handmade by stefanie

Knitting or crocheting ornaments is a fun way to use up leftover yarn while adding a handmade touch to your holiday decorations. They also make great gifts and look adorable on top of a prettily wrapped package in place of a bow. Here are some of my favorite knit and crochet patterns I've used over the years, plus a few new ones to try out! Images via sources below. Knitted Ornaments Top Left:   Holiday Cheer Ornaments (free) by Kate Gagnon Osborn - these fun ornaments are designed for fingering weight yarn, perfect for mini skeins ! Top Right: Knit Candy Cane Ornament (free) by Heidi Gustad - you can't have Christmas without candy canes!! Middle:   Snowball Buddies ($6) by Susan Claudino - a few years ago, I made several of these and they were so darn cute! Most of them were given away as gifts, so I might dig out this pattern and knit a few more for 2018. Bottom: Mochimochi Snowmen and Teeny Tiny Santas ($3) by Anna Hrachovec - I've always been a fan...

After admiring this pattern on Ravelry/Pinterest/etc for many years, I finally purchased it to make some to give as gifts this year. I whipped up this cute trio of Snowball Buddies in about a week and gave them to folks at my salon, who loved them! This is a really great project for leftover bits of yarn. I plan on several more with my worsted weight odds and ends this holiday season! You can purchase the Snowball Buddies pattern here on Ravelry.

In recent years, I've been getting into the holiday spirit by knitting and crocheting holiday decor and tree ornaments for my house. This year, we'll be staying in Chicago for Christmas and  we have a bigger tree....so I would love to see what other folks are doing, too, in the hopes that it helps me fill up my own tree! Just for fun, I thought I'd try to start a new hashtag on Instagram (but feel free to use it elsewhere) to make it easy to share & discover handmade holiday decor - just tag your photo with #yarnyxmas to play along! Here are a few of my favorite projects which I've made in years past: Snowman, Build Your Own by Stacey Trock of FreshStitches Olive the Monster Christmas Tree Ornament by Rebecca Danger Cupcake from the Christmas Knit Ornament Pattern Set by Amy Gaines Hot Chocolate Run Polar Bear by Sarah Delaney I can't wait to see which patterns everyone else is making this year! News Flash: Shop Craftsy'...

Last weekend, I finished this adorable Flamingo from the FreshStitches Kit Club! Isn't he cute? You'd never know that winter has arrived here in Chicago - I managed to find the one part of our back yarn that hasn't yet died for the season! I also finally found a frame for my Excelsior , which was my TSOLKAL project. Now it's hanging in my craft room, where it coordinates with the curtains almost perfectly. I think it needs a few friends, but that will have to wait til I'm done with my holiday gift-making, of course. Speaking of holiday gift-making....the Indie Design Gift-along is here! Click here for all the details over on Ravelry, but in a nutshell, the GAL (as it's commonly referred to) is a great way to support indie designers while also saving money on your pattern purchase and having opportunities to win some amazing prizes ! Participating designers will be offering selected designs for 25% off with the coupon code GIFTALONG2014 . Look f...

Lately, I've become more than a little obsessed with pom poms. Ever since I got this new set from Knitter's Pride, I've wanted to put pom poms on everything I own! Rejoice Pom Pom Maker Set from Knitter's Pride. I used the tiniest size to make these wee little pom pom magnets using leftover handspun and other scraps of yarn. The largest size made for the perfect tree topper: And I used some funky novelty yarn I'll never knit with to make this ornament, too: I've been seeing all kind of interesting uses for pom poms on pinterest. Below are are just a few of my favorite ideas, but you can see more on my new Inspiration: Pom Poms pin board! Pom Pom Garland Button Bunnies with Pom Pom Tails Pom Pom Tree Garland Pom Pom Wreath What are your favorite uses for pom poms? I'd love to find more fun crafts to put my new pom pom maker to use!