Pom Pom Spiders

I don't think of spiders as creepy, but I'm still going to put them out there for the 12th day of Creepmas. From the first time the kids and I made pom pom spiders for Halloween we've been hooked. They are easy to make and so adorable. I know some people would argue that spiders can’t be adorable, but I suggest you check out adorablespiders.tumblr.com.  Once we started making them we couldn’t stop and as Halloween rolled out and Christmas rolled in we kept making them, we just changed our color scheme.

  



This is a new one the kids came up with this year with his own little hat and candy cane.

It was only a matter of time before I came across the story of the Christmas spider. There are many different versions but the essentials are the same, the spiders spin their threads all over the Christmas tree and by morning by some act of magic they have been transformed it into shiny tinsel. And now when I get the odd look or two because the tree is covered in spiders, I can honestly say I didn't make it up.   

So to make your pom pom spider you will need: 

 

1 small pom for the head

1 larger pom for the body
2 pipe cleaners
1 2 inch piece of pipe cleaner
2 googly eyes
glue (I am currently in love with Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue)
wire cutters or old scissors you don't like
needle nose pliers (optional)
 




Cut the two pipe cleaners in half, these will be your legs.

Fold each of the four pieces and the 2 inch piece in half to make a V shape.


 
 
 
 
Line up your four leg pieces and hook them together with the 2 inch V.
 









To get your legs nice and snug hold the ends of the legs together with one hand, and then pull the ends of the 2 inch piece in the opposite direction. Keeping the tension, pinch and twist the smaller pipe cleaner as close to the legs as possible. Just a few twists will do, if you over tighten the pipe cleaner can snap.



 





Then twist the ends of the small piece together and curl it into a flat spiral, it's easier to do with pliers, but not impossible to do by hand.







Put glue on both sides of the spiral, and press it between the two pom poms and hold for at least 30 seconds. Then set it aside and let it dry completely.










Once it’s dry, fold the legs straight up in the opposite direction. Now the point where all the pipe cleaners stick out from the pom poms will be on the bottom.









Grab the legs at the midpoint and bend them down. Grab the ends and give them a little bend for “feet”.

Finish shaping the legs and getting them positioned the way you want and then glue the eyes on.




With all the different pipe cleaners and pom poms available the variations are endless.