How to Make Cute Spiders

Hang spiders you made from a fake spider web.

Take the creepiness out of spiders by creating cute crawlers. Spider crafts are popular around Halloween, but can be made year round for kids' birthday parties, themed events or just for fun. These crafts can be done by young children with adult supervision. Create as many spiders as you can using yarn, an empty egg carton and pipe cleaners.

Things You'll Need

• Empty egg carton
• Newspaper
• Black paint
• Paintbrush
• Paper clip
• Black pipe cleaners
• Googly eyes
• White glue
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• 1 skein fuzzy, black yarn
• Hot glue

Instructions

Egg Carton Spider

1. Cut each cup from an empty egg carton. You can use either a cardboard or styrofoam egg carton.

2. Paint the inside and the outside of each cup with black paint. To avoid getting wet paint on your work surface, place a layer of newspaper down first and then rest each cup on top of the paper to allow the paint to dry.

3. Poke four holes on one side of the upside-down cup using the tip of a paper clip. Poke four matching holes on the opposite side.

4. Thread one pipe cleaner through a hole and into the corresponding hole on the other side. Both sides should have an equal length of pipe cleaner.

5. Fold each end of the pipe cleaner, creating a 90-degree angle, for feet. This will allow your spider to stand up.

6. Glue a pair of googly eyes on the front of the carton cup.

Yarn Spider

1. Cut two big and two small circles from a piece of cardboard with the scissors. Cut out the center of each circle, creating a ring shape. The size of the center hole needs to be the same on each ring size. Consider using the top of a drinking glass and the bottom of a bowl for circle templates.

2. Cut six 1-yard lengths out of black yarn. Place the matching rings flat together -- they will look like one -- and wrap one piece of yarn at a time around and through the paired rings. It doesn't matter if you wrap from the outside in or inside out. Continue wrapping the yarn tightly until the ring is covered in yarn; you will no longer see the cardboard, just the yarn outer layer. It's okay if you overlap layers of yarn. The more layers you have, the thicker the pom-pom will be. If you run out of yarn, just tie the end piece to a new piece of yarn and continue wrapping. Repeat on the other size pair of rings.

3. Fold and cut two black pipe cleaners in half and stick all four pieces through the center of the larger ring.

4. Cut the yarn between the two rings along the outer edge of the circles. The yarn will gather in the middle of the ring. Repeat on the other yarn-covered pair of rings.

5. Insert a separate piece of yarn in between the two adjacent rings and wrap it around the pom-pom. Tie the piece of yarn in a tight knot. Cut away the cardboard rings and discard. Do not cut the end of the center string yet. Repeat on the other paired rings.

6. Tie the ends of the center ring on both the large and small pom-pom together tightly and cut away any long string. Your spider now has a head and body.

7. Glue a pair of googly eyes on the head of the spider using hot glue.

Pom-Pom Spider

1. Cut two 2-foot long pieces of black yarn and a piece of cardboard three inches long and two inches wide. Set one piece of yard aside.

2. Wrap an entire piece of yarn around the larger section of the rectangular piece of cardboard. Don't wrap too tightly or the yarn will be hard to remove.

3. Slide the yarn off one side of the cardboard, trying to maintain its shape with your fingers.

4. Place four pipe cleaners across the top of the yarn, lengthwise, and tightly tie the second piece of yarn around the middle of the yarn and pipe cleaners.

5. Cut the edges of each yarn loop, creating a pom-pom.

6. Bend each end of the pipe cleaner and glue googly eyes in the middle of the pom-pom.

References

• Disney Family Fun: Egg Carton Arachnids
• Craft Ideas: Cute Pom-Pom Spider
• Enchanted Learning: Pompom Spider Craft