Make a Mari Tutorial

I decided to write this tutorial because several people have asked me how I make my maris.  There are several methods talked about; here is mine.  This picture is of the materials you will need: three spools of the same color of thread; shredded paper; about 25-30 yards of worsted weight yarn; a heavy, large glass; and the toe of one leg of pantyhose.  You can also use hose higher up and tie off the bottom.

First, take the glass and stretch the mouth of the pantyhose over it, dangling the toe inside.  This makes it so you don't have to have someone else hold the hose for you.

Depending on the size of mari you want to make, stuff the hose with between one and three cups of shredded paper.  What I use is quarter by eighth inch cross cut shred.  We do a lot of shredding here, and this is a nice bit of recycling.  Stuff it in tight and push it down to the bottom of the glass.

Remove the hose from the glass and bring all the paper to the toe of the hose.  It'll be lumpy and not spherical.

Twist the top of the pantyhose  to close it.

Bring the top of the hose back around the outside of the ball part.  You now have your paper covered in two layers of hosiery.  If there's extra hose, cut it off.  This is the core of your mari.  At this point, it's probably not too round.  Shape it a bit with your hands to make it a bit more spherical.

Take one end of your yarn and start wrapping the core.  Turn the core slightly with each wrap of yarn.  The idea is to be random and cover all the core equally.  The core should naturally start rounding out.  Make sure you don't wrap loosely with loops falling off the core, but don't wrap too tightly either.  You want it firm but not hard.

Here is the core a bit more wrapped.  You can see how random the wraps are.

And here is the core nearly totally wrapped with yarn.  Notice that you don't see any of the hose peeking through and that the wraps are still random.  Also, see how much rounder it is that when started.

The completely yarn-wrapped core.

Put your three spools of thread between your feet to hold them in place.  Gather all three ends in your wrapping hand.  This next part is called "power wrapping", a term coined by Barbara Seuss.

With all three threads, start wrapping the ball in the same manner you did with the yarn.  Not too tight, not loose and dangly.  Your ball should be firm but not hard, and definitely not squishy.  Randomness is the key here.  It's important to turn and keep turning with each wrap.  Cover the yarn completely.

Once there is no yarn showing, cut two of the threads, leaving one still attached to the mari.  Wrap this one thread all over the ball again, covering the layer with three thread showing.  You should have a mari with only one thread showing all around at the end.

Using a needle, you can tuck in the end of the single strand when you're done with it.  You now have a complete mari ready to mark!

If your mari isn't quite round, roll it on a flat surface with the palm of your hand.  The insides should shift some to make it round.