Hey hey readers! I’ve been wanting to post this DIY for a while now and as it turns out, it’s #nationalkittenday! So.. perfect timing, right?? I created an enormous amount of these yarn balls for Livi’s kitten birthday back in April, and it’s about time I share how. I’ve come across some different methods for making them, but I knew I wanted more of an overlapping sort of “messier” style. I’ve laid out a step by step tutorial so you can see exactly how I achieved this look. You don’t need that many materials at all, and the process is quicker than you might think. Let’s get our craft on!
What you’ll need:
- Yarn Colors of your choice
- Styrofoam Balls in various sizes
- Hot Glue Gun
- Scissors
- Twine for Garland (optional)
I was pretty picky about the yarn I chose for this DIY. I browsed 2 to 3 aisles at Hobby Lobby looking for the right softness and width. Yarn Bee has such a great selection and it’s super soft with almost a silky feel to it. My poor husband, I must have spent a good 30 minutes comparing colors and whatnot until I found the perfect combination. These three colors matched so well with her party theme. A definite win!
Time to start wrapping these suckers! Unwind a lot of your yarn first. It’s much easier to work with when you do. Since the yarn sticks to the styrofoam already, there’s no need to glue it down unless you want to. I felt like this step was unnecessary. I had so many to make, so the less time spent, the better. To create the overlapping look, wrap the yarn around about 5 times. Rotate the ball about 90 degrees. Hold the yarn with your thumb so it stays tight and in place over the previous section. Wrap it again 5 times, then rotate it a little more and continue repeating these steps. Aja was so into this DIY (obviously). She was all up in my business numerous times! I love that she was photobombing my shoot, haha.
Keep wrapping and rotating the ball until the majority of the styrofoam underneath is covered. To hide the random spots, wrap the yarn once around the ball in various sections while keeping it as tight as possible. This will give it the messy look I was going after. When you’re finished wrapping it completely, cut the yarn. Glue it in place using your hot glue gun, and that’s one down! I had a couple months to plan and prep for Livi’s party, so I definitely did not complete these in one day. I used them as decor and made a few garland banners as well. They totally added to her kitten theme so perfectly! You can click HERE to see all the details. Using twine, hot glue the yarn balls about 6 inches apart to make your own garland. Super cute!! Thanks always for reading along. I hope this tutorial helps if you’re planning on making something similar!