Light up your summer with a colorful yarn lantern!
Grab & Go Teen craft kits will be available beginning July 19th and while supplies last. You can pick up a kit from our green Creation Station (outside the library entrance) or on the table in the Teen Space. Stickers identifying the Teen craft are on each kit; one per person, please.
The craft this month is messy and takes some effort, but it’s so fun to do! I ended up making mine outside where the mess didn’t matter, but if you work inside, be sure to spread a covering over your work surface.
Supplies included:
- 1 slip-knotted skein of yarn
- 1 balloon
- 1 paper bowl
- 1 paper cup
- 1 plastic spoon
- 1 battery operated tealight candle
- 1 instruction sheet
Supplies needed from home:
- glue
- water
- patience!
Warnings: DO NOT USE LANTERN WITH REAL CANDLES. NEVER LEAVE BATTERY-OPERATED TEALIGHT UNATTENDED. TURN OFF TEALIGHT AFTER EACH USE.
- Unknot the skein of yarn. Set it aside
- In the bowl, mix about two parts glue (not provided) with one part water. You can experiment, but you don’t want the mixture too thick OR too thin!
- Inflate your balloon. You should keep it relatively small (about 4-5″ in diameter).
- Spread newspaper or some other covering over wherever you’re working, as this project gets very messy!!
- Learn from my mistake: do NOT put the entire skein of yarn into the glue/water mixture at once. Instead, it’s best to put a short stretch of yarn into the mixture, squeeze out the excess glue, and then begin wrapping that yarn around the balloon.
- Tuck the beginning of the yarn under another piece as you wrap.
- Keep putting a small amount of yarn into the glue, wrapping that yarn around the balloon, and alternating those two procedures.
- Leave an opening opposite from where you start wrapping so you can pop/remove the balloon and then insert the candle. (Picture shows the opening I left to remove the balloon and insert the candle.)
- Be sure to switch wrapping directions for the yarn.
- You can rest the balloon on the paper cup as you’re working and as it dries.
- Let dry AT LEAST overnight; possibly longer.
- When completely dry, push on the balloon to separate it from the yarn. Then pop the balloon and remove.
- You can now slip the tealight in, and you have a yarn-wrapped lantern! Be sure to follow the safety warnings!
We’d love to see your finished lantern, so please send us pictures at youthservices@deerfieldlibrary.org.
