Knitting

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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.]

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?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.