Xeric critters — delightful planters made with yarn or twine and plastic bottles — are fun gifts for teachers, grandma or plant lovers.
Any animal with a snout — a hedgehog or pig, for example — can serve as the model for your critter, said Diane Moses, community relations specialist at Halawa Xeriscape Garden who offers craft workshops there. Any size bottle can be used, she said, and the container can be round or square.
“Keep in mind that the smaller the bottle is, the more difficult it will be to wind the rope, string or yarn,” she said. Eyelash yarn and other textured yarn or twine work well.
The next “Xeric Critters” workshop is at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 21 at the Halawa Xeriscape Garden. Registration opens on Dec. 27. Cost is $10. But if you’d rather try it at home, Moses offered instructions.
MATERIALS
>> Recycled bottle
>> Scissors
>> Hot glue gun or tacky glue
>> Yarn, twine or rope
>> Eyes (felt, googly eyes, laminated printouts or other material)
>> Black paint and brush
>> Succulent and palm planting mix
>> Succulent plants or cactus
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut a rectangle in the container for the planting area. Poke a drainage hole in the opposite side.
2. Use scissors to snip the edges of the opening. Each snip should be about 1/4-inch deep and 1/4-inch apart. Make the same number of snips on each side.
3. Remove the cap and apply glue to the neck, which becomes the animal’s snout. Begin winding the yarn closely together around the container. Use glue as needed to secure.
4. When you reach the opening, loop the yarn around the first snip and wind back under the container, then loop the yarn around the snip on the opposite side of the opening. Continue working in a back-and-forth motion.
5. When you reach the end of the opening, resume winding yarn around the bottle.
6. To cover the bottom, glue yarn in a circular pattern. A tail may be added.
7. Paint the cover and twist it back on the bottle for the critter’s nose. Add eyes and other embellishments.
8. Fill with planting mix and add a small succulent or cactus.
