luck o'the irish - yarn wreath

If you've hung out with me in the past few months, you know I am now obsessed with yarn wreaths. I first came across them in the fall, and fell in love with one I saw on etsy. While deciding whether or not I should invest $50 in one, I figured I could probably make one myself. I scoured the internet, looking at several tutorials along the way, and then dove-in head first.

My first attempt was a Valentine-themed wreath and I'm not going to lie, I think it turned out great!

I decided to make another wreath for St. Patrick's Day - inspired by this guy ...


Finnegan is a small leprechaun I bought in Savannah a few years ago. I don't know why, but I absolutely love him. I also have a witch that I bring out at Halloween. I never know quite what to do with Finnegan, until I joined the yarn wreath world! His felt jacket and hat just screamed out to me - "Make me into a wreath - plllllease!"

To start, you will need to buy either a straw or styrofoam wreath from your local craft supply store. For my Valentine wreath, I used straw and this time I chose green styrofoam. Contrary to popular internet opinoin, I prefer the styrofoam. The straw wreath didn't hold it's shape and was lumpy. If you chose to go the straw route, keep the plastic wrapping on the wreath.

Next, wrap your wreath with yarn. You will want to keep it tight and remember, it won't be perfect and that's okay. Imperfections are what make them who they are. I like to wrap mine twice - the second time evens everything else and adds a layer of texture. This part is time-consuming, but mindless so you can watch tv while you wrap.

Tie a knot to begin and tie one at the end. I used just less than one full ball of yarn to complete mine.

Now that you've got your wreath wrapped, it's time to decorate! This time around, I decided to decorate mine with pom-pom flowers!

To make the flowers, cut a strip of felt about 2 inches wide - please note how awesomely straight my felts strips are! The longer your strip is in length, the larger your flower will be. Fold your strip in half and glue the edges together. Make sure ONLY to put your glue right at the edges, not in the center of your fold.

(Sidenote: If you would like to buy a makeshift "Professor Wormbog"desk to assist in your gluing, click here.) Cut little notches along the length of the felt, only going about halfway through to the other end. You’ll be cutting on the fold.

Start at one end of the strip and start rolling it up, like you would if you were rolling a sleeping bag. Dab a few dots of glue along the way to hold things in place. When you are done rolling your flower, make sure you secure the outside edge with a generous amount of glue so it doesn’t unroll on you.

Now it's time to start gluing your decorations to the wreath. Have fun with it - again, it doesn't have to be perfect. Your friends and family will dig it!

When I get home from Philly, I will post a tutorial on the felt roses I used in the Valentine's wreath - they are just as easy to create.