Easy and Fun Cardboard Loom Wheel Craft Ideas

Learn how to make a simple cardboard loom wheel to make a couple of fun crafts with extra yarn or cording you may have around the house.

Using leftover yarn from my punch needle rug pillow I played around with a homemade cardboard loom wheel to make this cute little bowl and keychain.

Making the Cardboard Loom Wheel

Start by drawing a circle onto a piece of cardboard.

Find and mark the center and draw four lines evenly through the middle.

Cut a small slit at the edge of all eight spots on the cardboard, and make a hole in the middle.

Gather 7 balls of yarn.

Tie a knot at the end and push it through the center of the cardboard.

Then take each piece of yarn and stretch it from the middle to a slot on the circle. You will have one slot empty.

Weaving on a Cardboard Loom Wheel

To weave, count from the empty slot to the left and find the 3rd piece of yarn. (In the image above that would be the black piece on the lower right.)

Move that 3rd piece of yarn over to the empty slot.

Now count from the new empty slot. Again find the 3rd piece to the left and move it to the empty slot.

Continue moving the 3rd from the left piece of yarn to the open slot over and over until you make a chain long enough to meet your needs, or you run out of yarn.

For a point of reference 150 inches of yarn created a weave about 60 inches in length.

Making a Keychain

I made a keychain from some of the weaved yarn. I slipped a ring over the yarn strands that were not weaved and finished the top with a gathering knot.

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Making a Gathering Knot

Cut an extra piece of yarn (I chose black). Make a loop at one end and hold it about 1 inch down from the ring. Wrap the rest of the yarn around the top of the loop and the weaved pieces leaving the loop end out. Then once it is wrapped take the end and slip it into the loop. Then pull both ends to tie it off. Trim off extra.

Here's a great gathering knot video for reference.

Make a Colorful Yarn Bowl

I remembered using rope to make a fun rope basket for Easter but I didn't think it would be easy to sew through yarn so I decided to try making a yarn trinket bowl with glue.

Find a small bowl and flip it over. Then cover it with plastic wrap.

Use white glue all over the plastic and coil the weaved yarn rope all over the bowl.

Allow the bowl to dry for several hours.

Then pop the yarn off the plastic.

For added stability add more white glue between the rows of yarn.

Creating a multi-colored yarn rope is so easy with a simple cardboard loom wheel. It's one that could easily be done with kids and is a great craft to do while watching TV in the evening.