There are lots of things you can make this year for your childs Easter basket that dont require a lot of money but will bring a big smile to his or her face. One of those things is a cute yarn critter made from a plastic Easter egg. There are many different Easter critters you can make using yarn and some cheap craft supplies.
A glue stick makes this craft very easy to do. Simply fill a plastic egg with candies or a prize then cover the egg with yarn. The type of yarn you use is up to you. Instead of yarn you can even use string or twine. Start at the center of the plastic egg, where the seam is, but start on the back in the hinge area.
Apply the glue stick then position the end of the yarn on the egg. Continue using the glue stick and yarn, working your way towards the top of the egg, until the entire top of the egg is covered. Trim the yarn at the top of the egg. Go back to the hinge area and get ready to cover the second half of the egg with the yarn. Use the glue stick and yarn for the second half of the egg as you did for the first half. Apply the glue, position the yarn, and continue wrapping the yarn round and round the egg. When youve reached the bottom of the egg trim the yarn. Its easier to work the yarn from the center of the egg to each end. This method helps keep the yarn perfectly aligned. Also, this method leaves the split in the egg open so you can fill or empty the egg without interrupting the design. Glue a set of small wiggly eyes onto the front of the egg, on the top half. Cut a two inch piece of yellow or orange chenille pipe cleaner. Fold it in half and glue the point under and between the eyes to form make a beak. Cut two three inch pieces of orange or yellow pipe cleaner to form a foot. Fold one piece into an "L" shape, and where the "L" bends, wrap the second piece of pipe cleaner around the bend. This will form a leg with three toes. Make a tiny bend in the top part of the leg and glue it to the bottom of the egg. Make a second leg and glue it on as well. Instead of creating legs for the egg you can also decorate and glue on a three liter soda lid. The lid will act as a stand for the egg character. Make the characters look different by using different colors of yarn on each one. Use Styrofoam balls instead of plastic eggs to make even more characters. The Styrofoam ball characters cant hold candy but they still look great. The Styrofoam balls also give you choices in craft supplies that you dont have with the plastic eggs. For example, you can use pipe cleaners for legs and stick them into the ball rather than glue them on. Decorative pins can be pushed into the ball to embellish a hat or bonnet on the egg character. Instead of wiggly eyes you can make other characters with tiny black pom-pom eyes. Instead of a beak you can use tiny pom-poms to make a pink nose and white muzzle. Cut felt or foam ears, make felt or foam hats, or just glue feathers or flowers on the head area. A bonnet can be made by using a fabric circle and a small lid. Drape the fabric or felt over the lid and use a rubber band to hold it in place. Glue on a velvet or satin ribbon to cover the rubber band. Glue on tiny flowers, beads and similar items to embellish the bonnet. The yarn egg characters are not hard or expensive to make but they will thrill the recipient. Make assorted characters and fill them with a variety of goodies. The characters dont necessarily have to be placed in a childs Easter basket. Hand them out to friends and family during the holiday. Theyll get a kick out of them and youll enjoy the excitement your little characters create!
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