Worried About all your extra Yarn???

If you are accumulating extra yarn like I am, I have a fun solution.  I took two problems I've been having and found a solution that fixed both.  Fabulous!  I tend to knit a lot as a pattern designer, and when I decide to set time aside to spend with my kids, its hard to think of fun activities to do together.  So this problem, combined with my multitudes of yarn nubbins led me to thinking...

Well, today I had six kids running all over my house, because I was babysitting three of my sister's kids in addition to my own three.  When things started getting crazy and there was too much screaming and stomping, I had this brilliant idea come to my mind that we should do a craft.  Thanks to my excess yarn from knitting, and a bulk size box of popsicle sticks stashed away in my craft cupboard, I came up with the idea that we should make worry dolls (and I have to admit that I secretly hoped all my own worries would somehow disappear).


The kids just loved it, and the crazy storm that the afternoon seemed to have escalated to gently calmed down to an even and enjoyable ripple.


Here's what we came up with, and some step by step instructions for you to follow in your hour of desperation (...or maybe just to use up that extra yarn):

1.  You will need 4 popsicle sticks per doll (or you could also use toothpicks for a miniature version).  Cut one in half to form two arms.

2.  Turn 3 popsicle sticks sideways and position them like so.  Begin wrapping (From top to bottom) down as far as you'd like.

3.  Next wrap your arms...

4. Join the arms by wrapping them against the body.

5.  Add a head!

6.  And some hair.  You can do the hair however you want, but here's a trick to get it curly.  Set your oven to warm and wrap some yarn around a section of a metal coat hanger.  Dampen the yarn, and place it in the oven until dry.  Remove from hanger for some Fabulous curls.

7.  Here she is.  Isn't she cute!

And a girl's gotta have friends, so we made some more to keep her company...

Of course I have to add what happened about 5 minutes later, just for kicks:

I can't say they'll last forever, but they sure did the trick today!