Fun Things to Do that Aren’t Exactly Knitting

I think most of us sometimes make things with yarn that are not knit, or delve into other crafty areas that might be somewhat connected to knitting. So here’s a quick roundup of projects that have come across my radar lately that aren’t knitting but are still pretty cool.

Neda at Second Skin Blog wove leather together to make her own sandals. How amazing is that? I’m sure you could do something similar with yarn/fiber. Maybe weave a patch do go over the hole in your Toms? (Or was that just me?)

CraftsnCoffee used some sweet chenille yarn to make a baby shower wreath. You could always knit a rectangular shape and use it to cover the wreath form, too, if you’d rather make it a knitting project.

And DIY Everywhere has a good list of craft projects to use up leftover yarn, from jewelry to string art and beyond. Lists like this are always inspiring for paring down the stash of odd balls! I love the heart dreamcatcher shown above, which is from Molly Moo Crafts.

Next Pattern:

I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]

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