Easy Easter Egg Retro Craft

Easter Eggs! And you don't even have to boil them!

 So, if you all have been wondering what I needed starch for....here goes. When I was little my mom and I would make these Easter Eggs together, she learned how to make them when she was little, so I think this definitely classifies this as a "Retro' craft.
    All you need is some crochet yarn (cotton or bamboo- no synthetics!), balloons and some liquid starch. If you want to decorate your eggs, then you should round up some ribbons, Easter grass and other Easter sundries.

Liquid Starch

Crochet Yarn

Balloons and Bowl of Liquid Starch

  This does get a bit messy, so monitor young children and make sure the table is covered in wax paper or a throw away table cloth. Put on a smock, roll up your sleeves and pour some of the liquid stach in a small bowl.
       You can blow up the balloons to any size you want, I try and keep mine relatively small since I use mine as tabletop displays. You can shape the balloon into an egg shape after you seal the end.
       Next, take some of the crochet thread and put in in the bowl with the liquid starch. After the thread is saturated, start wrapping it around the balloon. It will be a bit hard at first and will get easier the more string you wrap around. Keep unraveling the crochet yarn and dunking it in the liquid starch. Keep wrapping your thread around the balloon. There is no set amount of wrapping that you have to do. The more yarn you have, the more "solid" your egg will be, the less holes and pattern you will have. Play around with various sizes and amounts of yarn.

Dipping the Yarn in the starch

Wrapping the yarn around the balloon.

      When you get to a point where your egg has the right amount of yarn (you can always add more-you can't take away) hang your egg up to dry.

Strive for at least this much wrapping!

The "eggs" drying

Make sure it is over some wax paper or a disposable bowl, it will drip! I used a Christmas ornament hanger, strung it through the ballook tie and hooked it on my mag-lamp (it was off of course!).
     After the project dries overnight pierce the balloon with a needle and pull it through one of the holes in the yarn.

Pop that balloon and pull it out.

      Now is the fun part! You can leave your egg as is, or you can cut a small hole in it and decorate the inside with an Easter scene. Now when you cut the hole remember-you can always take more away!

I cut a large opening out of this egg and tipped it on its side. I strung some leaf ribbon through (from my friends at Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods) and added some netting, a miniature egg and an Easter chick. Trouble getting your egg to stand? Try some buttons to add weight to the bottom.

For this simple, small egg, I added some vintage flowers around the top, dark blue and gray roving
(to compliment the brown egg) and a small faux birds nest. 

I made a whimsical egg and a more nature grounded egg, but the possibilities are endless!

  I hope you all have a Happy Easter and Happy Crafting!