Homemade Knit, Sew and Crochet: 25 Home Craft Projects. Ros Badger

Pompoms

      Pompoms can be used in all sorts of fun and stylish ways; they lend a jaunty air to clothing and furnishings. Tie them to lengths of twisted wool to make attractive drawstrings for clothes, bags or gloves.

       You will need

       Cardboard circles. Decide what size pompoms you would like, then for each pompom cut two cardboard circles with that diameter. Cut out a smaller circle in the centre (to the proportions shown in the photograph, right)

       Darning needle or bobbin

       Yarn

       To make

      • With the yarn threaded through a large darning needle or bobbin, wind it all around the doughnut shape, tightly and thickly.

      • When the cardboard is covered and you can hardly get your needle through the central hole, cut the yarn all around the outer edge of the circle and secure by tying another piece of yarn tightly around the centre of the pompom.

      • Remove the cardboard and fluff up the pompom. Trim with a pair of sharp scissors to even it up into a perfect ball. This can also help the edges of the yarn to fluff up nicely.

      • Attach your pompom securely with matching yarn to whatever you are making.

      

       Striped woolly scarf

      This is just about the most simple scarf ever – and it looks great on men, women and children. Use contrasting colours for the cast-on and cast-off edge to add an attractive finish.

       You will need

       200g (7oz) chunky yarn in main colour (MC) – we used duck-egg blue

       Approximately 30g (1¼oz) chunky yarn in colour B (col B) – we used orange

       Approximately 30g (1¼oz) chunky yarn in colour C (col C) – we used green

       6.5mm (UK size 3; US size 10½) knitting needles

       Tension over garter stitch

      The yarn we used worked out at the following tension, but note the needle size and tension on your ball of wool (usually written on the ball band) in case it is different, and change accordingly.

      14sts and 26 rows = 10cm (4in)

       Abbreviations

       Measurements

      22 x 115cm (8½ x 45in)

       To make

      • With 6.5mm needles (UK size 3; US size 10½) and col B, cast on 30sts.

      Rows 1–4: Change to col C, knit.

      Rows 5 & 6: Col B, knit.

      Rows 7 & 8: MC, knit.

      Rows 9 & 10: Col C, knit.

      Rows 11 & 12: MC, knit.

      Rows 13–16: Col B, knit.

      Rows 17 & 18: Col C, knit.

      Rows 19–22: MC, knit.

      Rows 23 & 24: Col B, knit.

      Rows 25 & 26: Col C, knit.

      Rows 27–44: MC, knit.

      Rows 45 & 46: Col B, knit.

      Rows 47–52: MC, knit.

      Rows 53 & 54: Col C, knit.

      Rows 55–206: MC, knit.

      Rows 207 & 208: Col C, knit.

      Rows 209–214: MC, knit.

      Rows 215 & 216: Col B, knit.

      Rows 217–234: MC, knit.

      Rows 235 & 236: Col C, knit.

      Row 237–238: Col B, knit.

      Rows 239–242: MC, knit.

      Rows 243 & 244: Col C, knit.

      Rows 245–248: Col B, knit.

      Rows 249 & 250: MC, knit.

      Rows 251 & 252: Col C, knit.

      Rows 253 & 254: MC, knit.

      Rows 255 & 256: Col B, knit.

      Rows 257–260: Col C, knit.

      Change to col B and cast off. Weave in any loose ends.

      • For a longer or shorter scarf, add or reduce rows between rows 55 and 206.

       Tip

      If you’re looking for a great way to use up scraps of wool, incorporate lots of colour changes into your scarf. Just make sure that they are all of the same weight.

      

       Fingerless gloves

      These stripy gloves are warm and stylish but leave your fingers free. You can make them shorter by reducing the number of rows between rows 33 and 47, or longer by knitting extra rows before decreasing.

       You will need

       25g (1oz) of 4-ply wool in colour A (col A) – we used brown

       25g (1oz) of 4-ply wool in colour B (col B) – we used aubergine

       25g (1oz) of 4-ply wool in colour C (col C) – we used moss

       3.25mm (UK size 10; US size 3) knitting needles

       Abbreviations

       Tension

      14sts and 18 rows = 5cm (2in)

       Measurements

      Finished length is approximately 26cm (10¼in)

       To make the right glove

      • With 3.25mm (UK size 10; US size 3) needles and col B, cast on 59sts.

      Change to col A and work 6 rows in k1, p1 rib.

      Dec 1st at end of row 6. (58sts) (For decreasing, knit together the 3rd and 4th sts from the edge. This produces a fashioning mark on the gloves, which gives them a more stylish finish.)

      Cont with col A.

      Row 1 (RS): Knit.

      Row 2: Purl.

      Row 3: Using col B, knit.

      Row