This morning our dyed rigatoni noodles were perfectly dry and ready to be put to use.  And thank goodness.  Gracen’s been asking about our “pretty papta” since the moment I put it out in the solarium to dry.  
We chose to use pipe cleaners this time around as this was Grae’s first real time stringing ‘beads’.  Of course, any sort of string will do (wrapping one end with tape makes it easier), but I find that the rigidity of pipe cleaners makes it a lot easier, especially for munchkins who are just learning.

To start off, I strung on one noodle and folded the pipe cleaner up around it to secure it (much easier than making a giant messy knot).
For the first couple of noodles, I held the pipe cleaner for Grae while she did the stringing and sliding.

And then she was on her own. Easy peasy! She was a pro.
We ended up making all kinds of pretties – bracelets, crowns, and necklaces, and Gracen very happily modelled them all.

Of course, if you’re not into stringing them, rigatoni noodles make gorgeous rings too.

♥