Basic Variations

• While some patterns use the yarn as the doll's garments, others suggest adding garments made of scraps of fabric or felt. Tie off the legs and arms to create a softer limb, or braid the yarn limbs for a more substantial look. Leave the bottom loops uncut for a snowman yarn doll.
  
  

Family Style

• Create a family of dolls with a male and female for parents and a smaller male and female for children. Add circles of felt for faces and draw on the features. Use scraps of cloth to make garments for each doll. Use a box as a house for the dolls and furnish the house with cardboard furniture.
  
  

Seasonal

• Use yarn of a seasonal color to create dolls for the occasion. Orange for autumn, pink or red for Valentine's Day or green for St. Patrick's Day start the list, but add other colors to cover other seasons, such as white for winter snowmen, blue for July 4th. Add trimmings and decorations in accent colors appropriate for the theme.
  
  

Characters

• Dress yarn dolls as particular characters in history or literature. Add a cotton-ball beard for Santa, bits of straw for a scarecrow, colorful robes for Bible figures or wings for angels. Create a Clara Barton yarn doll with a white bib apron and a red cross. Dress a pair of dolls for a wedding with a bridal veil for her and a tuxedo for him.
  
  

Educational

• Decorate a series of yarn dolls in period costumes to illustrate the evolution of styles over the years. The costume research adds educational value to the project.
  
  Dress the yarn dolls in ethnic attire to create an international collection. Base the collection on the countries on a particular continent or around the world.
  
  

Ornaments and Gift Tags

• Dress a Christmas tree with small yarn dolls. Add a hanging loop to the top of the doll's head after decorating.
  
  Make gift tags from small yarn dolls. Add a paper sign to the front of the doll with the "To" and "From" information. The tag becomes part of the gift.
  
  

Out-of-This-World

• While yarn octopi are fun, don't be afraid to create other creatures. Let imaginations run wild in creating alien yarn dolls. Odd color combinations, extra limbs and weird appendages can turn yarn dolls into a fantasy riot.