Make a Yarn Ball

Anyone that has enjoyed yarn projects with children (or as an adult) knows this pile of tangled yarn all too well. An easy way to avoid this headache is to wind the skein of yarn into smaller balls. This can be especially handy if you work with different children, because then one skein of yarn can easily be made into many balls of yarn.

And children love making yarn balls. It’s a soothing and satisfying process. When you make them soon after bringing new yarn home, you can avoid the tangled mess photographed above. I have two different ways to start the yarn ball. You can try each and choose the way that’s easier for you. We would teach “granny’s glasses” (the first way) because it was a little easier for kids to start the ball after they figured out how to get it around their thumb and finger successfully.

For young-young children, we would start the ball for them (because the first few steps require the most fine motor skills), and then hand it over so they could wind it bigger. For classes, we would make the ball a few inches wide (not very big) because projects didn’t need very much yarn and that way no one monopolized a color for very long (ten smaller balls was easier in a classroom than 1 giant ball). At home, I wind the cotton yarn for fairy hair into one big ball because I don’t need to share (and fairies only need a little). You can stop the ball anytime. Simply clip the yarn and secure it with a bit of tape or a springy hairclip so they won’t unwind and tangle in a basket.

Supplies:

• Yarn

• Scissors

• Optional: springy clips or scrap of tape to hold down the “tail” of yarn when finished

To start, tuck the yarn between you thumb and finger. I am right handed, so I hold the yarn with my left hand. You can try different hands to see which hand works better for you. Hold the yarn so it doesn’t come loose. The second photo shows the end of the yarn between the thumb and finger. The end can be fairly long so it doesn’t come loose too easily.

Loop the yarn around your thumb and behind your fingers. Keep pinching the “tail” of yarn so it doesn’t come loose.

Wind the yard between your first and second finger. Keep pinching the “tail” so it doesn’t come loose.

Wind the yarn between your finger and thumb again. It now loops all the way around your first finger.

Keep the yarn a little loose (otherwise you might be wearing it forever). You will need to slip it off of your fingers at one point. Wrap the yarn around your thumb. Don’t let go of the “tail”. You should have two rings started on your thumb and finger.

Loop the yarn around your finger again. From above, it will look like this photo.

Continue with another loop around your thumb.

Keep adding loops, crossing back and forth between your finger and thumb. It doesn’t need to be tidy. When you have about 5 rings on each finger, continue to the next step.

Slip the loops off of your finger and thumb. They should make a nice figure 8 shape.

Fold the two loops together so now it’s lots of loops stacked on top of each other. They do not need to line up or be even. Keep pinching where you folded the figure 8 in half.

Still holding the loops together with one hand (I use my left), wrap the yarn around the circles a few times around. It doesn’t need to be very tidy (it will be hidden inside the ball).

It doesn’t look like a ball yet. It looks too long and a little messy. That’s fine. If you put it down now, it won’t fall apart.

Pick up the ball and wrap the yarn in the opposite direction of what you just rolled. It may still look lopsided and uneven. It can all be sorted out as you add more yarn.

Turn the ball and wind around a few more times. You can start helping your ball look more even as you add yarn.

Keep on rolling, rolling, rolling :)

Turn your ball every one in awhile to change the direction of the yarn being added to the ball.

When you like the size of your yarn ball, clip the yarn and secure the tail (if you want) with a bit of tape or a snappy hair clip

Admire your lovely yarn ball!

You can choose how big (or small) to make your yarn ball.

Supporting kids: If your child is frustrated with having to control two things at once- pinching a tail while winding yarn, you can always show them how by using your hand for the “glasses”. So you pinch and hold the tail, then hold their hand to guide them with the yarn into going back and forth, back and forth between your finger and thumb. When they have the hang of it, you can let them continue adding loops on your fingers independently. You may notice that they pass the yarn from their one hand to the other as they wind it around your finger and thumb. This is a developmental stage where they need the hand closest to the “action” to be in charge. So reaching across is harder for them than handing the yarn to the other hand. One day it stops because they made the “leap” developmentally, so don’t worry if you wonder how is passing the yarn back and forth between left and right hands possibly efficient.

You can also reverse this teamwork asking the child to pinch the tail between their finger and thumb, then you wind the first few loops so it’s not so easy to pull loose.

You know the children best so do whatever helps them (and you) feel successful. The more that they make, the easier all the steps become. And it’s ok to start over! Crafting is all about adjusting and learning and trying again. Let them practice resilience :)

You can also start the most fiddly beginning part of the ball and hand it off to them when it’s manageable for them.

I also highly recommend practicing on your own before trying to teach children. It’s so hard to be “hmmm, what is happening here?” while a child is eagerly waiting for progress. If you’re comfortable, it’s easier to coach them through the process.

With this said, it is good to model learning a new skill with children, so feel free to dive in together if you want to learn together.

Phew, photograph turotials are more time-intensive than I remembered :). So I’ll make a post soon with the second way to wind a yarn ball.

I enjoyed sharing this idea for creating a tidy collection of yarn that’s easy to share. This process project is a great way to organize. And then you’re ready for the next epic project using your yarn balls!

PS- many children choose making yarn balls over and over and over. They don’t necessarily need more projects :). You could even make little collections of yarn balls to gift a neighbor or family member or send in a care package. They’re fun to make and share. Enjoy 💕

We hope this week finds you healthy and inspired ✨

Click here for the second way to wind yarn balls. Which way is easier for you?

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