Here’s another toy made of red and white yarn. You have to make many pom-poms then tie them together in a row. .

There hardly is a person who doesn’t know how to make pom-poms, but still…

After you have tied all the pom-poms together, trim them with the scissors (this can get messy). I happened to make the head with two colors, but I really liked the result. When you are ready shaping the balls, tap the snake to shake off the trimmings. You can tie thicker yarn around every two pom-poms to make your colorful caterpiller sturdier.

What is ‘martenitsa’?

In Bulgarian folklore the month of March is often portrayed as a plump, cheerful old lady, “baba Marta”. The 1st day of her reign is celebrated with red and white ornaments in various designs – as bracelets, brooches, pom-poms… 
The origins of this ritual are lost in time, but the meaning is clear – they are luck charms you give away to wish good health (and good looks, too!) Friends, family, even pets and domestic animals get one.They are also a countdown to spring – you wear them every day until you see the first stork, or swallow, or blossoming tree. Then you take themartenitsa off and tie it to a branch.