Thanksgiving is 12 days away, so for the next couple of columns we are featuring holiday ornaments that kids might enjoy working on over the long weekend.
This week’s offerings focus on a familiar staple of children’s craft boxes: pipe cleaners.
Our first suggestion involves wrapping metal star frames with sparkly pipe cleaners to create ornaments for outdoor trees.
We specify outdoor trees, as the ornaments are on the hefty side and may be too much for smaller indoor trees. Of course, you can always hang them indoors from ceilings or in windows.
We found the metal stars used in our samples at Michael’s in Everett for less than $1 each. Some of the other local craft stores carry round metal forms, but we haven’t seen stars, hearts and other shapes anywhere but Michael’s. You might want to check around close to home (Ben Franklin in Monroe, Craft Star in Lake Stevens, Craft Mart in Marysville and Pacific Fabrics &Crafts in Everett) to see if they carry the stars for the holidays.
To make our stars, simply wrap the metal form with pipe cleaners until the base is covered. Use multiple colors for different looks, and add a hanger made from fishing line. You’ll need 8 to 10 pipe cleaners to cover a form completely.
Spray the stars with Scotchguard or another sealer to protect them from the elements, if you plan to use them outside.
We made a string of three single stars that spin pleasantly in a breezy area, and also made a couple of double stars – by overlapping two singles and securing them with clear fishing line – that are a bit more elegant and interesting than the singles.
Our second project idea allows kids (and adults) to express their own creativity by making unique ornaments with a few pipe cleaners and a pair of needle-nosed pliers.
Simply twist pipe cleaners together in all shapes, colors and sizes, and make curlicues here and there to form one-of-a-kind originals.
Check out the group shot of our creations for ideas, but use your own imagination – and let your kids do the same – to make a variety of ornaments.
We made several pieces by twisting three pipe cleaners together in a triangle shape, leaving the ends on the long side to make into curlicues, and adding shorter pieces of pipe cleaner at various points to fill in bare spots.
For others, we twisted three pipe cleaners together at the center, leaving six long spokes which we curled into curlicues.
Attach a sparkly thread or fishing line hanger to finish the ornament.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
Planning ahead
Because the holiday rush is on at the craft stores, you might want to get a jump on next week’s project by stocking up on pompoms. You’ll need a variety of sizes, including 2-inch, 1-inch, 1-inch and several smaller sizes.
Keep your color choices consistent or at least matching, and get one package of small black pompoms (suitable for noses).
And pick up a few pieces of felt and pipe cleaners in corresponding colors, along with some small black beads (think eyes).
Readers’ recommendations
Craft Corner reader Mary Ann Allen wants potential knitters in the Stanwood-Camano Island area to know about Barbara Van Wagnen, who offers free knitting instruction from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays at the Stanwood Camano Resource Center.
She says, “Barbara is a nationally certified knitting teacher, a super teacher, always positive. We (in the class) have adopted her attitude – ‘I can do it!’ “
We contacted Van Wagnen and learned that she has beginning and intermediate knitting certificates from the Yarn Council of America. Her classes are informal and she will help students with the basics, troubleshooting, advanced techniques or just about anything related to knitting.
Van Wagnen also has two llamas and spins a good deal of the yarn used in her personal projects.
Classes are held in the lobby at the center, a friendly and relaxed environment for novice and experienced knitters alike.
The Stanwood Camano Community Center is at 9620 271st St. NW in Stanwood; phone 360-629-5257.
It’s probably best to contact Van Wagnen via e-mail at scrappyfox@msn.com for information on the knitting classes.
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