Yarn Wrapped Easter Animals Tutorial

Yarn Wrapped Easter Egg Chicks and Bunnies

Supplies:

Plastic Easter Eggs - it's best if they somewhat match they yarn you'll be using as they may show through in some parts

Yarn - The yellow we used is Lion Brand Homespun, the pink is something similar (not sure what exactly--it's long since lost it's label)

Glue Gun

Felt

Beads (or some other material for eyes)

Wire (for bunny whiskers)

Pompom (for bunny tail)

Feather

Step 1: Glue and Wrap - Start with a glob of hot glue on the bottom of the egg and attach the yarn. Then just glue and wrap until the egg is covered. We didn't bother to glue the eggs shut, but you could if you felt it was necessary. (She's very proud that I now trust her to use the glue gun WITH supervision!) :)

Step 2: Gather Your Supplies and Cut the Felt - For the bunny we cut ears from pink felt, put a bit of white in them and then pinched the bottom to give them some dimension. The feet are cut like a heart with the bottom chopped off. The nose is a rounded triangle. We twisted the wire together at the middle and then curled the ends. The tail is a large pompom. 

For the chick, it's a bit more simple. Just feet and beak and eyes (not pictured). We cut a triangle with a little notch out of the bottom and then cut the "feet" with pinking shears to give them "toes". The beak is an elongated triangle. Oh, and we added a kicky feather to the top of the head.

At first we did puffy paint for the eyes. It worked okay on the yarn but was a bit temperamental. We ended up gluing beads over the paint marks and liked the beads better.

Step 3: Assemble - Glue the feet to the bottom of the egg. Glue on the eyes and beak for the chick. For the bunny, we put a large dot of hot glue on the face, put the whiskers in the glue and then topped it off with the nose. My daughter also added little paws and a carrot and red cheeks to her bunny. Glue the ears to the back of the head and the tail to the back.

And there you go!!

Which Came First?

I made these for my sisters this year. We love our Cream Eggs and these chicks look just deranged enough to guard them for us. Each chick actually has a Cream Egg in it. Or at least did when I put them in the mail. Who's to say now that they have arrived at their destinations.

This is the first knitting project that I had the thought, "These are getting to be too cute. How can I make them look more crazy?" The eyes are what did it.

I feel like they could be saying, "You looking at me? Just keep walking or the egg gets it." :)

Deranged Chicks
Pattern: Knitted Easter Chick
Yarn: Lion Brand Fun Fur
Needle Size: US 5

Spring Wreaths

I saw this Spring Wreath Tutorial a few days ago and two thoughts crossed my mind:

1. I HAVE to make one

2. I have some unmarked, don't know where it came from, green novelty yarn in my stash (and you know how I love to use stuff I already have!)

So off I go to my local craft store to buy the wreath base. Brought it home and wrapped it half way when I ran out of what I thought was a full skein (it wasn't) of green fur. Another trip back to the afore mentioned craft store plus the only other craft store in town and no luck on more green fun fur. Did I mention this was all happening on St. Patrick's Day? NOT the best day to be searching for green novelty yarn evidently. They were cleaned out.

So I bought a smaller wreath form and made a smaller one. This one I embellished with wrapped fabric flowers.  I pinned them on with tiny head pins that are hidden in the fabric folds. (Note: The flowers were made using the techniques from this video tutorial).

It's hanging on the inside of my front door and I love it!

Now I have a large wreath form and no real plans for it. Then I remembered I had a full skein (this time I was sure it was a full skein) of Paton's Cha Cha yarn in perfect Easter colors. Let the wrapping begin again.

The variegated yarn did all the striping itself. Good little yarn! And how fun is this wreath??? I glue gunned on a couple plastic eggs, tied a thick green silk ribbon and VOILA!

We are ready for Spring!!

Arts and Crafts Class Today

We made these little cuties today. I first saw them years ago in Family Fun Magazine. Each child made one bunny and one chick. Although that was a little ambitious for an hour class. Next time I'd probably just do one or the other and then have them do a coloring page. (Note: The chick is simpler than the bunny.)

You start with wood beads. My local craft store only had wood knobs which only have a hole on one end that does not extend through the bead. But luckily my garage is full of saws and drills and other loud scary things so my woobie was able to drill holes in all 40 beads with nary a complaint--he's a trooper! I then glued the beads together--flat sides together--with the woobie's expensive super glue. (This invoked a small complaint.)

Last night I kept thinking these little ones are not going to be able to paint these without getting fingerprints all over the beads and paint all over themselves. Once again my woobie came to the rescue by making a little stand the kids could put their bead on. THIS WAS A LIFESAVER!

I brought lots of fun Easter colors to class and the kids painted the bodies whichever color they chose. Some chose to do the head a different color than the body, which turned out really cute!

For the bunny I found really fun extra fluffy pipe cleaners. You string two pipe cleaners (side by side) through the body and then fold the ears into shape and the feet into shape. (So one pipe cleaner is a foot and ear and the other pipe cleaner is the other foot and ear. Does that make sense?). We did glue tiny pom pom tails on too. The kids drew the face on with paint pens.

For the chick you fold a regular pipe cleaner in half and thread it through the body from the top and put a feather in the little top loop and pull it tight. Then you shape the bottom of the pipe cleaner into the two feet. The kids did the eyes with paint pens and the beak with a Sharpie.