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EXTRA YARN BY MAC BARNETT
Extra Yarn is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Jon Klassen. A little girl named Anabelle finds a magical box of colorful yarn. She knits herself a sweater but she has leftover yarn. She knits more and more and more and eventually transforms her dull gray town with her colorful knitting.
BEYOND THE BOOK ACTIVITIES
YARN BOMBING
Look at examples of yarn bombing like the work of Philadelphia street artist Ishknits. Students can transform ordinary objects like furniture, railings, trees, bicycle racks and more by wrapping the items in colorful yarn or knitted pieces.
PBS (Yarn Bomb Art + Culture Project)
Parents (yarn bombed sticks and stones)
Natalie Miller Design (Yarn bombed tee-pee)
FINGER KNITTING
Finger knitting is a simple approach to knitting without needing knitting needles. Wrap the string around the fingers of one hand so you have two rows of loops. Flip the bottom loop over the top loop of each finger. Every time you flip a row, you add a new one.
The WHOot (Beginner Instructions)
Red Ted Art (Finger Knit Crafts)
Cute DIY Projects (Arm knitting)
CARDBOARD WEAVING
Make a loom out of a piece of cardboard by cutting an even number of notches on both sides. Wrap yarn vertically across the notches (this yarn is called warp threads). Weave pieces of yarn or fabric strips horizontal across the warp threads (this yarn is called the weft)
Art Bar Blog (Weaving with Kids)
Hello, Wonderful (Cardboard circle weaving)
YARN POM POMS
Wrap yarn around and around your fingers (not too tight) until you have a thick round ball of yarn. Pull it off of your fingers, keeping it in a bundle and tie a little piece of string around the center so it looks like a little bow tie. Cut the loops on both ends and fluff out your Pom poms. These are great for garlands, present toppers or to add to your yarn bombings or cardboard weavings.
The Craft Train (Yarn Pom Poms with Cardboard)
Doodle and Stitch (Yarn Pom Poms with a Fork)
YARN PAINTING
The native people of Mexico are known for beautiful yarn paintings.
There's a Dragon in My Art Room
Zombies Wearing Helmets
DYE YOUR OWN YARN
Use real sheeps wool or natural white yarn to experiment with different natural dyes. Things like red cabbage, onion, and berries make great dyes, but you can also try synthetic dyes for a brighter hue.
Craftsy (Dying with Food Coloring or Koolaid)
Modern Farmer (Dying with Natural Dye)
JAYSON MUSSON
Look at colorful pieces of yarn art by Contemporary Artist Jayson Musson and make your own using yarn painting techniques, finger knitting, braiding knitting and simple sewing techniques.
Smithsonian Mag
