Yarn Wrapped Candy Corn Cones

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These yarn wrapped candy corn cones are the perfect addition to a fun fall display and can be made in all kinds of sizes. Stick with the traditional colors or use any colors you like to match your decor.

Candy corn seems to be one of those very polarizing candies. You either love it or you hate it. I fall into the latter category as I’ve never really cared to eat them.

But no matter how you feel about the candies there’s no denying that they are a classic symbol of the Autumn season, especially Halloween. And though I’m not wild about the taste, I just love how they look.

There’s just something about the white, orange and yellow combination that looks so aesthetically pleasing. So when I was looking at my yarn colors in my stash and saw all three I knew I had to make something.

I had also picked up some craft cones and party hats in the last few weeks. I plan on using them to make some sort of Christmas tree project in the next few months. But in the meantime, I can spare a few for this candy corn craft.

After a few attempts at how to make these little candy corns I was able to get my technique down just right. And they really are super easy to make with only a few materials. So I’m really excited to share what I’ve learned so you can make your own little collection of DIY yarn wrapped candy corn cones too!

What You Will Need to Make Yarn Wrapped Candy Corn Cones

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Yarn

Cone Base

Hot Glue Gun

Hot Glue Sticks

Scissors

You will also need something to wipe excess hot glue away. I used the back end of a paintbrush but you can also use toothpicks, a dowel rod, a chopstick, etc. This isn’t completely necessary but it helps so you don’t have big blobs of hot glue on the back of your project.

And unless you are working on a nonstick surface you might want to put down something to catch any stray bits of hot glue. I just used a small sheet of wax paper and that worked perfectly.

For my yarn I wanted to stick to the traditional candy corn colors so I went with the standard white, orange, and yellow. But I didn’t want the colors to be too bold so I used pastels.

In the tutorial itself I’m also using a Styrofoam cone as my cone base. But there are plenty of other options for you to wrap your yarn around.

What Else Can the Craft Cones be Made of?

There are a variety of different materials you can use for your candy corn cones. For the most part they can all be easily found in stores or online. Or if you need a specific size you can even make a DIY cone.

Here are a few examples of craft cones that could work for this project:

Party Hats

Paper Mache

Styrofoam

Poster Board (DIY made)

Snow Cone Cups

I’m sure there are plenty of other options besides this short list, but this was all I could think of off the top of my head. Basically if it’s in a cone shape and can handle a few dabs of hot glue, you’ll be good.

Each of these cones have their pros and cons. Party hats, snow cone cups, and DIY cones made of poster board will all be a lot more inexpensive and easy to get ahold of. But all three of those options are also a lot more flimsy and a bit harder to work with.

Paper mache and Styrofoam cones on the other hand will be a lot more durable in the end. However, they are also likely to be more expensive.

But regardless of what your cones are made of, the end result will look pretty much the same. So don’t worry too much about what you use for your base.

How to Make Yarn Wrapped Candy Corn Cones

Step 1: Glue Beginning of Yarn to Cone

Grab your first color of yarn that will be wrapped around the top of the cone. You’ll want to start at the top because when you wrap your yarn it will always slide toward the thinnest point. So things would be a whole lot more difficult if you tried to start wrapping from the bottom.

Before beginning I also like to take a pencil or pen and mark where the colors will start/stop. You can eyeball it if you want but I like to have things planned out ahead of time.

No matter what material you’re using for you’re cone, they will all have a “seam” on the back where the material is joined together. This is the back side of all the different cones I tried so you can see the seams:

I find it easiest to start on the back because it gives you a nice straight line to work with. The only cones that might not have a seam would be certain kinds of Styrofoam, although mine did have one.

Now squeeze a thin line of hot glue at the top of the seam of your cone. Then place the yarn on top to secure it. To make it easier to place I give myself some extra yarn on the end.

I then used my paintbrush to wipe away any extra glue so I won’t have any unnecessary bumps on the back of my cone. After everything is dry I can cut it where the glue begins.

