This rainy-day project provides plenty of practice for budding braiders and makes a fun, leggy pal that looks like the love child of a cephalopod and Pippi Longstocking.

Materials

• Scissors
• Skein of yarn about 100 yards long
• 3-inch Styrofoam ball or a tennis ball

• 5 feet of yarn or ribbon, for tying the braids
• Tacky glue
• Large googly eyes

Instructions

1. PREPARE THE YARN: Cut two 10-inch pieces of yarn from the skein. Hold your hands about 3 feet apart and have your child wrap the rest of the skein around them to form one large ring of yarn. Knot one of the 10-inch yarn pieces around the middle of the ring. Place the tied ring on a tabletop and snip both loops (A).

2. FORM THE HEAD: Center the knot atop the ball and drape the yarn so that the ball is evenly covered (B). Knot the other 10-inch piece of yarn just below the ball.

3. BRAID THE TENTACLES: Divide the yarn strands into 8 equal bundles, then braid each one, securing the ends with yarn or ribbon (C). Glue on the googly eyes.

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Find more about:

• 1-2 Hours |
• Animal Projects |
• Foam Crafts |
• No Sew Projects |
• Octopus |
• Preschooler |
• School Age |
• String, Rope, and Yarn |
• Teen |
• Tween

Related Categories:

• No-sew Projects