I’m angora.
Really.
You know, the fluffy stuff that gets up your nose?
Angora.

That’s the yarn that “comes from cute little bunnies that look for all the world like furry footstools with ears,” according to The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, Clara Parkes new book from Random House / Potter Craft press.

Okay, well, it’s not actually the book itself that claims I have the soul of a furry footstool… it’s a quiz that matches up Parkes’ descriptions of various yarn fibers with the major personality types.

So, if five quick questions about my yarn-based habits are anything to go by, this is a description of my essential inner psyche:

Angoras are eager to please and are highly sensitive. Flexibility and adaptability are your strengths and sometimes your weakness, as well. You are essentially a warm and feeling person, and little escapes your impressionable mind. You are generous with others and strive for harmony in your relationships.

Move over, Dr. Freud — we’ve got knitting needles, and we’re not afraid to use them!

Take the yarn quiz yourself, and you can see a preview of the book — plus download a high-res button image (like my angora bunny badge, but of course the one for your own personality fibre) to print out with pride — plus you can order up a real button when you sign up for the uber-tempting Potter Craft newsletter.

Now, tell — which fiber are you?

A colourful wreath hand-sewn from sweater remnants gives an eco-friendly twist to a traditional holiday decoration, in one of the more imaginative recycling ideas of the season.

It reminds me a bit of those wreaths made with tied strips of plastic bags that I’ve mentioned before, but only in the sense of an unconventional material used to fill out the basic wire wreath armature — the sweater fabric makes these wreaths so much more warm and friendly!


And while we’re keeping old sweaters out of the landfill and turning them to a festive purpose, why not go for sweater-sewn Christmas stockings, too?

These stockings each have a tiny outside pocket to hold an extra-special small gift.

Round out the woolly winter decor with ball-shaped ornaments bound with colourful yarn — somewhere between a homemade toy for a very pampered cat, and the layer-wrapped gift balls that the Victorians so enjoyed.

All three style of decorations are found in the Eco Accents section at Viva Terra.

Got a pair of googly eyes?

If you can make a simple pom-pom or tassel out of leftover yarn or string, you can make a cute pencil-topper.

The Yarn Council of America provides a simple how-to tutorial for making the pencil toppers, and you choose a favourite character. Make a cat, dog, frog, or snowman — or go from there to make a custom pencil puppet of your own design.

It could be the perfect happy little surprise gift to bribe (er, encourage) young kids to go merrily off to school…

I remember learning to make pom-poms with my best craft-buddy, Diane, when we were both about eight years old — it’s fun for kids, and it’s easy to do!

All you need is some yarn and a piece of cardboard about 4 inches long and as wide as you want your pom-pom to be — about 4 x 1½ inches is a useful size for most purposes, I’ve found.

Instructions:

Using a double strand of one color, or holding together two strands in two different colors for a two-tone pom-pom, wrap the yarn around the short side of the cardboard. (The more times you wrap the yarn around the cardboard, the fatter the pom-pom will be, so experiment to see how full you’d like it to be.)

To form the pom-pom, slide a doubled-up length of yard between the cardboard and the wrapped yarn, at the center point. Tie a tight knot around the wrapped yarn, remove the cardboard, and cut through the loops of yarn. Fluff it up, then trim off any loose ends if necessary.

Here’s an Idea!

To make a school-bag easy to find in a pile of similar bags, the Lion Brand® yarn people, in their By Kids, For Kids newsletter, suggest tying on a pom-pom. Such a simple, practical idea — like putting a colorful flag on the antenna of your car, so you can spot it in a parking lot!

For more yarn-using ideas, check out Lion Brand®’s free patterns for knitting, crochet, and craft projects. It’s well worth registering on the site to get access to the free pattern section and newsletters.