Parents, I’ve gotta warn you. This activity is not for the faint of heart or easily discouraged. But, if like me, you know a little boy who has his heart set on a spider-themed birthday party, and like me, you foolishly agreed to help decorate it, press onward.

The choice of materials needed will vary greatly depending on a lot of factors, mostly how long you want the webs to last. Personally, I figure that since they take so much labor to construct, I want them to stick around for a while, but that’s just me. At the very least, you’re going to need some yarn, preferably black.

Start with the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels. (If you have something longer like a yardstick, scrap foamcore, or even an actual stick from the yard, that will work too. Just be aware that the bigger the web, the more work it is). You need to poke holes in the top about a quareter-inch from either end. Then, poke two pairs of holes about a third of the way in from either side. It’s wise to make the middle holes longer (more like rectangles than circles) because it makes it easier to thread yarn through it later. For hole-poking, I used a craft-knife but a sharp kitchen knife will probably work just as well. I wouldn’t reccomend scissors as they tend to tear the cardboard, unless they have a super-sharp point. So few do.

If you’re using something other than a cardboard tube that isn’t poking-compatible, just glue, tape, or tie in knots, the yarn at 4-5 inch intervals along the length. The exact distance isn’t as important as keeping them evenly spaced.

Thread black yarn through each hole (or pair of holes) and tie in a knot. (I just used a double-knot. Anybody out there who finished cub-scouts who can tell me if there’s a better method?)

The length of the yarn depends on how tall your target audience is. For people three foot tall and under, four feet of yarn will probably be plenty. For grown-ups (such as if you were throwing a costume party), it’s anybody’s guess, but I would estimate at least eight feet would be needed to truly impress. Make sure all the yarn is the same length and tie in a big knot at the end. Make the knot really, really big so you’ll have no trouble finding it later. It’s not a bad idea to wrap a piece of masking tape around the knot or to tie a piece of red string around the base of the knot as well.

Choose one of the strands on either end and tie other lengths of yarn to it at aproximately four-inch intervals. Then tie each length to the next strand, making sure to allow plenty of slack between (otherwise it won’t look as much like a web), and so on, until you get to the other end.

I’m sure you realize that’s a lot of knots. After I got three rows done, I broke down and brought out the hot glue gun. (I realize that this goes against my stated principles of posting only crafts that can be done with common household items… of which the hot glue gun most definately is not… but I was in a hurry). If you don’t have a hot glue gun, or carpal tunnel, or if you just like tying knots, that’s the way to go. You’ll avoid the little sem-transparent bulb at all the joints.

That’s it. You can hang the web by the knot and let the weight of the cardboard tube hold it straight or vice-versa.

For me, the best part is that you can just roll the yarn up around the tube (or stick) and it makes for easy storage until the next Spider-Party or Halloween.

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