Use Yarn Scraps to Make Cute Wreath Ornaments

Even if you aren’t knitting gifts for everyone on your list (and I’m here to tell you that way lies craziness) it’s still fun to give a little homemade something with your gifts. Whether it’s making candied pecans or your favorite fudge, giving everyone a knit washcloth with a friend’s handmade soap, or making ornaments to decorate gift bags, making a little something to give your friends shows you care more than just getting everything from the store.

These little yarn-wrapped mason jar lid ornaments are a sweet addition to a gift or a way to decorate a gift bag with something that becomes part of the gift.

Domestically Blissful made hers a bunch of different ways with lots of tiny embellishments. Some of them just have yarn wrapped and glued down, while she made one with finger-knit fabric. You could also knit a little long skinny rectangle and sew it around the jar lid if you wanted.

Or try my version, which is like knitting I-cord around a plastic ring. It’s a little fiddly at first but also kind of fun and you can make a stack of ornaments in an afternoon.

Do you craft with yarn to make Christmas tree ornaments? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Blissfully Domestic.]

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

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.

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