DIY Rapunzel Yarn Braids

Okay, I think motherhood has officially driven me into insanity.  There are countless pieces of evidence to confirm this, but one of the most recent (aside from putting the box of cereal in the fridge.  That happens, right?) is the fact that I made eleven of these suckers.  ELEVEN.  But the kids loved them, my girls use them for dress up all of the time, and they were party favors that won’t get thrown directly in the trash.  At least they better not have, or else my friends are going to get a stern talking to.  But I digress.  Let’s just move on to the part where I tell you how to make these adorable DIY Rapunzel yarn braid/headbands.

What you’ll need:

Yarn. (I got one super big skein and two regular sized ones and had extra leftover to make a couple braids for decorations.  And I got three different colors, because our version of Rapunzel has an awesome colorist.  I also used coupons, so I spent less than $10.)

Scissors.

Hot Glue. (optional)

Flowers. (optional)

Ribbon. (optional)

Start by cutting your yarn.  This is the part where you will question your existence, and your humanity will get slowly sucked out of you, strand by strand.  (Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but this part sucked until I figured out a shortcut).  For each braid, I used 45 eight-foot strands.  For the first 9 or so braids, I hunkered down and cut the yarn end-to-end, piece by piece.  Then I had an AHA! moment, and put two chairs the right distance apart, wrapped the yarn around the tops, and cut the ends.  Oh, how I wish I had thought of that sooner.  Secure one end together with a ponytail, then find the middle.  You’re going to want to run your fingers through the yarn to make sure it’s nice and straight.  Motto for this project: When in doubt, comb it out.  Once you’ve found the middle(ish), move about a foot closer to the secured end, and tight tightly with a scrap of yarn.  It should look like this:

Starting at that tied bit of yarn, braid the free ends (15 strands per section) for about two feet (this can be fudged a little, depending on the size of the child that will be wearing it).  Keep the sections apart to keep your frustrations to a minimum.  This is going to be the headband part of the braid, so feel free to test it on the kiddos to make sure the sizing is okay.  Once you’re at an okay point, tie tightly with another scrap of yarn.  Then tie the two yarn ties together.

Now it gets a bit easier.  Now you can just loop the headband onto something steady, and braid the ends together (30 pieces per section now). Once you get to the end, tie super tightly with another scrap of yarn (I wrapped mine around the braid a few times before knotting).

Voile! Your basic Rapunzel braid is finished!  Give yourself a pat on the back, and a glass of wine or three, because you deserve it.  (And then you may want to trim the ends of the braid if yours are as uneven as mine).

Now you can tie a bow on the end and decorate your braid with pretty flowers, if you decide to do so.  I used hot glue so I could be sure they stayed in.  If these are party favors, you could also let the kids decorate them as a party activity (please let a grown up do the hot glue if that’s what you choose to use).

For the birthday girl’s braid, I just added a piece of purple ribbon at the very beginning and did everything exactly the same.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of her with her braid and her birthday outfit, but I have no such photo, so we had a little impromptu photo sesh instead.  I hope your littles enjoy their braids as much as mine do! Happy crafting!