How to Make Yarn Dogs

I don’t know about you, but I still think dogs are more than man’s best friend, especially when it’s not a real one. For me, that dog is a yarn dog, a bundle of yarn combined together to reflect a cute, cuddly, animal we all love.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• To make a yarn dog, the following items are needed: two or more balls of yarn (of any color), a metal hanger, a large two or three inch sewing needle, and a pair of scissors.

1. Making yarn dogs involve tedious work and sound concentration. The amount of time you have will determine how long it takes for you to finish your yarn dog. The first thing you do is form the yarn dog skeleton. You do this by stretching the metal hanger so that it resembles a short snake with a hooked head.

2. Next, at the section of the metal hanger where the split begins, start folding the metal hanger so that it creates a figure. The first two legs should resemble spiked folds with the neck and head of the yarn dog longer than the hind portion of the yarn dog. The two hind legs should resemble smaller spiked folds with a hump to represent the back of the yarn dog and a loop for the yarn dog’s tail. If the yarn dog skeleton is created correctly, then it should stand level and evenly on any surface. If your yarn dog skeleton is not standing evenly, then re-adjust the folding of the metal hanger until it reflects an even, standing structure.

3. Now that the yarn dog skeleton is ready, it’s time to start adding flesh to the yarn dog. Start by taking a piece of yarn and place it between your thumb and your index finger. Next, turn your right hand or left hand, if you are left handed to the side. Slowly, begin wrapping the yarn around your hand at the top near your thumb. Do this procedure twenty times. Using the scissors, cut the yarn.

4. In creating the tail and the ears, create the same yarn bundle, tie it a piece of yarn to the bundle on the inside of the bundle so that one side of the bundle is bound, while the other side is not unbound. Tie the yarn bundle with the bounded side to the yarn skeleton. Afterwards, take the pair of scissors and cut the unbounded portion of the yarn bundle, which should be hanging downward from the yarn skeleton.

5. If you have followed the procedures illustrated properly, your yarn dog should turn out well. It will become a source of great conversation and many people will either want to take it home or have one made for them. Either way, cherish your creation because now you have made a yarn dog, not man’s best friend, but a best friend for anyone.

Tips & Warnings

• Finding yarn can be fairly easy with department stores like Walgreens and Wal-Mart in existence. But, for people who like to shop online, the following websites are perfect for browsing and shopping for yarn at a low price. www.knitpicks.com is a dazzling website with hundreds of varieties of yarn in many colors at $1.99 per ball. This is a good buy for any consumer or connoisseur of arts and crafts. Another website, www.smileyyarns.com is an online starlet for the frugal consumer, who wants to spend less, but enjoy the joys of arts and craft more. Prices for yarn bundles start at $1.25 each. A third website is www.bargainyarns.com. This website offers more yarn at different varieties and different colors, similarly to the previous two websites. However, at this website, two balls of yarn sold together can be purchased on sale for $3.85 right now. The regular price for purchasing two pieces of yarn from this website is $6.95, so jump it on this deal while supplies last. Acquiring the right yarn is not rocket science. Simply pick a color of combination of colors that fits you and your personality. Your creativity and your desire to make the best yarn dog will speak for itself.
• Now that you have found the yarn, you need a metal hanger to form the body skeleton of the yarn dog. The problem with metal hangers is that they are not sold as readily as they used to be. However, a website called “Metal Hangers for Sale,” does offer metal hangers at a very low price. Who can beat .05 per hanger? To find out more information, go to www.boston.craigslist.org/nwb/clo/461399656.html to check out this offer. Another website that has metal hangers for sale is “Display Importer.” This website offers a variety of hangers and other products. But, the price is not as appealing as the previous website at $6.98 per hanger. Go to www.displayimporter.com/Metal-Hangers/ for further information on the pricing of metal hangers at this website. Obviously, buying a metal hanger is not the only way you can get. You could ask family members, friends, or even neighbors who use metal hangers to borrow one or two. Either way, once you have one creating a yarn dog becomes that much easier.
• But no yarn dog is complete with a large sewing needle and a pair of scissors because these tools allow you to cut the yarn precisely and to add a nose, a pair of eyes, and a mouth to your yarn dog. Finding these products are not difficult because any convenience store, department store, or even pharmacy sells scissors and needles. But, again in this digital age, some people like to shop online. Therefore, the following websites are excellent choices to find giant sewing needles and scissors: www.misterart.com, www.orientaltrading.com, www.acmoore.com, www.michaels.com, www.joann.com, and www.ebates.com. All of these websites not only sell scissors and giant sewing needles, but other arts and crafts for any hobby or personal project. Now that you acquired all of the pieces needed to make your yarn dog, let’s begin.
• Do not let the bundle of yarn that you wrapped unravel.
• Make sure that the yarn bundle is not tied tightly to the skeleton so that it will not droop or be pulled from it.
• Don’t forget to sew on the eyes, nose, and mouth of the yarn dog.

[crolor]

on 2/15/2009 hey can you email me with the pictures asap? i cant see the pictures