Waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy Too Easy

I never thought I'd be blogging about this ... My co-worker is into making yarn leis and asked me if I wanted to learn how to make some (since I like to knit and this involves yarn).  I said, "Sure, why not?".  So, she had a lei making session over our lunch period this past week.  There were four (4) students (including me) in which my co-worker gifted each of us a lei making kit.  

The kit contained: two (2) skeins of feather yarn (color of your choice), a straw, 180 cm of gossamer ribbon, two (2) beads and a piece of paper informing you where you can purchase these items from (no, she doesn't work for this company - she's just likes them so much, she's more than willing to promote them; plus, it helped that the company was having a semi-annual sale in the up-coming weekend).

And here's what we did:

1. Thread the gossamer ribbon through the straw.
2. Tape the end of the gossamer ribbon to the straw.
3. With two (2) ends of the yarn, tie (a double knot) it to the bottom/base of the straw (end where the gossamer ribbon is trailing out).  Be sure to have very short ends.
4. Wrap yarn around the straw and push it down to the bottom/base of the straw, scrunching it up.
5. Continue to do this until there’s no yarn left.
6. Tie the ends of the yarn (another double knot) when you’ve reached the end.
7. Center your lei on the gossamer ribbon. You can tie a knot (with the gossamer ribbon) here.
8. Place a bead/kukui nut at each end. Tie a knot (with the gossamer ribbon). 
9. Tie the ends together. 

Your lei is ready to be gifted! ❤️ 🌺

I must say, it was amazingly (and disgustingly) super simple to do.  I completed my lei in less than thirty (30) minutes! 😳  The kind of lei this makes is an old school kind of lei and mimics an even older school carnation lei that was very popular to give (at one time).  I've made this type of lei before using either firmer ribbon and/or material (in which you shred the sides, "sew" it up the middle, & scrunch it down).  It took forever to make since it was so labor intensive to shred the sides. 😵   As such, this "straw" methodology (as well as using feather yarn) made the task soooooooo much easier and simpler to do!  And, it's so quick to whip out! 🤣 The only down side was the actual feather yarn - it sheds so, you might find bits of the lei all over yourself (or your cellphone if it's close by).  Ultimately, if you like to give out this kind of lei, this method is definitely the way to go!

 Before

After

So, you must be asking:  Did you go to the sale?

Yes, I did.  I actually went to pick up a beading threader that my co-worker had as I thought it would come in handy for other things.  I ended up picking up that and two (2) different size straws (as 1) the straw I was gifted was starting to break already and 2) even if I don't make this kind of lei very often, I figured that it could come in handy).

Now, I have a quick and easy way to make a lei - a methodology I'm going to pass along to my Mom. 😉