I made this homemade yarn container out of the container of one of my daughter's Christmas presents. It was a plastic jar with a screw on lid filled with Tomoe Ame candy (a Japanese chewy jelly-like candy wrapped in a thin rice paper wrapper). I saw similar containers at Walmart and Ben Franklin Crafts here in Hawaii. They had handles and sold for about $8.00 - $12.00 depending on the size. I also saw a couple versions shown on Uncommon Threads on DIY network. One was done with a coffee can (not shown in the episode file) and the other was done with a box (like a shoe box) that could hold several balls of yarn. Click on page 4 of the episode in the above link to see it.
To make one like mine, all you need is a container with a lid, grommets with a grommet setter (I bought my grommets and setter for around $2.50 with 8 sets of grommets), a hammer, and a drill. Drill a 1/4" hole (or whatever will fit your grommet) in the center of the lid. Attach your grommet to the lid with the grommet setter. To make sure the grommet teeth are all the way down, tap around it with your hammer. Ta Da!! You're done! I thought the yarn might catch on the inside of the lid where the grommet teeth bend over but it hasn't so far.
Here's what it looks like:
Here's a close up of the grommet from the top of the lid:
I love it! My daughter said I should paint the outside of the jar. Hmmm . . .
the only thing i don't like about those thingies is that you can't separate that from the project you're working on either until you're finished or you cut the yarn.
i like using those big containers for storing leftover yarn balls. i'm thinking i need to steal the empty ones in the office leftover from christmas now that everyone ate all the snacks. woot!
Posted by: keohinani | January 18, 2007 at 10:54 AM