As I’ve mentioned in earlier tutorials, I love yarn. So, so much. It’s so soft and beautiful I just want to wrap myself in it. Which I then go on to do when I put on a sweater. But in the seasons of my life, knitting is for January. It’s for when I need to be still and quiet and let the world go on around me as I meditate through repetitive motions. This time of year I have no time for knitting. I promised myself one project (my crocheted sock) and everything else has to make due without it or else this tree would never have seen the light of day. So I thought and I thought and I tried to come up with all the other ways I could use yarn, and I remembered this classic from my days as a Merrie Miss – what we would now call Achievement Days – which is basically Mormon speak for a way to entertain and educate 10 – 12 year old girls.
A similar version is made by wrapping yarn around a piece of toilet paper roll, but I’m a grown up now. I had to go for something bigger and better.
Instead of a toilet paper roll, I used a mail tube. I cut it into three inch sections using an electric carving knife, since the mailing tube I got was pretty dang thick. (On the video I share a great tip for how to get a clean, straight, circular cut.) Then I just cut a whole bunch of pieces of yarn long enough to be doubled over and then wrap around the tube twice with room left over for a hat and a pompom. I think I cut mine to be just about three feet, but I wasted a TON of yarn when it came to trimming time. Two and a half will probably still be pah-lenty.
Here’s the most complicated part of this whole process. Ready? Take your yarn and double it over on itself. Put the folded end through the center of your tube, then put the loose ends through that loop.
Pull.
Do that over and over and over again, (with my yarn I think it was between 65 – 70 times, but it will depend on the yarn you’re using) until the cardboard tube is completely covered.
Then take all those yarn tails and push them back through the tube, pushing the little knots to the inside as well.
Comb all those tails into a little ponytail and tie a piece of fishing line around it. This will also be your ornament hanger, so tie the ends of the fishing line into a loop.
Be careful not to cut your fishing line, and trim the yarn ends into a little faux pom pom.
Every one of my little hats came out slightly different in size, and I love it. It’s like a Dr. Suess crowd scene with short hats and tall hats, long skinny hats and squat hats. And each one makes me want to get a hot chocolate and put eh after everything I say.
If your kids can rainbow loom, they can totally make this hat. I think it would make a pretty great teacher’s gift since it’s cute enough for the poor teacher to not have to put it on the back of the tree with any playdough ornaments.
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