How to make yarn lampshade covers

Take two plain lampshades from drab to fab with colour-block yarn covers, guaranteed to instantly brighten up any room

Published: September 4, 2020 at 5:00 am

A couple of seen-better-days lampshades might not seem like the obvious choice for a statement light fitting, but all it takes is a few balls of yarn to transform them into a colour-block centrepiece. Just wrap the yarn around the shades in a stripe pattern for a colourful pendant cover that’s guaranteed to brighten the place up.

You will need:

  • Rico Creative Cotton Aran, 100 per cent cotton, 85m per 50g, two balls in Green
  • Knitcraft Cotton Blend Plain DK, 50 per cent acrylic, 50 per cent cotton, 215m per 100g, one ball in Mustard
  • Women’s Institute Home Cotton Aran, 85 per cent cotton, 15 per cent polyester, 160m per 100g, one ball in Cream
  • Two matching lampshades with slanting sides
  • Masking tape
  • Craft knife
  • Florist’s wire
  • Eraser

Step 1

Place one lamp on top of the other, as shown, and, using a pencil and the main image as a guide, mark out sections for each stripe of colour. They don’t have to all be the same width. Write the initial of each yarn colour on the sections you want to wrap with it on both of the lampshades.

Step 2

Secure the end of the yarn for the first section in place using masking tape, leaving some excess yarn to tie off later. Wrap the first marked section by passing the yarn up through the lamp and around the outside. You may need to push the strands together as you’re wrapping to keep them tidy.

Step 3

When you get to the end of the section, tie on the next yarn colour on the inside of the lamp using a double knot, as shown. Use an eraser to remove the pencil marks as you go along to avoid them showing through when the lamp is switched on.

Step 4

Continue to wind the yarn around and up through the lamp to wrap each section, as before until the whole lamp is covered. The lengths of yarn should sit side by side and not overlap each other. You may find it helpful to hold the lampshade between your knees, passing the ball of yarn through from one hand to the other to speed up the wrapping process.

Step 5

When you get to the end of the wrapping process, remove the masking tape from the first strand of yarn and tie it to the end of the last strand of yarn. Use scissors to trim off any long tails from where you’ve knotted the yarns on the inside of the lamp.

Step 6

Repeat these steps to wrap the second lampshade – you may want to evaluate the colour distribution now you’ve completed one. When you get to the end, remove the masking tape from the first strand of yarn and tie it to the end of the last strand of yarn. Use scissors to trim off any long tails from where you’ve knotted the yarns on the inside of the lamp.

Step 7

Once you’ve finished wrapping the second lamp, stack it on top of the first one. Use a craft knife to carefully cut a small slit into four sides of each lamp where they sit together, just above the wire frame.

Step 8

Pass a small piece of florist’s wire through each of the slits and pull tightly, then twist the ends together on the inside. To finish off, push the yarn over the wire to disguise it.

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