Steampunk Yarn Falls

These colorful dreadfalls were created from chunky yarn. This is a text tutorial, but is very easy to follow.

Tutorial Written by: Encaitare



Here's how it was done!

Materials needed:
- two skeins of chunky yarn (I used Lion Brand Bolero yarn because of the color, and interesting variations in thickness
- some rough lace
- a spool of craft wire
- scissors
- wire cutters (if you want to be nice to your scissors)

First, cut two pieces of lace. I made mine about a foot long each, but I have very thin hair. Those with thicker hair may want to use more... and if you take too much, you can always trim it when you're done!

Now, decide how long you want the falls to be. Mine come down to about mid-back. Then cut a piece of yarn twice that length. Drape the yarn over the lace, so each end of the yarn hangs down to be about the same length. Pinch the yarn together just below the lace, and wrap a piece of wire around that place so the yarn is now held in place. Also, wrap a piece of wire near each end of the yarn so it won't unravel.

When you wear your falls, you'll need to put your hair up into two tight buns almost right on the top of your head. Do this now and wrap the ribbon around a bun to see how wide you'll have to make the piece so it will cover your natural hair. Then continue adding pieces of yarn as described above. If you want to make them look a little more ragged like I did, vary the length a little bit.

When you've used enough yarn to make the falls the right width, it's time to accessorize (if you want to). I decided to wrap more wire around some of the thin parts in the yarn. You could also add beads, wires, seashells, virtually anything depending on the look you want!

Now it's time to put them on! Make sure your hair is up in two secure, tight buns. Tilt your head to the opposite side of the bun you'll be using first (i.e. if you're putting in the right fall first, tilt your head to the left. Position the fall so the ends of the ribbon face away from your part, and tie them around the base of the bun. Then flip the yarn over the top of the bun, and voila! You have a brand new hairstyle! Repeat for the other side.

Some tips:
- Try taking one or more pieces from the base of each fall, and wrapping it around the base of the opposite fall. This will help cover your scalp and also secure the falls, and relieve tension from the weight.
- If the color of the falls is very different from your natural hair color like me, use a scarf or thick headband to cover your hairline. Goggles also help here too. ^_^