Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

What Are Yarn Bowls for, and How to Make Your Own

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polymer clay yarn bowlI’ve been seeing a lot of things about yarn bowls lately. These bowls, which are often ceramic but can be made DIY style out of just about any material that’s a bowl, are a way to hold you yarn while you work.

The benefits of using a yarn bowl, according to this post from My Poppet, include keeping your yarn ball from getting away from you as you knit. They also keep dust, pet hair or whatever else might be on your knitting surface from getting into you yarn, and they can be really pretty, too.

She offers some great tips for choosing a yarn bowl, noting that they should be heavy enough not to tip over, have a guide for the yarn so that it can be removed without cutting (instead of just a hole in the side of the bowl) and it needs to be made out of material that won’t snag the yarn.

You can buy yarn bowls on etsy or from local artists who make them, and there are lots of ways to hack a yarn bowl, from putting a binder clip on the side of a regular bowl (again not ideal because you can’t get the yarn out of the clip without cutting it, but at least you can take the clip off the bowl if you need to get your project away from the bowl) to this fun one shared by Shelli over at the Crochet site recently. Off the Hook for You used polymer clay to make a yarn bowl, which is an amazing, fun looking project that the kids can help out with, too.

Have you ever used a yarn bowl? Do you like it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

  1. Why can’t you get the yarn out of a binder clip without cutting it? If you feed yarn through the metal arms of the clip, you can remove the arms from the body (by squeezing them together) to remove the yarn. Am I missing something?

  3. I think the wool is to be threaded through the metal loops of the clip rather than the actual part that clips onto the bowl

  4. Regina, Lindsey and Alix,

    Yes! You just squeeze together the silver arms part of the clip and you can remove it from the black part that it clamped to the bowl.

Have you read?

Vintage Bed Socks Knitting Pattern – A Cozy Little Gift Project With Old-Fashioned Charm

There is something wonderfully nostalgic about a pair of handmade bed socks, isn’t there? They are practical, pretty, and just the sort of project that feels like it belongs beside a cup of tea, a good film, and a basket of wool that is pretending not to be overflowing.

This vintage Bed Socks knitting pattern is one of those sweet little patterns that still feels useful today. Originally from the Jaeger Hand-Knit Series No. 44, the design features a simple garter-stitch foot, a ribbed cuff, eyelet holes, a crochet chain tie, and little tassel-style pom-poms at the front. The original pattern even describes them as “a very acceptable present,” and honestly, I don’t think much has changed there.

These would make a lovely handmade gift for someone who is always cold, someone recovering or resting, or anyone who appreciates a bit of old-fashioned comfort. They would also be beautiful as a Mother’s Day gift, a winter birthday present, a Christmas stocking filler, or a “just because you deserve cozy feet” project.

The pattern itself is delightfully simple in construction. The socks are knitted flat, beginning at the lower edge, with the foot worked in garter stitch before moving into the ribbed upper section. The decorative eyelet row allows for a crochet chain cord to be threaded through, and the finishing tassels give the socks that charming vintage look. The top edge is finished with a row of double crochet, which adds a neat handmade touch.

The original measurements list the socks as approximately 10½ inches from the top to the lower edge of the heel, with a 9¾ inch foot length, and the pattern notes that the size can be adapted. As with many vintage knitting patterns, modern knitters will want to check gauge carefully and choose a soft yarn that feels comfortable against the skin. A cozy wool blend, soft acrylic, or washable yarn would all work depending on whether you are making these for everyday use or as a special gift.

I especially love that this pattern has that “giftable” quality without being a massive project. It is small enough to feel achievable, but still special enough that the finished pair looks thoughtful. And let’s be honest, handmade socks with pom-poms are always going to beat a last-minute candle from the supermarket.

The PDF version has been cleaned up and formatted for easier reading while keeping the original vintage design intact. It also includes a modern pink mockup image and the original vintage scan, so you get both the historical charm and a fresh idea of how the finished socks could look today.

If you enjoy vintage knitting patterns, cozy handmade gifts, or quick projects that feel useful rather than just decorative, this sweet little bed socks pattern is a lovely one to add to your collection.

You can find the Vintage Bed Socks Knitting Pattern PDF in the CraftGossip Etsy store.

For supplies, this is also a nice stash-friendly project. A soft yarn from Mary Maxim or Amazon would work well, and if you make pom-poms regularly, a small pom-pom maker is one of those inexpensive tools that saves a surprising amount of fiddling.