Decorative Yarn Balls - How to Make Them
Have you ever seen those stylish bowls of yarn ball ornaments in gorgeous homes or magazine articles? Did you know that you can make them yourself at home using some scraps of yarn leftover from other projects? They are super quick and easy to make but rather messy!
Take a good measure of glue (perhaps a table spoon) and mix it with approximately the same amount of water. Add the water a little at a time and mix. You do not want your glue to be too watery or your balls will not be very stiff when they dry.
Cut a length of yarn. Now this is a bit of guesswork. Remember that you can always trim the yarn later if it is a little too long but that will be messy as it will be covered in glue. It also depends on the size of your balloon so just make an educated guess.
Now soak the yarn in your glue/water mix so that it is all coated. BUT keep one end out of the glue so that you can find it.
Inflate your balloon to the size that you want your ball to be.
Take the end of the yarn and place it onto the balloon. Then wrap it around the balloon and cover the end that you started with.
Continue to wrap the yarn around the balloon in different directions to make the effect you require.
You simply need to dry the ball so that it hardens. I recommend drying the ball as quickly as possible. Sometimes your balloon may deflate before your yarn ball is hard! I stood mine on some aluminium foil on a radiator but if it is summer you could dry them in the sunshine. It may take several days to be fully dry.
Once the ball is dry and firm gently push the balloon away from the yarn and then pop it. You should then be able to remove it through one of the larger holes in the ball. Tweezers may help you to get hold of the balloon without damaging your ball.
If you want any more guidance visit my full tutorial at Christine's Crafts.
Frequently asked questions
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