I personally don’t know how to knit, but I have a heart for knitters. My oldest daughter Kendra has been knitting for about 9 years. She is designing her own patterns and dyeing her own yarn. It is amazing to see the projects she creates, but before she became an amazing knitter, she practiced — a lot!
So what is a mom to do with a million little knitted squares and long knitted “scarves?” Each one is precious and you don’t want to discourage your budding knitter. Christmas is just around the corner, so why not make some homemade gifts. Here are a few ideas.
8 Homemade Gifts from a Knitted Square (or Rectangle)
1. Napkin Holders
Take two opposite corners of the square and sew them together. You can add an embellishment such as a bow or felt flower with hot glue.
2. Coffee Cozy
Measure the circumference of a paper coffee cup. Create a rectangle (4 inches tall and as long as the circumference measurement) and sew the short ends together. Slip on to your paper coffee cup to keep your hands from getting too hot and your coffee from getting cold.
3. Fingerless Gloves
Measure width of hand and multiply times two. Knit a square with the sides each equal to this measurement. Fold in half, and sew two sides together, leaving an open space for the thumb to stick out.
4. Pot Holder
There are two types of pot holders you can make from a square. The first one is just your plain square pot holder. It is best if it is made of wool, then felted. To do this, you make a square about 50% larger than you want your finished pot holder to be. Then wash the pot holder in hot water (in the washing machine) and dry in the dryer.
If you want a pot holder to slip over the handles of your pans (cast iron or stainless steel, for example), simply fold the felted square pot holder in half and sew up the sides.
5. Head Bands
This is a fun one for young girls. Measure the circumference of their heads. Have them knit a rectangle approximately 2 inches wide and the length should be slightly shorter than the circumference of their head (the band will stretch). To decorate the head band, attached felted shapes with a hot glue gun.
6. Baby Booties
These cute little booties are a breeze to make. My daughter Kendra has a tutorial to make them in five simple steps.
7. Phone/Camera/Sunglasses Case
Measure the length of the item you want to make a case for and add approximately 1 inch to the length. Knit a square the length and width of your measurement. Fold in half and sew up the sides and bottom. Take a piece of yarn about 12 inches long and weave in and out around the top edge of the case. Tie ends of the yarn together and use as a drawstring for the case.
8. Checkers Game
Knit 32 black squares and 32 white squares. Sew together in an alternating pattern. Kendra made yo-yo’s to use for checker pieces, but you could use anything you have handy.
Felted Shapes
These are simple to make and can be used to decorate the knitted projects above. Knit a square of any size using wool yarn. Using a fine yarn creates a thin (and easier to cut) piece of felted wool. Wash with hot water (in the washing machine) and dry in the dryer. The fibers in the wool will bind together creating a solid piece of felted wool.
This is a great project for beginners because it doesn’t really matter if the stitches are not perfect. You can’t tell once it has been felted. After the square has been felted, cut out desired shapes (flowers, hearts, bows, etc).
By contributing writer Jasmine
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