Today we are going to make a Yarn Bowl! Are you ready!?

One of my favorite things to make and one of my best-sellers is the humble Yarn Bowl. This article is all about how I make a Yarn Bowl.

Please note this post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase.  This is, of course, at no cost to you, and I only share products that I use and love myself.

 Cutting the swoop

When you are making a yarn bowl, the best time to cut the swoop is when the bowl has stiffened up to a firm leather hard. You want it to be stiff enough to not wiggle or distort when you are cutting it out. At the same time it still has to be soft enough for a craft knife to cleanly cut.

I have found that it is NOT necessary to have a sharp blade on the craft knife. In fact, I prefer my blade to be dull. It cuts through the clay really well and I don’t worry as much about it slipping and cutting me. I use an X-Acto knife but any craft type knife will do.

I always start with the Yarn Bowl hole.

For me, when I make my Yarn Bowls, I start by making the hole. I prefer the hole to be in the middle of the bowl but where you place it is your personal choice. To make the hole I use either a 23/64 Drill Bit or a Clay Hole Maker, whichever I can find in my studio the fastest.

The drill bit I like the most is a weird size. I don’t even know where I found it but it’s 23/64. This size is smaller than the larger of the clay hole maker.

Once I make the hole I use my craft knife to gently draw the lines in the clay where I want my swoop to be.  I am very gentle and barely scratch the surface when I am doing this so that I can “erase” the line if I don’t like it.

When I am pleased with my swoop I cut the swoop out.  If my clay is the perfect hard Leather dry, I will be able to cut all the way through the clay. If the clay is too soft and the walls move I do suggest waiting some more until the walls of the bowl are no longer soft and pliable but you can still score and cut it. Cutting the clay when its too soft may cause the bowl to deform in the kiln if the swoop moves when you are cutting it.

You can clean up your cut a bit if its not to your liking by gently shaving the swoop with your craft knife. Normally I don’t remove all the bits and pieces, nor do I smooth the edges, until the next day when the bowl is dried even more. I do my best to not handle the swoop too much to avoid kiln distortion.

Check out my video of the entire Process

I hope this article helps you in making Yarn Bowls!! Please feel free to ask questions, leave comments and share this post with anyone who you think would be interested