Activity Overview
Use drinking straws to create a user friendly loom on which to weave. School aged children and adults will have so much fun with this activity. Create woven bracelets, book marks and more depending on how many straws you choose to use for your project.
Try this craft with three or four straws for your first time and then when you master that, you can move your way up to more. Use several colored yarns, variegated yarn or solid color to create your woven masterpieces.
Materials Needed
- 3 or 4 drinking straws
- Yarn
- Masking Tape
- Scissors
- Large sewing needle
How to Make It
- Remove the paper on your straws if there is any.
- Measure the straws for length which will determine the length of the yarn you will need. You can cut the straws to shorter lengths for smaller projects. Just make certain all straws are equal in length.
- Measure and cut a length of yarn that is 2 1/2 times the length of your straws.
- Divide and cut this piece of yarn into three equal pieces.
- Run one piece of string through each straw.
- Line the straws up next to each other and wrap masking tape around the end of one end of the straws.
- Gather the overhanging yarn threads on the masking side end and tie the bunch of string in a knot.
- Pull the yarn strings from the other ends to even the threads out.
- Cut a long piece of your desired color yarn and tie one end of it to one of the outer edged straws.
- Weave the string around, up and over each straw. ( down through the first and second, around the second, up through the second and third and over the third.)
- Keep the wraps pushed up at the end toward the masking tape and continue the weave back and forth in the same manner as step 10.
- You can change the yarn color at different segments if you'd like. Simply tie your next color of yarn to the end of the piece that you are already weaving with and continue with your weaving motion.
- Once you reach the end, cut the yarn leaving a couple of extra inches at the end.
- Wrap the end of that weaving yarn around the last straw that you were just weaving and tuck it under the last wrap that you made around that straw and tie a knot.
- To finish off, remove the masking tape, hold the knotted end where the masking tape was and move the woven section up with your other hand to cover where the masking tape was.
- Then gently begin to pull each of the straws out through the bottom.
- Gather your loose end strands together and tie them off in an overhand knot just as your did in the beginning with the opposite end.
- Cut the ends to even them out and tuck in any loose yarn strands from where you changed colors.
