New twist on an old pattern

Twelve squares make one side

The snow has finally melted here in Hampshire but it certainly was cold over the past week, so I was glad that I'd finished a new hot water bottle cover for my niece.  As she's a Harry Potter fan I had used blue and a bronzey brown to reflect the colours of Ravenclaw house.  Now, I know what you are going to say, this piece is actually crochet rather than knitting, which is perfectly true.  However, this is ancient Woman's Weekly pattern makes an ideal cover to keep the toes toasty but not overheated.  It is also about as far as my crochet skills will stretch, but I hope you will agree that it makes a striking piece. 


Detail of the square

Pompoms made easy!

Pompom with the rings used to make it

 

Don't you just love making pompoms - those wonderful little trimmings that can add so much to a piece of knitting but what a nightmare to make!  All that messing about with a pair of compasses, a ruler, pieces of cardboard, a pair of scissors and that's before you even start winding the thing!  So, imagine my joy when I discovered a nifty little gadget from Pony - a pom-pom maker!  Three interlocking plastic rings of different sizes to help you make the perfect pompom and colour coded to make sure you don't get muddled.

The pompom maker

 

Not convinced.  Well, I did wonder if this would be another of those knitting gadgets that looked good, but didn't really do the job.  So I took my new acquisition to road test at the Knit & Knatter held in Basingstoke Discovery Centre last Wednesday.  Being the first session of the New Year, there was a good deal natter than knitting or even winding of pompoms.  However, I eventually got down to the job and behold! about an hour later, the first pompom was made.  I can hardly describe how pleased I was!  You can judge the result yourself above.  I reckon this is just about the best pompom I've ever made!  So, farewell cardboard etc, the pompom maker is here to stay and I am looking forward to making more pompoms in the future.  In case you are interested, I got this one from Dunelm Mills in Newbury for the amazingly low price of £1.69, so great value as well as a great gadget.