Yarn Wrapped Christmas Bauble Lights – how to

I can’t help it.  The week leading up to Christmas is when I get all my inspiration.  Why can’t it come in November like everyone else?!

This one is really fun, and is a great craft to do with kids.  It’s how to make your very own yarn wrapped Christmas baubles.  You can hang them in the tree, or you can string them onto a set of lights, like I have (make sure you use LED lights which don’t heat up!).

This took about an hour all up, and I left the baubles to dry overnight, although they were dry within a few hours.

What you’ll need

• Two balls of Scheepjes Maxi Bonbon in your chosen colours, available from Wool Warehouse*.  Hot pink and gold is my 2016 Christmas palette, but you can choose whichever colours you like.
• White craft glue.  I used what I had on hand, which was Mod Podge.
• Sponge or brush to apply the glue.
• Water balloons.  If your summer was as good as hours, you’ll have plenty lying around unused.
• Something to hang your baubles to dry – I used a coat hanger.
• Battery operated LED fairy light string.

Instructions

1. Take your balloons and blow them up to be about 6cm in diameter, and tie them off making sure they are as round as you can possibly make them.
2. Take a little of the glue and dab it around the balloon.  This makes it a bit sticky so the yarn will stay put.
3. Start wrapping the yarn.  Hold a long tail in your hand, and hold onto the knotted end of the balloon and slowly wind the yarn around the balloon as if you’re winding a skein of yarn.  Keep wrapping until you have good coverage, and still some space to allow light to shine through.  Two balls of Bonbon will make 10 baubles.
4. Cut and tie the yarn off to the other end, leaving a long double stranded tail to hang up to dry later.
5. Take the glue and start dabbing it all over the bauble, until the yarn is completely soaked.
6. Hang them to dry overnight.
7. When dry, pop the balloons and pull them out of the bauble – this can be a bit fiddly as water balloons are meant to break easily, remember.
8. String them onto lights and hang as decoration.

Alternative glue option: you can soak the yarn in the glue before you start winding onto the balloon, but this also causes more mess.  Which I don’t like.

Merry Christmas!

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