Hi, there! We’re back with the next post in the Y is for Yarn theme. Now last week when I told you to cut up all that perfectly good yarn to create a yarn sensory bin, you may have wondered what in the world you’d do with all that yarn when you are done. Well, don’t worry. I’ve got a few ideas for you. Today we’re starting with a classic kids’ craft that you may even remember from summer camp days as a kid. I know we made a few of these in Girl Scouts when I was younger, and there’s a good reason. Yarn bowls are easy to create. They take only a couple of materials, and you can use them when you’re finished–practical!
How to Make a Yarn Bowl
Materials for a Yarn Bowl
- Strands of yarn
- White school glue slightly thinned with water
- A base to build your bowl on. We used a bowl turned upside down and covered with plastic wrap, but I’ve also seen people use a balloon
Making the Yarn Bowl
Now I should warn you that this project can be very messy. If a child does not enjoy messy play, then he or she may not like this process at all. It took my most mess-averse little ones a few minutes of observation before they decided to join in this craft. And for cleanup purposes I recommend either working outside or using a surface that you can remove and wipe clean like a vinyl tablecloth or large tray.
Lovey, however, was eager to dive right in. To get started she placed bits of yarn into the glue and let them soak up glue for a few seconds.
Then she gently squeezed out some of the excess glue and layered the yarn around the bowl. She added and added and added yarn.
She wanted to make sure the entire bowl was covered with yarn, so she kept adding and patting the yarn down.
It would have dried much faster if she had used less yarn, but we weren’t in any rush and she was proud of her creation. It did take a couple of days to dry though.
And I’d say the results were well worth the wait. She loves her creation, and she uses it to keep small items in.
Have you every made a yarn bowl or other creations like one? Do you have any tips to share? I’d love to read about them in the comments.
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joy hortie
HI, I did this craft and was quite excited to see the end result, i had a really tough time getting the ceramic bowl out of the yarn bowl. i used saran wrap as instructed but the bowl was not coming off. i had to use a butter knife and go in-between the saran and the ceramic bowl, finally it cam off, any suggestions. i enjoyed doing this craft but don’t want to lose my bowls, should I be using plastic bowls?
Shaunna Evans
Oh no! We didn’t experience that with ours. I’m wondering what the difference might be. Perhaps if you add a couple of layers of saran wrap that would help? Or maybe add a layer of wax paper and then the saran wrap. As you mentioned sturdy plastic bowls would also be a good alternative.
Katherine White
You could also use ribbon of different widths.
Shaunna Evans
Ooh, I bet that would be pretty! We might just have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mary Robinson
I have seniors that live with me and one which is blind. So we started today! We shall see how they come out
Cheryl
I just love these sites, I’m always looking for new craft ideas for the kids in my life & always find them on these sites. Fun, fun, fun & inexpensive. Thank You so much.
Shaunna
We appreciate the feedback! Thank you!
APf
Just found this post. Would love to try this one. I wonder if it would still turn out well if we used a hair dryer to help it dry faster. If I try it out, I’ll let you know.
Shaunna Evans
I think that could help a bit. Let me know if you try it.
jackie
I have made them as Easter baskets and hot air balloons. Previously I always soaked wool or cotton string in a strong laundry starch solution but as this became more difficult to find resorted to pva glue too>
Buttons and Paint
Wow what a great idea, thanks for sharing! We love this, so have featured your post in our wool crafts round up x
Shaunna Evans
Thank you so much. What a great collection!
Donna M. Kuntz
another is to buy up ol doilys at garage/thrift sales, and make bowls out of that, and i have also cut strips of paper, and made the bowls just as a yarn bowl. the doily ones are real cool, because they are soo different.
Shaunna Evans
Thanks for the suggestions, Donna.
Misty
Hi!
These yarn bowls look fantastic 🙂 I’m going to do this with my 4 year old this weekend!
Just wondering how much water you used to thin the glue? Like if I used 1 cup of glue, how much water would you add?
Thanks heaps!!!
Can’t wait to see how it turns out 🙂
Shaunna Evans
There’s no “exact” amount. The mixture is pretty forgiving no matter what you go with. Maybe start with about 3-4 Tbsp. Just slowly add water until it’s loose enough to pull the yarn through and not get huge clumps of glue.
jeanine
this is aweeeeesome! found it on Artchoo.com’s Pinterest! excellent! this is soooo simple for my preschooler & easy to prepare & complete–perfect activity for well, TODAY ;D THANK YOU!!!
Art Mom
Great idea. I could see it used with an Easter project I have planned as a little basket for some decorative eggs! Thank you for the inspiration! I’ve seen it used on balloons, but I really like the bowl idea 🙂
Shaunna Evans
What a fun idea! They would make very cute baskets.
liveotherwise
This is a great idea for all those little leftover pieces, thanks for sharing. I’ve pinned it to a craft ideas board.
Sangeeta
Great idea, I have seen the same done with a balloon. Kids create a ball which later gets painted and decorated with glitter, used as a Christmas tree ornament.
Debbie
I made spider webs this way laying the glue soaked yarn on waxed paper to dry, and adding a spider ring for flair!
Shaunna Evans
Cute idea, Debbie!