There’s something so charming about handmade gifts especially when they’re quick to make and use stuff you already have around the house! These cute little hats use up scrap yarn, and don’t require knitting or crochet skills. That’s exactly what inspired my latest project: mini no‑knit hat Christmas ornaments!
🎄 Why These Ornaments Are a Winner
- No knitting or crochet needed
- Uses up scrap materials
- Endlessly customizable
- Multiple uses: tree décor, garlands, gifts, wine toppers, stocking stuffers, ornaments, etc.
🛠 What You’ll Need
- Yarn (scraps work great)
- Scissors
- Empty toilet-paper or paper-towel roll
- Something to measure yarn (small book or coaster)
- Cotton Balls
✅ Step‑by‑Step: How to Make Your Mini No‑Knit Hat Ornaments
STEP 1: Cut the Cardboard Rings
Use an empty toilet-paper roll and cut 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide rings. This will be your hat brim. You should be able to get 7-8 rings from each toilet paper tube. I made some with 1/2 inch rings and some with 3/4 inch, and I liked the look of the 3/4 inch size better, but go ahead and experiment!
TIP: I cut the rings and stapled them back together to make them a bit smaller so I could fit them over these chocolate balls. I plan on using them as stocking stuffers! For wine bottles, if you want them to fit tightly, you will want to cut them down a tiny bit as well. Just make sure to leave extra space for the yarn.
STEP 2. Cut Your Yarn Pieces
Next, wrap yarn around a small notebook or coaster (about 30-40 times) and cut one side so you have 30-40 equal-length strands. This doesn’t need to be exact, but you want strands to be about 8-10 inches long.
STEP 3. Attach the Yarn
Use a lark’s-head knot to loop each strand around the cardboard ring. Fill the ring entirely.
🧶 How to Tie a Lark’s-Head Knot:
- Fold your yarn strand in half so it forms a loop at one end.
- Place the loop in the cardboard ring.
- Bring the two loose ends over the ring and pull them through the loop.
- Tighten the knot so it hugs the ring securely.
Repeat this step until you fill the ring entirely so no cardboard is showing.
STEP 4: Form the Hat
Gather all the loose ends and shove them back through the ring. This will make it look like the hat brim has been folded up. Now push a cotton ball through to form the hat so it keeps a nice, round shape.
STEP 5: Make the Pom Pom
Take one more piece of yarn and tie a knot over the top of the cotton ball to create the pom pom. You can use this last piece of yarn as a loop to hang it as an ornaments. The strands will be way too long, so you’ll have to trim them down to make the pom pom the size that you want.
STEP 6: Customize!
Mix colors, make some with stripes or multi colored yarn, or make garlands out of a bunch of mini hats! They make perfect wine, champagne or liquor bottle toppers that you can give as gifts!
🎬 See It In Action
Check out my full YouTube video tutorial here:
✨ Fun Ways to Use Your Mini Hats
- Tree Ornaments
- Garlands
- Gift Toppers
- Chocolate Stocking Stuffers
- Wine Bottle Covers
Project Complete!
This project is fast, fun, and perfect for all ages. Whether you’re crafting solo or with kids, these mini hats bring a bit of festive charm with minimal effort.
If you make these, I’d love to see them! Please feel free to share your creations and tag me @selenebuildsthings on social media. I’d love to see what you make!
I’ll be sharing more holiday crafts and DIY’s so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!
Until next time,
Happy DIY-ing!
xoxo,
Selene
