While setting up my tree this year, I turned around to find my babies with glass balls stuck on their fingers like olives. Ouch! Here’s my attempt at a more kid friendly ornament. Update: About two days after I’d posted this, I stumbled upon the Christmas edition of one of my favorite magazines, Family Fun. Looks like someone else had a clever idea with pipe cleaners and yarn too! (If only I could have seen that BEFORE I played with yarn for an hour trying to figure out how to do it!!) Their tutorial is much shorter and the effect is similar.Click here to view it, or you can read this: 🙂
Sheep and candy canes sounded like a good Christmas tree theme, but where would I find sheep? After some experimentation with pompoms and chenille stems (hereafter referred to as pipe cleaners), I came up with this idea.
To make four sheep, you’ll need five black pipe cleaners, some fluffy off-white yarn, four small jingle bells, about 16 inches of tiny red ribbon, and gold thread for hanging. You’ll also need a needle.
Cut one pipe cleaner into four pieces. Bend each piece into a U shape and set them aside. Cut each of the remaining pipe cleaners into thirds. Take one and make a about a 1/2″ loop at one end to form a neck, and 1/4″ loop at the other to make a tail. Twist another pipe cleaner just below the neck to form the front legs, and another just before the tail for the back legs. I folded the ends of these under so they wouldn’t be sharp. 🙂
Take one of the U shaped pieces and thread it through the neck (Figure 1), twisting to hold it in place, and bend the ends of the U back under to form ears. Tada! A sheep form. (Figure 2)
Now take your fluffy yarn and start wrapping (Figure 3). I started in the middle, formed a few figure 8’s where the legs met the body, wrapped each leg and the neck, and wound a little more around the middle. When your sheep looks fluffy enough, cut off the end of the yarn, loop it through someplace on the body, and tie it off. The knot hides pretty well in the fluff. (Figure 4)
Bend the legs now so it stands well. Add a jingle bell tied with the red ribbon around the neck (Tie it in a bow if you can and would like to — I’m not that dexterous!), then using a needle and your gold thread, add a loop for hanging — you can find a good center of gravity near the front legs.
I cloned this sheep about 20 times in a matter of an hour or two. Materials cost me about 6 dollars, but I’ve got plenty of yarn, ribbon, and jingle bells left over for other projects. Have fun, and have a Merry Christmas.
Legend of Velda 
I luv sheep those are so cool !
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I luv sheep those are so cool !
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Give em a try — they’re fun! Be sure to get really fluffy yarn though or you’ll be wrapping them a while.
This year — three years later already,I have a few shepherd ornaments, and I got to explain a bit about the sheep / candy cane thing to the kids. Actually I’d mentioned it every year, but this year they got it. That made me happy. 🙂
This story I read them probably helped: Finding the Sheep
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Give em a try — they’re fun! Be sure to get really fluffy yarn though or you’ll be wrapping them a while.
This year — three years later already,I have a few shepherd ornaments, and I got to explain a bit about the sheep / candy cane thing to the kids. Actually I’d mentioned it every year, but this year they got it. That made me happy. 🙂
This story I read them probably helped: Finding the Sheep
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Those are really cute & I think I like them better than the ones on the other link! 🙂
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Thanks! I’m glad you like them 🙂
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Those are really cute & I think I like them better than the ones on the other link! 🙂
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Thanks! I’m glad you like them 🙂
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Thanks for this…I have to reproduce 25 of these by next week for a Jesse tree exchange, so glad to know they will turn out so cute and are so inexpensive! (Got any ideas for a fiery futnace? )
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They actually go pretty quickly if you use the fluffy yarn & have some decent wire cutters 😀
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My daughter would like to make your sheep ornament and give them as our annual Christmas ornament. She would also like to show them at the county fair for 4-H next July but would like your permission to do both.
As a child I grew up raising Suffolk sheep and think they are the most darling ornaments around, they are 3-D and look easy to make. Thanks for posting them.
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She’d be welcome to make them. 🙂 Use the fluffiest of fluffy yarn, and have fun!
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I’m trying this with raw fleece from my sheep!
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Awesome! Let me know how it works out 🙂
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