Rapunzel's Braid

Wow!  I really didn't mean to be gone so long...well, actually, I hadn't meant to be gone at all...but being a mom and a business owner, sometimes things come up.  I got busy trying to finish up the projects I needed to show off 3 of the tables for the Princess Fundraiser.  The young women wanted to see a preview, so I did nothing but craft and create for a few days.

They turned out SUPER cute and both the girls and I are excited about the direction of the table decorations.  I previewed Snow White, Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast tables for them, so of course I had to make Rapunzel's braid.

Now in theory, it wasn't that hard to make...in theory, but I can see now why they charge so much for them on Etsy.  They are ALOT of work to make!

I started by tying one end of a skein of yarn to my vacuum handle.

Then I walked all the way across the room (it was about 20 feet) to the banister and wrapped the yarn around and back to to the vacuum.  I did this 10 times and then I cut both ends so I had 20 strands of yarn.  Then I did it again, so I ended up with 40 strands.

Here's where it got tricky...

I used a rubber band to secure the strands together and divided up the yarn into 3 sections of 15 strands each.

I tried to braid it myself thinking it wouldn't be too difficult...DON'T DO THAT!

It IS too difficult.  I ended up getting the string all tangled and in a knot.

So I had to wait until the hubby and kids got home.  Then he held the end of the yarn and made sure it was tight as we weaved and braided.

Then Drama Queen, Daredevil, and I each grabbed a section of yarn.  Daredevil wrapped the yarn around his body by spinning in a circle so it wasn't too long and getting tangled as he worked.  Drama Queen and I wrapped ours around books and just unraveled as needed.

I wish I had a video of the next part as it was rather interesting to watch...or at least Mini Me thought so!  He sat and laughed at us as we bobbed and weaved. 

It did take us a bit to figure out our pattern but eventually we got it down so we were doing a May Pole dance around the room braiding the yarn.

We ended up with a LONG ribbon of yellow "hair" which I am wrapping around the table and weaving between the other directions. 

I do LOVE how it turned out and I wouldn't be afraid to make another one, so if you're thinking about it...go for it.  It takes a little bit of coordination and ALOT of help, but it's kind of fun and makes a great decoration for a Rapunzel Birthday party!