Yarn Wreaths

I have to confess that I am obsessed with yarn wreaths.  I love them.  So much.  The colors, the texture, the endless possibilities...  love love love.  There are tons of tutorials out there with great step by step instructions with pictures and stuff.  I like this one:  BHG Yarn Christmas Wreath

Here are some of my tips and tricks...

Wreath type:  I really like to use straw wreaths.  The size is just right and allows for a large surface area for embellishment.  The price is good, too.  I always buy them with a coupon, so I generally pay about $2.  The key when using a straw wreath is to LEAVE THE PLASTIC WRAP ON THE WREATH.  Do not, repeat, do not take it off or your house will have straw bits everywhere.  This is not fun.

Yarn type:  I like to do a base wrap with cheap yarn and go over top with a more expensive type.  For the owl wreath below, my base wrap was a skein of gray on clearance ($0.25!).  I used it to cover the wreath in full.  I then went over the wreath again with a more expensive fluffy, multicolor yarn.  I didn't need much of the fluffy yarn as a result, so it's good way to use up scraps as well.

Process:  It couldn't be more simple.  Just wrap your base yarn one time around the wreath form and tie it tightly.  Then just wrap, wrap, wrap until the wreath is fully covered.  When you've reached that point, tie the end of yarn to the wreath and tuck the little tail under the wrap.  I usually work on these while watching TV.

Embellish:  Go crazy here.  The felt roses pictured in the linked BHG tutorial are great and I love to use them (I don't use the template - just eyeball it and cut a spiral).  Don't be afraid to add other things as well.  The owl above is a Christmas tree ornament purchased in the after Christmas sales for $1.  The pink wreath below also features a Christmas ornament.  You could use anything.  Broken jewelry, fabric rosettes, cupcake wrapper flowers, those holiday foam thingies I always seem to see in the $1 section at target...

And incidentally, in some of these pictures you may notice that the wreaths aren't on a door.  I keep my wreaths on "display" all year in my laundry and craft rooms.  They do double duty that way - they brighten up the space and don't take up valuable real estate in my storage area.  Yay for functional, vertical storage!.  Get a couple Command Hooks and you're good to go.