Wigs...from yarn

So, wigs from yarn...my first thought when I heard folks were making wigs from yarn was Raggedy Ann, certainly not what I wanted for any of my dolls.  But then I saw the end results and was totally confused.  How on Earth were these magicians turning regular cheap scratchy  yarn into soft luscious locks?  I mean the colors looked like the hair came from the yarn but there had to be some shenanigans going on right?

SO I started doing a little research and came upon several videos on Youtube.  Including this one.  Holy smokes, was that it? Really, that was it.  I HAD to try it!!!  And well low and behold I had several skeins of yarn in my stash from another project (failed project, half finished project, set aside project....yeah I might have a problem with buying supplies for things I *intend* to do...) So I tried to follow the video, but my yarn just pulled apart, leaving tiny little nubbins, like 1/2" pieces, not good for wig making.  Needless to say I was frustrated and just put the yarn away for other things. (See that's what happens. lol)

But last month, I got a wild hair to try it again.  This time I went and watched more videos, and more videos...then I caught something I had previously missed.  The yarn being used was Acrylic.  I grabbed the yarn I had tried before...100% Cotton.  Hmm could this have been the issue?  I figured it was worth a try.  I grabbed a skein of a pretty burgundy yarn and my thickest curling iron (since I no longer own a flat iron). I followed the tutorial above, cut lengths, tied them onto a thin metal rod and brushed, brushed brushed and brushed some more.

The yarn unraveled, and floofed up, and filled the bristles in the wire brush I was using.  I was still unsure how this pile of fluff would turn into anything resembling hair.  But I figured it wouldn't hurt to keep going.  So after I finished brushing out the entire cluster I yarn I used the curling iron and pulled the yarn through it.

OH EM GEE!!!!  It worked, it really worked!  The once twisted, then fluffy pile of yarn had turned into the smoothest, shiniest "hair" I had seen!  I mean it was gorgeous!  I trimmed the hair from the knot tied on my metal rod and applied glue to the cut end to create a weft.
And then got into making more and more and more. The yarn I had chosen to use came on a small card and held about 20 yards of yarn.  At that point I had no idea how much yarn it would take to create a wig for one of my 16" girls.  After I finished that card of yarn I left it to dry and got to work making a wig cap.  (again you can find loads of tutorials on Youtube for that too)  The following day I got started creating my 2nd ever wig. (The first was a dismal failure!)

I couldn't believe that it had worked! I had unbelievably created a wig that actually looked good AND fit my dolls head! The yarn was so soft and really had a very realistic look and feel to it.

My next thought was to play with a variegated yarn I had in my stash.  And I had had it for EVER, like 15 years I think!  It was a color called Camouflage, that ranges from black, to brown to a couple shades of green.  I bought it eons ago with the intent to crochet a top to wear, needless to say that project NEVER got finished either. lol

SO I set to work creating wefts from this unique color pattern, and it was looking really intriguing! I wanted to try something different wig wise and thought I would give bangs a try.   So after making loads and loads of wefts I set to work making yet another wig cap.  Once the wig cap was dry I got to attaching them to it.  The bangs were a little confusing and I still don't think I quite got the hang of it, but a few hours later the Camouflage wig was finished.  It's...unique. lol  

This wig definitely has a bit of a bee-hive thing going on. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. *shrugs*I am however, loving the colorway!  The green is actually pretty subtle.  I will be attempting another wig with this yarn in the future as well as using different solid yarns to create a high and low-lighted look.