Yarn Bomb Extravaganza with Westhouses Primary school

Members of the WCA group delivered a full day of Christmas themed creative workshops at Westhouses Primary School this week. It was Christmas jumpers all round and the children from Reception right through to Year 6 all got involved.

We used red, white and green wool to wrap star shapes, pinecones, and create tassels with Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. Children learned to tie a knot and helped each other do this for their makes.

They thought the tassels looked like dancing people when they wiggled them around!

The older pupils made dream catchers. Again lots of knotting and children helping each other.

You could do this too!

What you need:

A wooden hoop (this could be a curtain ring /part of an embroidery hoop /macrame ring)

Green, red or white felt in a long strip about 2/3cm wide

Green, red or white wool

Green, red or white twine (optional - you could use wool here too)

Accessories such as beads, buttons, feathers, bells.

How to:

1. Wrap the felt around the hoop covering it all.

2. Tie one end of a contrasting wool colour around the felt and hoop, and wrap all the way round until you get back to where you started.

3. Knot it again and snip off the end

4. Now take your twine (or wool if you don’t have twine) knot this around the hoop.

5. Wrap around part of the hoop a few inched from where you started

6. Then wrap around itself once

7. Wrap around the hoop a few inches across from the last point it joined the hoop

8. Wrap around itself once

9. Keep going around the hoop repeating steps 7 and 8 until you get back to where you started

10. You should have around 4/6 points whether the twine attaches to the hoop (depending on the size of your hoop)

11. Now go to half way along the straight line of twine you first created

12. Wrap the twine around the mid-point and pull

13. Go to the next half way point of the next length of twine and wrap

14. Repeat step 13 until you are back to where you started

15. Repeat this step on the new straight line of twine you have made so the web gets smaller and smaller.

16. Add a few lengths of wool with accessories to the bottom and a button to the web

17. Add a loop of wool to the top and hang up

Look out for all of these fabulous creations in and around the community garden next month.

They could be on the Christmas tree, on the wooden tray planter or even along the fence.

We are hoping the children come along and try to spot the one they made - they are fabulous yarn bombers and we are feeling super festive now!