A few years back, I knitted my mom a scarf in some gorgeous multi-colored wool. I loved the warm hues with flecks of fiery orange, red, magenta, pink, purple, and even some green. (The overcast lighting here didn’t capture the beauty of the colors.) Her scarf didn’t require the full two skeins, so I had some leftover. Hmm.. what to make with the leftover yarn?
It sat in my yarn stash until a moment of inspiration came recently. I knitted it (almost entirely on a car ride to town- a rare time with two free hands these days) like I was knitting a scarf and kept going until I ran out of yarn. It was much shorter than a scarf and wouldn’t have even gone around the neck once. Then I put it in a pillowcase and tied it shut (keeps the wool fuzzies from getting all over your washing machine.) I washed it on hot and out came a felted, shrunken version! How fun! I dried it by the woodstove and then plunged into creativity during one of Bracken’s naps. I left enough folded over to make a flap. Then I needle felted the edges together. (Next time I plan on hand-sewing the edges together with wool yarn, which would be much easier and faster.) I attached a wool loop (also by needle felting.) And finally I added one of our handmade wooden buttons in reclaimed western red cedar.
Ta-da!
A handmade woolen pouch!
These wool pouches would be great to hold handmade gifts. We need more re-usable gift bags in the world and less disposable ones, don’t you think?
For this particular pouch, I paired it with two of our Magical Healing Salves (one regular size and one mini travel size) and posted it on our shop as a Gift Set. I’ve been really enjoying making special containers for our herbal salves.
The salves fit snuggly in their wool home.
There are so many gifts you could give in one of these felted pouches. You could even add a strap and make it into a small purse!
It’s nice to start putting a dent in that leftover-yarn pile.
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How do you use up your leftover yarn?
Thanks all!!
Your comments make me smile so big!
love it! so pretty!
I love your beautiful products! You have an amazing creative talent and you have a great eye for color! I love this little pouch, the colors and yarn are wonderful 🙂
Blessings,
Samantha (Woodland Woolens)
Real cool, cheers Marie
what a great idea! This is something I could have the kids do to use up all the leftovers around here!
I love love LOVE this! Such a great idea for those small balls of wool. I have the perfect leftover for this and will start right away, only I’ll be crocheting because my knitting is….well…… a bit ho hum!!
That is really gorgeous!
Taryn – that is really cool! I think you should definitely add those to your line of goods!
Oh that came out so pretty and it makes me stop and think of all those sweaters I accidently felted into mini sweaters in the wash. They would have made great pillows.
I make granny squares with my left over yarn.