These yarn and twig initial ornaments are a great last-minute craft for Christmas. Use multiple balls of yarn or one ball of variegated yarn to make your initials (or your whole name) out of cheerful, multicoloured letters.
Supplies needed: twigs, garden snips, yarn and a glue gun.
See all of our Easy Yarn Crafts here.
We do lots of initial crafts and ornaments here in my daycare because the kids love turning the first letter of their name into something creative and special.
You’ll also love our Yarn and Cardboard Initial Ornaments.
We also do tons of twig crafts because twigs are so plentiful (and free!) here in our yard.
Most recently, we’ve made twig Christmas Trees and star ornaments, but the inspiration for these yarn-wrapped ornaments actually came from our Worry Doll Craft.
With that craft, the kids used multiple colours of embroidery floss to wrap tiny twigs, andI thought they looked so cheerful and eclectic, I decided to make Christmas ornaments the same way.
Use Multiple Balls/Colours Or One Ball Of Variegated Yarn
At first I thought we would need to use multiple spools of embroidery thread, or multiple balls of yarn to achieve the blocks of colour that make up our worry dolls, but I discovered that one ball of variegated (multicoloured) yarn will do the same job with far less effort.
You see, when you wind a ball of variegated yarn around your twig neatly, the blocks of colour will form naturally right before your eyes.
The “A” in the photo above was wrapped using multiple balls of yarn. Each of the other letters was wrapped with one ball of variegated (multi-coloured) yarn.
Extend the activity
What I love about this project is you can extend it into several activities that span the whole day:
- Start with a nature walk in the morning to collect your twigs.
- Later in the morning, the kids can spend time sorting and arranging sticks to determine which ones will make the best letters. A grown-up can then trim them to the right size.
- After lunch, the kids can wrap their twigs and glue their initials together.
Skill Development
This activity provides kids with the opportunity to strengthen and develop various skills such as:
- letter recognition
- critical thinking (forming the initials with twigs)
- fine-motor, eye-hand coordination (wrapping and winding)
- glue gun skills
RELATED: Cardboard and Button Initial Ornaments
Instructions for Yarn and Twig Initial Ornament
Supplies
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How to Make an Initial Ornament with Twigs and Yarn
- Collect Twigs
Collect some dry, sturdy twigs that are about the size of a pencil.
- Arrange and Cut
Lay your twigs out in the shape of your initial to get an idea of which ones need to be trimmed.
Using the garden shears (grownups only), cut them to the length you need to form your letter. - Wrap Twigs with Yarn
Begin wrapping your twig by laying an inch or so of your yarn along the length of the twig and then wrapping over it to secure the loose end.
IF VARIEGATED YARN: Wrap neatly and tightly all the way to the end of the twig.
Cut off your yarn and secure the tail of yarn with a dab of glue.IF USING MULTIPLE BALLS OF YARN: Begin wrapping as instructed above. To switch to the next colour, trap the loose ends of both colours under the new colour as you wrap. Finish by cutting your yarn and securing in place with a dab of glue.
- Glue Twigs Together
On a flat surface, arrange your yarn-wrapped twigs to form your initial, and glue together with a hot glue gun.
- Add Hanging Thread
Take a 6 inch piece of hanging thread and tie it tightly around the top of one of your twigs.
Note: Letters like M, N, W etc., will hang straight if you tie your thread to two twigs.
Hang your initial ornaments on your Christmas tree and enjoy!
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
