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Using Yarn Leftovers to Make a “Magic Ball”

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magic ball scarf knittingI’ve been thinking a lot this year about using stash, and sometimes stash means little odd balls of yarn that are only a few yards long. What can you do with those little pieces?

One thing that is fun to try is making your own magic ball, in which yarns of varying types and different lengths are tied together to make one ball of randomly changing color.

I used a purchased magic ball to make a funky cowl, but you can make your own quite easily to make a really interesting cowl or scarf.

One of the problems with a magic ball, though, is how it is made. Because you’re using knots to attach the lengths of yarn to each other, and you’re not supposed to have knots in knitting, right?

Clara Parkes has a great solution on her blog in what’s known as the Fisherman’s Knot. This is a knot that is strong, small, easy to make and the yarn can be trimmed right up close to the knot, so you have no extra ends to weave in. Sounds good to me.

The Classic Elite Yarns gang recently had a magic ball making party — which is a great way to destash and get some yarns into your ball that you would not have bought on your own — and the results can be used for all sorts of things. Check out their magic ball scarf “recipe” for starters, as well as a feather and fan version.

Have you ever made or used a magic ball? I’d love to hear what you did with it.

[Photo via Classic Elite Yarns.]

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Michaels Acquires Joann Intellectual Property; Joann Website Now Forwards to Michaels

Craft retailer Michaels has acquired the intellectual property and private label brands of now-defunct retailer Joann, according to a media release, and the Joann website now forwards to Michaels. 

The releases states that Michaels will be developing the “beloved Big Twist® brands as part of the Michaels portfolio.” It also notes plans to expand its offerings in the fabric, sewing and yarn categories, with more than 600 new products being added. 

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels,” David Boone, CEO of Michaels, said in the release. 

Specific to yarn, the company notes it has plans to expand its yarn selection by 25 percent this year, including releasing more than 60 new private-label Loops & Threads products beginning this month, expanding offerings of Lion Brand and the Yarnspirations family of brands, and welcoming Big Twist yarns. 

The release specifically mentions Big Twist Value Plus, Big Twist Twinkle, Big Twist Posh and Big Twist Baby Bear, and notes that the offerings are “now being developed as part of Michaels portfolio of brands and will be available in-stores and online later this year.”

No word on what this means for Herrschners, which previously announced it would carry Big Twist. Its page announcing the news still says “at this time we are not able to release details on specific Big Twist varieties or colors, or the exact date the yarn will be available to order” and encourages signing up for email updates.

This news comes just days after the final closing of the last Joann locations and the appearance of a message on their website talking about “stitching up something new.” The Joann website now forwards to a landing page for craft retailer Michaels. 

“Welcome Joann customers,” it says at the top. “We’ve got your go-to essentials and so much more.” The page also notes “everyone is welcome at our craft table” and says the website is a source for “fabrics, yarn, notions & more.”

Further down the page it says “With JOANN stores closing, Michaels is excited to welcome new makers, crafters, and sewing enthusiasts into our community” and has a string of links to product categories these shoppers might be looking for. It says Michaels carries “many of the favorites that Joann customers love” including patterned fabric, yarn, ribbons and notions. 

The release calls this a “dedicated landing page” with a “curated assortment of products” they think are relevant to the Joann shopper. 

If you go directly to Micheaels.com, you see their regular website but there is a link at the top of the page for Joann customers that leads to the same page linked above. 

The release doesn’t mention opening any new stores in towns left without a craft store thanks to the Joann closure. It does note they have 1,300 stores in 49 states and in Canada, and they have both US and Canada-facing websites. 

What do you think of this news? It’s not the exciting future I’d hoped for with Joanns cryptic announcement, but I know legions of knitters and crocheters will be happy to know Big Twist will live on, and other crafters will probably be happy about expanded selection at Michaels.