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Get Rid of Stash by Hosting a Magic Ball Party

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making magic ballsI don’t really know why this was news, but a few weeks ago I came across this fun article about a New Jersey knitting group that had a magic ball scarf making party.

I’ve told you before about making magic balls out of little bits of leftover stash, but this idea takes it to a whole new level because you’re also swapping yarn bits with other people.

The idea is that you get together with some friends or your yarn group and you each bring a few balls of yarn. Each person then cuts lengths of all the balls they like and makes a magic ball, then knits up a scarf.

This sounds like a really fun idea and a great way to use up some yarn you may not love on its own but would like better mixed in with other things (or just regular leftovers). I think it would be great fun for kids, too, because they’d enjoy gathering the yarn, making the ball and knitting it. Or what about doing this for a yarnbombing?

Have you ever done a group magic ball project before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Shore News Today.]

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Comments

  1. These parties sound like a great idea! I, for one, always tend to buy yarn in the same purple and blue colors. By mixing my yarn leftovers with other knitters’ stashes, I could create some new combinations that I’ve probably never thought of. Great way to widen my color horizons! Thanks!!

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]