Hello everyone! Today I’m excited to share a fun, simple craft that my parents taught me growing up. Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to making some super cute (and simple) finger knit yarn leis!
Fun fact: I was born in Hawaii (and I am part Hawaiian). Growing up, I use to make these whenever there was a special occasion like a graduation or missionary homecoming. They are super easy (and quick) to make. All you need are:
- Yarn (about 45 feet)
- And Scissors
Here’s how to make the finger knit yarn leis:
1. Take the end of the yarn, and place it in the palm of your hand (coming from the back of your hand to the front). Weave the yarn behind your index finger, and alternating with each finger. Once you get to your pinky, wrap the yarn around it, and weave it through the opposite way.
2. Wrap the yarn around all four fingers (going from the back of your hand to the front), positioning the yarn just above the loops on your fingers. Pull the loop on your index finger over the strand of yarn and behind your finger.
3. Repeat with all four fingers.
4. Continue to repeat steps 2 and 3 multiple times. The yarn will start to bunch up on the back of your hand. To see how long your lei is, take the end (the part that was in your palm) and pull it tight.
5. When you have reached your desired length, cut the yarn (leaving some to finish). Weave the finishing end through each loop (going from bottom to top each time.
6. Once you have done that, take the loops off your fingers, pull the finishing end tight, and tie it off.
Pretty simple right? I love this craft because it’s one that adults and kids can do together. And you can customize your creations by mixing yarn colors or adding some fun yarn textures.
Have fun making finger knit yarn leis for yourself and all your friends!
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 34 Comments on Finger Knit Yarn Leis – Tutorial
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Sharon - Her Organized Chaos
October 27, 2014 at 9:22 am (10 years ago)This is a great tutorial! I think my daughter would love making these. Thank you so much for sharing.
Mandee
October 27, 2014 at 10:44 am (10 years ago)Awesome! I’m sure she will love it 🙂 It can get addicting too!
Kyla @ HouseOfHipsters
October 27, 2014 at 9:50 am (10 years ago)OK girl, this is like the coolest thing ever. I was on the Your Designs This Time link p and almost didn’t click on this because I haven’t a clue how to knit and then you surprise me with the whole you do it with your fingers! Awesome! I can do this!
Mandee
October 27, 2014 at 10:46 am (10 years ago)So glad you decided to check it out! I don’t know how to knit either haha (I’m part of the crochet club). But yeah, these are SUPER easy to do, and tons of fun! 🙂
Christie
October 27, 2014 at 8:15 pm (10 years ago)I’m normally a crocheter, but I wanted to check out this finger knitting craze. This is a great tutorial, and I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Mandee
October 27, 2014 at 9:20 pm (10 years ago)I’m right there with you Christie—crochet all the way. But yeah, finger knitting can be super fun, and easy to teach to children as well 🙂
Erica
October 28, 2014 at 11:35 am (10 years ago)What a cool project and how awesome that you are going to teach it to kids in Africa! Prayers and blessings for your trip! 🙂
Charlene@A Pinch of Joy
October 28, 2014 at 4:25 pm (10 years ago)Congratulations on being selected for the Kenya trip — how exciting!! This looks like the perfect project to teach and each kid will have a cute lei.
Mandee
October 28, 2014 at 4:49 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Charlene! I’m so excited ^_^ Yeah, I think the kids will really enjoy it!
Sarah J
October 28, 2014 at 6:53 pm (10 years ago)Popping by from Totally Terrific Tuesday =) I picked your post to visit because I found a finger knit scarf I want to make a lei seems like a good place to start. Seems pretty easy. Thank you for sharing!
Mandee
October 28, 2014 at 9:03 pm (10 years ago)Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah 😀 Yeah, finger knitting is so fun and easy—you’ll love it!
Kelly
October 28, 2014 at 10:48 pm (10 years ago)What an exciting adventure you will have! And what a beautiful way to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Kudos to your company! And kudos to you for doing the lei lessons. I would love to donate a skein. Best wishes!
Mandee
October 29, 2014 at 9:58 am (10 years ago)Thanks so much Kelly! I know, I feel very fortunate to be a part of this project!!
