It seems like we have been on a roll with finding new ways to use the ends of our yarn. Since we are in the Christmas spirit with only six months left until the big day I thought that we should take a look at ornaments. Many people attend ornament swaps, give ornaments as a small gift or even use them to decorate a package. What better way to use up your yarn scraps than to make a beautiful Christmas ornament. Yarn scrap Christmas ornaments are a great way to use up your yarn leftovers and decorate your tree at the same time.
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Yarn Scrap Christmas Ornaments:
Rather than giving you a bunch of ornaments all at once I thought that it would be fun to do a short photo tutorial each day on making a new ornament. If you want to join me each day in making something new I would love to see what you have made or your rendition of it over on the Marly Bird Facebook page.
When making yarn scrap ornaments there really are no limitations. Combine weights and colors together to make something unique. The one caveat to that ‘rule’ is that I would caution using the color green. Many times I have found beautiful ornaments that are primarily green. When you take them home and put them on your tree they get lost because the tree is also green. Now, if you have one of those cool silver, white, or pink artificial trees or even one of the purple and blue real trees you might be avoiding another color.
When you are making ornaments be sure to think about how you will attach it to the tree. Do you need to make a connector, will you be able to use an ornament hook, will it just rest in the tree? This is one of the questions that you should answer before you get started.
Day 1 Yarn Scrap Ornament:
Today’s yarn scrap Christmas ornament we will be a wreath made out of mini wound balls. This is a super quick and easy ornament that you could be working on year round. As you finish a ball of yarn if there is just a small amount left over don’t throw it out. Wind it into its own ball and save it to make these ornaments when you have enough. You will need a hot glue gun to hold the balls together and I used a piece of ribbon to be able to hang it on my tree.
Supplies:
- Yarn scrap balls
- Glue gun
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Ribbon
Start off by making a wreath shape with your cardboard. I used cardboard to give it some more structure but you could make this without a backing if you like. The cardboard also gives you a place to put the year and the person who made the ornament if you are going to be giving it away or using it in a swap.
Next I selected the colors that I wanted for my wreath. Have fun with this, make it rainbow colored or pick a theme (blue and white) like I did. Once I rolled my balls I started to put some glue on the back to keep them from unraveling.
I started off by placing one round of balls on the cardboard and then started to fill in the space and add some hight to the wreath with another round. Be careful that you don’t burn yourself with the glue as it works it way through the project.
Once you are finished you will need a way to hang it on your tree. I put a piece of ribbon around the whole thing and tied a knot to give it a place to hang on my tree. Then I took another piece of the same ribbon and tied a bow to give it the true wreath look. Try putting in small knitting needs or use yarn to attach it to the tree.
Day 2 Yarn Scrap Ornaments:
Today we will be making a woven cardboard ornament. This is great project to get your kids involved with. It is also a great way to decorate your packages this Christmas.
Supplies:
- yarn
- cardboard
- hot glue gun
- decorative paper
- scissors
By cutting the cardboard in a circle and putting slits evenly spaced you can weave your yarn around to make many patterns. Experiment with making your slits further apart or closer together to get different effects in your patterns.
After weaving my yarn around I used hot glue to secure the ends to the back of the ornament. I took an extra piece of yarn and tied a knot at the bottom making a loop. I also glued this to the bag to make a hanger for the ornament. Because it looked sloppy on the back with the ends I cut a circle from scrapbooking paper slightly smaller than my ornament size. Again using the hot glue I attached the paper to the back.
By adding the paper you now have somewhere that you can write the year it was made or if using it as a tag you could write who the package is to or from.
If you don’t want to to do the weaving you could also cut out shapes and wrap the yarn around the shape. The hot glue will help ensure that your ends don’t fall out when you hang it on your tree.
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This is such a great idea! Every year in August, I always do a yarn clean out/assessment of my stash and try to find ways to use up the odds and ends. I also make a ‘yarn theme’ Christmas tree decoration for my best friend every year. These patterns will be well used, and saved for the future! Thank you!