Knitting

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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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Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]