Do you, like me, get seduced by those poor little orphan balls in the bargain basket in your local yarn store. You know the ones I mean, glittery, glitzy, gaudy - they sit there saying ' please buy me, all my brothers and sisters have been bought and there is just poor little me left, the last ball of this dye lot/colourway/range'. Of course you have to buy the sweet little thing and take it home, to love and nurture it - oh, and did I mention, it's been reduced to 99p!!
So now you have your collection of little orphan balls, what can you do with them? Well, here's what I did with some last year for a fundraising coffee morning. I knitted 'cosy cuffs'. They not only sold well, I got orders for more!
You can use them to brighten up a plain cardigan or sweater .....
.... dress up a pair of gloves .....
..... knit a pair to match all your jackets - it's amazing how much warmer you feel without the cold wind blowing up your sleeves!
But, I hear you cry, how can I knit these must-have fashion items? The answer is - it's easy-peasy. Experienced knitters look away, in case you're insulted that I think you might need instructions! First, look at the ball band for needle size and gauge. Decide how wide you want your cuff (they are knitted round the way) - remember to take into account the size of your ball of yarn. Cast on required number of stitches. Work in garter stitch until the cuff fits round your wrist. Now, here's a little tip - before you cast off, pop into the kitchen and weigh what's left of the yarn, to make sure you have enough to do the second cuff (I may be speaking from experience about running out a few rows from the end). Once you have worked your second cuff, sew the cast on and cast off edges together - that's it - I told you it was simple. If you have a large ball, you could be even more adventurous and do basic fingerless mits - simply cast on more stitches to make them wider and when you sew the edges together, leave a hole for your thumb. If you start collecting those poor little abandoned balls now, by the time Christmas comes round, you can knit cuffs for all your family and friends!