Make sure the yarn is glued all the way to the very top of the cone. That will make it easier to begin wrapping it without any of the cone showing beneath.

Step 2: Wrap First Color of Yarn

Now you can start wrapping your first color of yarn around your cone. This is pretty straightforward, but just keep an eye out to make sure the yarn is being wrapped evenly and the cone base isn’t showing underneath.

Every few turns of yarn I also like to put down a tiny thin dab of hot glue on the back. This helps everything to stay more secure.

Once you get to the point where you want your first color to stop, put down a dab of hot glue and secure your yarn.

There is usually glue that needs to be wiped away at this point. You don’t want any extra glue getting in the way when you start your next color.

Wait a few seconds for the glue to harden, then trim your yarn as close to the glue as you can. One color down, two to go!

Step 3: Wrap Remaining Colors of Yarn

Grab your next color of yarn that you want to use. In my case, it was orange.

Add a small dab of hot glue directly next to where you ended your first color. Once again I gave myself extra yarn on the end and trimmed it after the glue hardened.

Then wrap your second color of yarn just like the first. Every few turns I again used a small dab of hot glue to secure my yarn as I went along. When you’re done wrapping your second color, finish it off just as you did your first color.

Then start up the last color and wrap it the same as the last two colors. Stop when you have just a small amount of space at the bottom of the cone.

Step 4: Secure Yarn to Bottom of Cone

Lastly, you’ll need to attach your yarn to the very bottom of the cone to finish the project. Again, this will be done with hot glue. But unlike on the rest of the cone, it’s best to glue your yarn all the way around instead of just at the back.

Work in small sections around the bottom edge of the cone and try to make the hot glue as thin as you can get it. If the glue is too thick I’ll wipe as much as I can away with my paintbrush before it fully dries.

Once the bottom of the cone is completely covered, snip the end of your yarn. If it’s sticking out a bit you can hold it down with a small dab of hot glue.

And with that your yarn wrapped candy corn cone is finished! Now you can make as many as you want to fit your decor.

Additional Notes on Yarn Wrapped Candy Corn Cones

This was a quick and easy project that can be whipped up in just a few minutes. It only uses a few materials that many crafters might already have on hand anyway. So it can make a nice last minute craft.

I used traditional candy corn colors for my cones, but you can use any color combinations you like. I’ve seen candy corn in all kinds of different colors, so pick the ones that will work best for you.

And don’t think you need to only make this craft in the Fall. I’ve seen candy corn during all sorts of holidays. Make pink ones for Valentine’s or red, white and green ones for Christmas. They can be adjusted to fit any season.

I also wanted to make a quick mention of the cone materials one more time. All together I made yarn wrapped candy corn cones with three different bases: smooth Styrofoam, paper mache, and a party hat.

All three worked fine but they each had their pros and cons.

So Which Cone Base Works Best?

Of the three my favorite one to use was the Styrofoam cone. I think because it was solid it was easier to hold onto while working. And because it was white I didn’t have any issues with color showing underneath my yarn.

The only downside was that Styrofoam melts under high heat. So I needed to be a bit more careful with the hot glue. But I only experienced a bit of melting when I was gluing yarn to the very bottom of the cone.

The paper mache cone was very sturdy, but the back seam has a very noticeable ridge. But since it’s on the back that doesn’t matter too much. The color also shows through a bit underneath the yarn, but you could paint your cone beforehand to fix this a bit.

The party hat also had the issue of showing through the yarn a bit. It was also fairly flimsy in comparison so it was a little harder to work with. Overall it was my least favorite of the three but would still be worth using as a base.

At the beginning of the article I also mentioned possibly using a DIY cone made of poster board or a snow cone cup. Although I haven’t tried either of these, I think they would be pretty similar to working with a party hat.

If anyone uses anything different for their cone base, let me know how it turned out!

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. I’d love to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by and happy crafting!

If you liked this tutorial, don’t forget to pin it for later on Pinterest!