Woven Eyes - Frogs

This is a project based on "weaving in the round".

You may remember the flowers that Grade 1 did last spring using a paper plate to weave a round.

In this case we are weaving on a smaller cardboard disk creating eyes.

Here is Jeff's (age 7) frog.  He whipped this up in record speed being the master weaver of the family.

Find some stiff cardboard and trace out 2 circles for your eyes.  Cut out.

Using a knitting needle poke a hole in the middle of your circles.

Now you need to divide your circle into an odd number.  The easiest way to do this is divide it into fourths and then in one of the sections divide it into 2 and in the remaining 3 sections divide them into thirds.  This way you always end up with 11.

Take your scissors and cut a little slit at the top of each line.  Then take a piece of yarn, poke one end thru the hole and the other end you feed thru the slit and tie it to the ends in a knot around the back.  Trim ends.  Repeat this for each slit until you have yarn marking all sections.     UPDATE: Just take 1 piece of yarn and do all the slits and then tie off in the back.  I was taught to do each one separate but you don't need to, can't believe I wasted all that time the last few years doing each string separate!

Take the end of the yarn you want to weave with and push thru the hole in the middle from the front.

Tie the end to one of the other pieces of yarn in the back and knot off.

Measure out a arm's length or so of yarn, cut, and then feed thru a plastic needle.

I usually tie the short end that's thru the needle into a knot on the other long end, close to the needle.  This stops the kids from pulling it out and having to re thread it all the time.

Start weaving.  Alternate under and over and don't pull to tight as you want it to lie flat and not bunch up in the middle.

When you want to change colors just knot them together.

When you are finished weaving feed the end thru the next slit to the back.

Knot onto a piece of yarn in the back.

Now you can paint the ends of the cardboard where the weaving stopped.

On some watercolor paper or heavy sketch paper paint the body of your frog.  We marked out where the eyes will go.

Cut out and glue to background paper.  You may have to put a book or 2 on top to have it dry flat just make sure to put a layer of wax paper on top of your creation first so your books don't get all gluey.

Of course my son Ryan couldn't resist making an one eyed cyclops.

See you next week.