Yarn Dolls

this is a simple craft that you can do anytime. it's really good for kids and adults alike. (i apologize about the sideways pictures. hope thay still make sense. :p )

Step 1: Materials

like i said, this craft is really simple. all you need is

-a pair of scissors
-any colored yarn
-a can or container of some sort. (optional)

you dont have to use a container if none are available. ive used my hands before and had someone else wrap the yarn around my hands, but i personally like using a container for convenience purposes.

Step 2: Wrapping the Yarn

after you have gathered your materials, you will take the yarn, and hold it up to the container, and begin to wrap the string around it. you want to make sure the end piece is sticking out of the rest of the yarn before and while you are wrapping the yarn.

Step 3: Continue Wrapping

you'll need a bit of yarn for this. you just keep wrapping your yarn around the container until you get the thickness that you want. the thickness determines how wide your doll will be (or fat if you prefer to put it that way) , so keep that in mind when wrapping the yarn.

Step 4: Cutting the Yarn

once you have wrapped as much yarn as you want, you need to cut the piece of yarn off of your yarn ball. try to leave a little room when cutting so you can reach that piece over to the loose piece i had you leave out before. after cutting, your going to tie both ends of your yarn together in a knot.

Step 5: Slipping Off the Yarn

make sure your ends are good and tight. now just use your hand to slip the yarn off of your container.

Step 6: Time to Tie!

here is where your doll start to get its figure. take your scissors and cut off a piece of yarn from your yarn ball that is about 2 or 3 inches long. then take the yarn and pull it through the center of your loop of yarn.take the yarn in both hands and pull it to the top of your yarn loop and then tie a knot. try to make it tight as you can. once that is done, go to the opposite end of the loop that you did not tie a loop in and cut it with your scissors. cut it to where none of the pieces remain connected

Step 7: More Tieing

now we need to start making the shape of the body. take another piece of yarn and position it a little lower from wgere you tied your loop together. tie a knot around the yarn to form the head. the loose yarn that is around the neck should be cut off. try not to cut it too close to the knot or it will come undone.

Step 8: Make the Arms

to make the arms, you just pull some strands of yarn off of the middle to each side. dont pull too much or the doll will look out of proportion (same with pulling too little). at the end of each arm, take a piece of yarn and tie it right about where the wrists should be. its ok to have extra yarn at the end, because you'll cut the excess off anyways. the little stub left over makes the hand. repeat this process on the other arm.

Step 9: Finishing the Doll.

finishing off the doll is really simple. jus take another piece of yarn and tie it around where the waist would go. then make sure to cut off any loose ends you have. if you want to make a boy doll, jus make legs using the same process used to make the arms. after that, YOUR ALL DONE!