DIY Radial Weaving

So for tonight's post I'm going to have a little "art teacher moment."  I think I've told several people that I would do a DIY on how I create these radial weavings with my kids, and I never have.  I made some of these for fun in my old apartment and made it into a lesson.

[Disclaimer...I know this isn't really "weaving," but whatevs]

For this DIY you will need...

To start off, you will want to cut a circle out of the chip board [I used a cereal box], and you will need to draw 16 evenly spaced lines on the back and label them clockwise:

After that, you will want to cut the little lines to create notches.

Then, measure and cut the yarn.  The amount will depend on how big your circle is.  I used about 4 arm lengths [stretching my arms out while holding the yarn].  If you run out of yarn before you finish, you can just cut more and tie it on.

Here comes the "fun" part! [sarcasm...it's a little confusing unless you're doing it.]

1)  Start by sticking the end of the yarn into the "1" notch.  Leave a little bit hanging to tie it up later.  You will be wrapping the yarn around the board from front to back.
2)  You will go from the 1 to the 8 around whichever side is the front.
3)  This is what the front looks like.
4)  Then go from the 8 to the 16 across the back, then the 16 to the 7 across the front [if you are doing this you will see a pattern]

I always look at the back the whole time because it's easiest.  On the back you will see the left image, and on the front it will look like the right image.  This is one rotation around the circle.  You will do exactly what you just did, starting with 1 to 9, 9 to 16, 16 to 8, etc. [Easier to understand if you're doing it!]  So go around the circle 2 times total.

Tada!  Turn it over and see what you made!

If 9 year olds can do it, you can do it!  Here are some by my students:

Here are some photos from my old apartment with my "rough draft" versions of these weavings [they are a little bit different, but practice makes perfect!]  Happy weaving!