Making newspaper yarn

Preparing materials

Collect a least a week's worth of newspapers. For larger newspapers like The Straits Times, cut the two page spreads in half. I shall count half of a two page spread as one page as shown:

For smaller newspapers like The New Paper and Today, remove the staples and use as-is.

Fold page in half. Fold it in half again.
Unfold once and fold sides to meet the middle crease. Fold in half.
This is the pre-twisted newspaper. Prepare and set aside a suitable amount for project. 

Optional: Glueing strips together with starch glue
For projects needing extra strength, starch glue can be used to glue the newspaper strips prior or during twisting. Starch glue is safe, non-toxic and provides a very strong bond. Objects glued using starch glue can be recycled. If glueing strips prior to twisting, glue at most 5 strips together. 

Make a paste with 1 part corn/tapioca starch with 4 parts water. Stir constantly over low heat until paste starts to thicken. Remove from heat and keep stirring. Stir in a few splashes of vinegar which serves as a preservative. Leave aside to cool before putting in an airtight container. 


Twisting newspaper

No special or expensive tool is required. I used an Ikea wall hook but anything strong, sturdy and un-moveable works. I used masking tape to tape one end of the newspaper strip to the hook. 

From the taped end, twist the strip in a clockwise direction. Twist at an angle and work your way down the strip. Do not let go or the strip will untwist itself. Do not put too much twist into the strip either, or the newspaper yarn will end up too hard and inflexible. About an inch or so before reaching the end of the strip, open strip and insert another strip (optional - glue strips together, wait a while for it to dry). Close strips together and twist as per normal. The area where the two strips overlap will be slightly thicker. If the length of yarn gets too long, wind the excess onto the hook. It is normal for the newspaper yarn to want to twist on itself. 

Once the wound-on yarn gets too big and starts falling off the hook, remove everything from the hook and wind the yarn into a ball.

A small video demonstration of how I twist my newspaper yarns. There is no right or wrong way to twist newspaper, you may develop your own special technique after a while.