Like this? You and your kids can have a great time creating these earthy decorations with just a few supplies. Take a walk to the park, or if you're lucky the local forest....(if you live in the city take a walk to the crafts store to buy popsicle sticks or wooden dowels) and collect dry sticks of all sizes. The only other supply you'll need is yarn, chunky works up quickest, fine will produce more delicate results. You can mix them up together, there are really no steadfast rules here! If you want to create something that looks American Indianish, so add some feathers to the ends of the sticks and string beads on some of the yarn as you go around or make beaded tassels to hang from the ends of each stick. One could also make the rounds of yarn far apart and use the resulting structure as a loom for weaving in pieces of found nature, bits of string.....
This craft is my interpretation of a traditional Mexican-Indian folk art that uses two sticks, but I've added a third stick, and lucky for me, the results are even more stunning than the original version I did in camp as a girl.
HOW-TO:
You'll Need:
- Several colors of chunky yarn (any yarn will work well, but will take much longer)
- Three straight sticks per project (one can also use dowels, popsicle sticks, skewers, or even toothpicks or Q-Tips with with embroidery thread to create miniatures)
Instructions:
- Cross two sticks in an X. Tie the first color around the two sticks and tie a knot. Start wrapping the yarn diagonally in an X around the center where the two sticks cross, several times.
- Add the third stick either on top or behind the existing two, and continue wrapping yarn in a diagonal fashion over the center to form a stable base. To make a neat center, wrap in the same direction a few times to cover the previous rounds.
- Now you are ready to begin the actual wrapping pattern. Hold the sticks where they cross with one hand, and with the other hand loop the yarn around the first stick once.
- Working in whichever direction feels comfortable, wrap the yarn around the next stick, going over the top of the stick. Continue around looping yarn over each consecutive stick, and once you get the hang of it, the work becomes rythmic. Push rows of yarn together where necessary.
- To change colors, tie off with a knot on any stick and tie on a new color on that same stick.
- Keep working until you are satisfied with the results and tie off.
- Remaining portion of each stick can be covered by simply wrapping with yarn (see top photo) Tie off with a knot or securing the end with glue to prevent unraveling.
- Decorative bumps (see top photo) can be made by simply wrapping the yarn repeated times in one place.
- Depth can be created (see bottom photo) by doing a few rows wherein you wrap the yarn under each stick rather than over.
Have a great time creating some new works of art, hang them in the trees, on your wall or even save them for succah decorations! Let me know how it goes!
