{yarn love}

Ever since my mother-in-law gifted me with a set of knitting looms last year, I've been really into yarn and any project that could possibly include yarn. There is something about it that is so cozy to me. I've made quite a few scarves with the loom and lately have been really addicted to playing around with it and trying new stitches and patterns (a couple of which have been a big FAIL, but whatever).

Aside from scarves, I have a couple holiday yarn-filled projects that I'm just itching to work on. One is a yarn wreath. I really want a new Christmas wreath for our front door, as the one we currently have is going on its 4th or 5th year, which is way longer than things usually last for me.

Awhile back I stumbled upon these yarn wreaths from Katie of The Constant Gatherer and about fell over - they are simply stunning.



Such a wonderful mix of nostalgia, whimsy and coziness. She has inspired me to try my hand at making one. She even included a tutorial on her blog recently.

Another project that popped into my head involves our Christmas tree. I knew that I wouldn't be able to decorate as usual this year, since I'll have four curious toddler hands grabbing at it, and most of my ornament collection is vintage and glass. Not a good combination.

I already had in mind to make some felt ornaments, but I realized this morning that I could knit a garland - talk about childproof decor! Then I thought, I'm sure someone before me has though of this idea, did a search on flickr, and sure enough - I found this lovely which was actually knitted without any tools, just fingers! You can find the tutorial here!



I'm wondering how long I need to make this garland - I might be knitting from now until Christmas!

Another thing I really want to learn is crochet. My mother-in-law is quite the granny square maker (see the lovely Christmas stockings she made for my boys here), and she taught me how to do a simple chain stitch quite a few months ago. I never thought about a simple crocheted chain being so usable, but today I found this card making tutorial on SisTV and wow - so fun!




Maybe I'll try my hand at this project too - when I find a spare second from knitting and wreath making. ;)

And I have to also share this photo of Elsie's yarn collection. I could stare at those beautiful colors for hours!



What is your favorite crafting material of the moment?