Laci
October 29, 2014 at 9:07 pm (10 years ago)Omg i love this brilliant ! I am trying this right when i get off tomorrow i bookmarked you i love finding amazing new blogs ! I will post pic on how it worked for me ○●•°○●○•°•°
Mandee
October 29, 2014 at 11:01 pm (10 years ago)Yay! Can’t wait to see 😀
Stella Lee
October 30, 2014 at 8:14 pm (10 years ago)I’m going to show my nieces how to do this! Pinned.
Mandee
October 31, 2014 at 12:16 am (10 years ago)Yay! 😀 They are going to love it!!!
Kristina and Millie
October 31, 2014 at 8:56 am (10 years ago)Too cool Mandee 🙂 We have TONS of scrap skeins here and I am wondering, if I send you some, does that count towards my ‘use my scraps’ goal? 🙂 Thanks for sharing about this opportunity and the printables & blogging things (man I am technical today lol) you share all the time! I hope you have a super awesome time teaching the kids!
Mandee
October 31, 2014 at 4:45 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Kristina! Yes, this would definitely count toward your goal!! 😀 Thanks for your support!
Kristina and Millie
November 7, 2014 at 3:22 pm (10 years ago)Just checking if you rec’v’d the package Mandee! If the math is right those bon bons should be enough yarn for 1 and 3/4 necklaces. I hope I did that math right!
Mandee
November 7, 2014 at 3:39 pm (10 years ago)Oh my goodness, yes! I did get it—thank you guys so SO much!!! Yeah, those bon bons will work great, and I love the colors. 😀 Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mel {MamaBuzz}
October 31, 2014 at 10:36 am (10 years ago)So pretty! And so exciting that you’re going to Kenya! Wow! That’s an opportunity of a lifetime. Can’t wait to hear all about your trip. Thank you for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in next week’s issue.
Mandee
October 31, 2014 at 4:43 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Mel! Yeah, I am so excited!!! And thanks so much for the feature 😀
Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness
October 31, 2014 at 5:15 pm (10 years ago)These are so neat! What a fun craft for kids to do, too! Thanks for sharing these at Motivational Monday! Hope to see you there again on Sunday! 🙂
Lou Lou Girls
November 1, 2014 at 10:35 am (10 years ago)Hello sweet lady! This looks so amazing. Pinned. It was the Cassie’s favorite from our last party! Woo Hoo! We will be featuring your recipe at our party on Monday night. I hope to see you there.
Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
Mandee
November 1, 2014 at 10:51 am (10 years ago)Yay! Glad you guys liked it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by !
Emily
November 3, 2014 at 4:59 am (10 years ago)This is such a fun idea! So pretty! Thanks for linking up with us at Your Designs This Time!
Emily & Erin
Lisa
November 3, 2014 at 9:49 pm (10 years ago)Thanks for sharing this great tutorial! I can only crochet but may have to attempt this finger knit.
Also, I love your blog layout. Did you use Blogger before? Ive thought about wordpress before but scared to take the leap. How do you like it?
come over and visit me sometime. Have a wonderful week.
Lisa
Mandee
November 3, 2014 at 11:22 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Lisa! Yes, I did use blogger previously. I know, making the leap is incredibly intimidating!!! Luckily for me, I had some experience with WordPress-based sites before. The part that scared me the most was losing all my links back to my blog (mostly from Pinterest). There is this awesome [free] plug-in though that was SUPER easy to set up, and has been doing an excellent job with my page redirections though, so it turned out that it wasn’t quite as hard as I thought it would be—just a lot of planning. Here is the link to that plug-in in case you decide to make the switch:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/blogger-301-redirect/
jessica
November 4, 2014 at 2:50 pm (10 years ago)Hope you are feeling better Mandee! I know the feeling. I had the flu last week and my baby had an ear infection. Im just not getting over it and she has ANOTHER ear infection and the hubbs was home sick today too. Fall-la-la-la-flu…yuck!
These are pretty darn cute! Thanks for linking up last week 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
Jess
Mandee
November 6, 2014 at 12:14 am (10 years ago)Thanks so much Jess! We are all getting better now (yay). Hope your family is feeling better too!
Jennifer Dawn
November 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm (10 years ago)These look so fun to make! What a creative idea!
Mandee
November 5, 2014 at 8:21 am (10 years ago)Thanks so much Jennifer! They are a blast to make 😀
Isa Audet
December 12, 2014 at 8:58 am (9 years ago)Thanks for sharing!