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Saturday, November 2, 2013

Finger Knitted Succulents Wreath


I think of all the projects I undertake, making wreaths is among my most favorite.  With a little imagination, wreaths can be made with just about anything. 
For this wreath I tried something I hadn’t before, finger knitting.
Finger knitted wreath1a
Finger knitting can be learned in about 5 minutes and after about 20 minutes, you can finger knit watching TV without even looking.  I intend to do a couple more projects with finger knitting, one for Christmas, coming soon. 
So here are my supplies:  1 -  16” foam wreath,  2 skeins of thick yarn, I used Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn in Oatmeal color,  7 or 8 different sized faux succulents (I know they look real, but they're not), 1 bag of moss, 1 small clay pot, loose burlap for large bow, a 12” piece of thin twine for bow, hot glue gun and a few small loose pine cones.
finger knitted wreath 4
finger knitted wreath 2
finger knitted wreath 3
I’m not sure if I’m the last one to learn finger knitting, but just in case there are more of us out there, I will post a tutorial soon.
Relaxing here finger knitting in front of the TV.  I’m in love with this yarn… I’d LOVE to have a scarf with this color.
finger knitting1a 
In no time at all, you have a trail this long…
finger knitting2a
I used one full skein and about 3/4 of the second one.  Once I had finger knitted the entire first skein, I attached it to the wreath.  I suppose you could pin it or glue it, but I just used the yarn itself to tie it to the wreath and then the extra 12” or so at the end to tie off at the other end. Wrapping it without pinning or gluing definitely works too.
finger knitted wreath 8
When you are casting the yarn on your fingers, leave a tail of about 12”, as well when you are casting off, ( leave the same amount).  These long strings will be used to tie both ends to the wreath, as seen below.
finger knitted wreath 7
finger knitted wreath 9
Remove all the stems from your succulents.  You’ll need wire cutters for this…those suckers are tough.  Be careful not to pull on the wire, it’s the only thing keeping all those leaves on.
finger knitted wreath 10a
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Use a tiny bit of foam if you have, glue it inside the clay pot.
finger knitted wreath 12
There are two ways to do this. 
First I tried this method below… but I didn’t like the way the clay pot was facing, so I took that apart and did it another way.
finger knitted wreath 13-tile a
The pot was facing down and I didn’t like it. If you prefer this method it’s very secure tied around the wreath.  But I preferred this other way of using wire to attach to the wreath -
Glue the piece of foam into the pot.  Take one of the wire stems you cut off the succulent and stick it into the foam (hold it in there with hot glue) bend the wire and stick it into the wreath, (again hold it with hot glue)  When I had it positioned exactly where I wanted, I then hot glued the pot to the yarn.  Hold it for a while as the glue dries.
finger knitted wreath 19-vert a
Place your succulents around the wreath, sticking them in the foam and securing with hot glue.  Use your moss to fill the gaps.
finger knitted wreath 20
I added the burlap bow for some added texture and tied it to the wreath with a piece of twine.
finger knitted wreath 21
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finger knitted wreath 27

31 comments:

  1. At first, I thought those were live succulents and I was thinking, not going to do this to living plants and when I saw they were plastic, I realized you have shared something that will make wonderful gifts for friends and family! I will be waiting to learn to finger knit and share with my students. Thanks for a beautiful project.

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  2. I am loving this. So cool, so original.

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  3. I just love everything about this wreath! Very Nice!

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  4. I have never heard of finger knitting but this wreath is wonderful. I will be looking into this once I finish , uh, lets say about a dozen other projects! :)

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  5. How adorable is that. I have never heard of finger knitting.

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  6. This is so different and pretty I cant wait till you post the instructions for finger knitting. I love the wreath.

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  7. Beautiful work, and I have never heard of finger knitting! I do sew and make a few quilt tops, love to embroider and refinish furniture. I must be under a rock! I would love to make a wreath like this.
    Sunny beach regards
    Frankie Laney
    tinabugtwo@yahoo.com

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  8. Are the sculents real?

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    1. No. No real succulents were used. I'll have to highlight the word FAUX in the post. I know they look real, but they're just beautiful imitation succulents.

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  9. I am sure enjoying your blog. Just found you recently and have subscribed also. This wreath idea is great! I try to use up whatever I have on hand (which is a LOT!) and am thinking I have crocheted pieces (some are stained or have holes in them) and I think I could someway use them to wrap around the wreath? Then it would look nice for a Christmas decor with appropriate trimmings. We just recently sold our home and moved into a Senior Residence SMALL apartment, but I brought about 30 plastic drawers full of everything I thought I could ever use from my sewing room at the house. I need to use some of it up! Thanks again, Carol Lindberg cinez123@aol.com

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  10. Beautiful! There's at least one other person who doesn't know how to finger knit! That would be me!! You wreath is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!!

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  11. Fantastic! I would definitely have to cheat on the finger knitting. :) And, yes, the succulents look very real! Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Wow, they look so real. Had to read it over to see that they weren't. You have a great blog with so many projects. Will definitely be following it, to see what you do next.

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  13. I've never done finger knitting, so you aren't the last one on earth to do it. :-) I love your wreath! I'm looking forward to your tutorial on finger knitting, and I might just try a wreath, too. Thanks for sharing your creativity - so clever!
    His blessings,
    Kim @ Curtain Queen Creates

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  14. Your wreath is beyond cool! The succulents look so real.

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  15. I am loving everything about this wreath.. Pinning this awesomeness.. :)

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  16. PINNING. This is just great. I love finger knitting. I just never knew what to do with it.. thanks again. Linda

    Come share if you can...

    http://www.craftsalamode.com/2013/11/what-to-do-weekends-45.html

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  17. Hi and wow, I love this wreath that you made. It is so special with the succulents that you added on the wreath! So creative of you. I saw it on craft dictator party. Julie

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  18. I Have Been FingerKnitting Since Middle School About The Time I Started Making FriendShip Bracelets Curious On How U Make Scarves?

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  19. Where did you find the faux succulents? o.O

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  20. Found this blog with step-by-step finger knitting tutorial... http://skamama.blogspot.ca/2007/10/4-finger-knitting-101.html

    I'm DEFINITELY going to try making this wreath as a gift for some friends!!! Thank you so much for this post, Lisa!!

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  21. Just found this tutorial on finger-knitting... http://skamama.blogspot.ca/2007/10/4-finger-knitting-101.html

    I'm DEFINITELY going to be making this wreath as gifts for some friends. Thank you SO much for your post, Lisa!!

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  22. Okay, I got super excited and tried to make this. There was only one little container of mini succulents at Michaels, and they were covered in weird thick glitter. But I think it came out alright. I am a huge fan of succulents and not so much decorating for holidays. This is a nice blend of things I already love... primarily crochet - finger knitting is SO easy, thanks for getting me addicted, haha. But yay! It didn't turn out as a total fail!!

    Here is my attempt - http://instagram.com/p/gjigOuNZqE/

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  23. That is the best wreath! It will be one of the features tonight at Wow!

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  24. Your wreath is amazing! I love the color of the yarn and anything with succulents so I am blown away with this creation. And no, you aren't the last one to learn finger knitting, I am. Can't wait to try it! Thank you so much for sharing your brilliant inspiration and big blessings to you, Patti

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  25. My kids love finger knitting! There are several long strands around here that I trip over constantly! Never thought about wrapping them around a wreath! Great idea!

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  26. You have been featured at weekly creative... Thanks for linking up!

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  27. Featured and pinned. Thanks for sharing with us. Linda

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  28. This is so gorgeous...nicely done!! Pinning! Visiting from Bloom Designs

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