My grandma taught me how to make these yarn twists when I was a kid and I almost forgot about them until my daughter learned how to make them at school in art class. I never knew what they were called, but she calls them "Twizzles".
You can use your Twizzles to decorate gifts by using them instead of ribbons. They also make fun hair accessories ... you can tie one in a bow around a ponytail, wear one as a headband or even as a bracelet if they're small enough (or wrap around a few times). You can also use really long strands to decorate for the Holidays!
Twizzles are easy to make and so pretty, plus they are lots of fun to experiment with using different colors and quantities of yarn! If you don't have your own yarn, ask around because anyone who knits or crochets is bound to have random small balls of yarn left over and they will probably be excited that someone wants to use them! Our box of scrap yarn is from my grandma.
What you need:
Yarn, at least one color, but it's more fun to use at least two different colors
What you do:
1. Cut off a piece of yarn that is at least three times as long as you want your finished Twizzle to end up. To be on the safe side, you can use even more than that and trim it later. Cut the same length for each strand you're going to use.
2. Tie one end of each strand of yarn together, then attach it to something that won't move when you tug on it. We have used knobs on cabinets, safety pins and have even taped the end to the table. Or two people can work together and one will just hold the knotted end while the other person twists it.
3. Begin to twist the other end. The easiest way we've found is to just keep rolling it between your fingers in one direction while holding the strands all together.
4. Once the yarn is twisted tight enough (you can test it by giving it some slack to see if it starts to wrap around itself), walk your hands down so that you're holding the middle of the twist with one hand and then match up the two ends. Then let go of the middle and watch it twist up! Be sure to keep holding the ends!
5. When it stops twisting, run your hand down the twist to smooth out the kinks. If they are stubborn, you can put your finger into the loops and then run it through as if you're combing the yarn out and then let it twist up again.
6. When you're happy with the way the yarn settled, tie the open end in a knot. And then start decorating with your Twizzles!
