Making Decorative Yarn Chandeliers

I’m so glad you stopped by to ‘Check In’! This is the first episode of what I hope to be a fun and informative monthly web show! It’s been over a year in the making, so let’s get started on the details!

I found these fun creations through Pinterest probably two years ago. I refer to them as yarn chandeliers since they are created with yarn and resemble a hanging light fixture.

Once the materials were gathered (see materials list below), I set about making a few to decorate my house. Unfortunately my inspiration to make these DIY spheres struck in the dead heat of summer. So, I was only able to make it through one chandelier before the excessive 100 degree heat got the best of me!

I guess I should back up and say that I was making these in my garage which has no air conditioning or really air flow of any kind. So, fast forward 1.5 years, and I’m looking for a project for this first webisode. Brad and I decide these would be a fun way to get our show started. (*Side Note: Brad is the creative brains behind the show. He and I will brainstorm before a project, but he’s the one-man-band who shoots and edits everything together.)

My friend Amy was recruited and the work got started! We decided to make two more chandeliers to go with my original one in some sort of configuration to be determined later.

We each blew up a punching balloon. (You can find these in the party section of Walmart, or at a party goods store. I think they were three balloons for $2.)

Then to hang our balloons, we used a cheap, portable clothes rack I had around my garage leftover from another project. If you don’t have this junky luxury, try a dowel rod positioned on two dining chairs. Tie the yarn that you’ll be using around the stem of the balloon and then tie to whatever horizontal surface you’ll be working with.

Since I was hoping to hang the finished products in my living room, I picked out some yarn colors that would look good in there and compliment the chandelier I had previously made. Amy worked with some white yarn and I used a light green.

This is when it starts getting messy. Dip your fingers and start spreading that petroleum jelly on every inch of the balloon. To prevent the yarn from sticking to the balloon at the end of the process, make sure you aren’t shy with the jelly!

If you’re squeamish about having gooey hands, like I am, go wash them before the next step—mixing up the glue mixture!

The glue mixture consists of 1/2 cup of glue (or approximate half of a regular-sized bottle), 1/2 cup of corn starch, and 1/4 cup of water. Add a little more corn starch or glue to get the consistency the way you’d like. Stir it well to get rid of as many bumps and lumps as you can.

Before you start wrapping the yarn around the balloon, tie another knot with the yarn around the stem to give you a good starting point. Don’t cut the yarn after your knot, you’ll want it to be all one piece. This is the part you’ll want to do all at once. But warning—it does get messy! So you may want to spread plastic or a drop cloth underneath your hanging balloons.

Dip the yarn in the glue mixture and squeeze off any excess between your fingers back into the bowl. I like to get as much yarn as will fit in the bowl at once, but sometimes it gets tangled. So that’s up to you.

Start wrapping the yarn around the balloon vertically for the first few rotations, then switch to horizontally. How much you do vertically and horizontally is up to you, but it’s worth mentioning that vertical is easier. You can’t mess this up as long as you aren’t wrapping every strand in the same place!

Once you’re good with the amount of yarn you have covering your balloon (Try and picture the chandelier without the balloon to help you determine if you’ll be happy with it.), tie the yarn off near the stem. That way when it’s hanging you won’t see it!

Now that the messy part is out of the way, this is the hard part-waiting for the glue to dry! Allow it to dry for 24 hours. You don’t want to rush this part! Once the 24 hours has passed, pop the balloon! Amy and I use scissors to cut near the stem. You might notice a few dried glue crystals on the yarn, but they should come off with a light tap.

Amy and I secured some plant hooks I found at the home center into the ceiling after holding the finished chandeliers in different configurations to find what worked best. We wanted to mix the sizes and heights of the yarn chandeliers and make sure they wouldn’t be touching each other.

Once we were satisfied, we couldn’t resist toasting to a job well done!

Yarn Chandelier Materials List:

• Punching balloons
• Petroleum jelly
• Yarn (the thicker variety works best)
• Corn starch
• Scissors
• Glue (white school glue is what I used)
• Water
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon
• Hooks for hanging

Hope you enjoyed our first episode! Leave a comment if you’ve tackled this neat ceiling fixture or if you have questions about any stage of the process. I’d love to hear from you!