DIY Knit Yarn Pendant Lamp

Have you ever seen a circular knitting machine work? When I first saw it, I was amazed at how fast and easy it was to use. Most people use it to make clothing, but I thought the cylindrical shape of the final product would be great to create a pendant lamp. Between the texture of the knitted yarn and the soft glow of the bulb, I thought it would be amazing... and I was right! This is how I did it...

1. Circular Knitting Machine - I have the Addi Express King size version, but you could use any of the brands out there (or knit it by hand if you're really talented)
2. Yarn - I used a worsted weight yarn.
3. Metal Macrame Rings - I got various sizes from Amazon. I ended up using a 6", 8" & 10" for each pendant
4. Pendant Cord set - You can get these in lots of places, I had one from Ikea, so I used that.

First thing you want to do is a get a circular knitting machine and choose your yarn color. Of course you could knit it by hand, but I'm not as talented of knitter as many people out there, and this just saves a ton of time, so I'll opt for the machine. I used a standard yarn you'd find at the store, but the manufacturer of the machine says that most yarns will work, thicker and thinner, but you should test them to be sure.

The first step is called "Casting on. It's basically just zig-zagging the yarn through the hooks to get the first row started and to create your knitting pattern. I have a basic picture to show the process here, but it's really helpful to watch someone do it in a video. I linked my video above, but there are a ton of videos out there on the web showing how to do it in depth.

Once you get the first row done and the yarn secured into the machine, you can start cranking away to create the shape. I usually do a few rows by hand and then switch to a crank attachment and use a low powered drill to spin it around. I've made several fully by hand also and it's pretty quick.

The machine has a built-in counter for every time the circle spins around and you create a full row. The number of rows you need really depends on your project/design. So for example, a normal beanie usually uses 100-150 rows depending on how floppy you want the top and how tight your rows are knitted together. For my pendant lamps, I used 60 rows for the smaller size and 120 for the larger ones.

So after you get it to the length you want, you do the final step called "Casting Off". This is basically just hand finishing the stitch to get it off the machine and not have it unravel. You can use the plastic needle that comes with the machine, or get a metal one from the store if you want something more sturdy. This is really showed more clearly in a video, but you can look at the picture for reference. Once you get the knitted tube off of the machine, you can go to the next step.

So the final product off this machine is basically a large sock shape. I knew that I could create some kind of inner form and stretch the knitted "sock" over it to create a cool shape. I used AutoCAD to mockup a variety of shapes and to figure out the approximate finished size of the pendant I wanted. I found some metal macrame rings that I thought I could use to insert into the tube and help create the final shape. I ended up using a 6" ring on top, 10" ring in the middle, and 8" ring on the bottom. The top and bottom rings were glued in with hot glue and the yarn was just rolled over the ring to hide it. The center ring was inserted into the middle before gluing the final end and is held in place by the tension of the fabric alone.

I also needed to create a way for the pendant lamp cord set to attach one top. All cord sets have a screw on attachment so that you can swap out different shades. Most of them are about the same size, but you should check the diameter on yours and drill an appropriate sized hole.

You can attach this a variety of ways, as long as there's something on top to hold the lamp socket. I initially used a piece of clear acrylic with a hole in it and then stitched the outer edge of the disk into the top of the lamp. It created a kind of cool look, but it was time consuming and I didn't have the correct tools to make the disk cleanly. I ended up deciding that I could 3d print a bracket that would snap onto the top ring and have a hole in the center to attach to the cord set. I used AutoCAD and my 3d printer to go through several iterations and found a size that fit. Using 3d design to find a custom solution really created a much better solution that making something by hand. And since I could 3d print it, it's easily repeatable if I wanted to make more. I have attached the 3d STL that I used, but if you make your own, you may have to size it up or down to fit your ring.

Once you attach the socket cord set to your lamp, it's very important to use the correct bulb for these lamps. I used a lower powered LED Bulb (60w equivalent). If you use the older style incandescent light bulbs, those tend to get hot and may melt or light your yarn pendant on fire. DON'T USE THOSE!

The LED bulbs don't get very warm, but if your yarn is too close to the bulb there's a small chance that it could melt or catch on fire. Make sure your design allows enough space around the bulb to not damage the yarn pendant that you worked so hard to make. I've had my design lit for hours on end and haven't had any issues, but each case could be different. Plan appropriately and test it.

Now go hang up your pendant and enjoy! This Instructable was to give you ideas on how to actually make it and the overall design process that I went through. Go out and see what other shapes you can come up with. If you make one, I'd love to see it. You can tag me on Social Media @Darose_DIY on Instagram and TikTok. I'd also appreciate a follow on any of those platforms. I recently started a YouTube channel showing the process of making creative Lamps and other projects if you want to check that out. Follow along and see all the other amazing ideas I have in the works.

YouTube Link (This video description has Amazon links to the products I used if you want a quick reference)

Instagram Link

TikTok Link

Facebook Link

www.StudioDarose.com - My Webpage - If you want to see what else I make