend, witches! Be sure to trick or treat yo’ self and, as always, we’ll see you on the flip side!

Peace + Love

Clare X



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