Knitting tree ornaments with Arne and Carlos

Chronologically this was not the first post I wrote, but I consider the content to be the match that lit up my creativity.

When I came across this book I was immediately intrigued. And started to think for who I could buy this book. For myself quickly came to mind... This blog is slightly back dated and at the time I saw this book I was far from creatively productive. If I started something at all, I usually did not finish it. Therefore I did not feel that I "deserved" this book just for fun. In present time by the way I have no trouble at all to treat myself to a new creative book or pattern (although maybe I should).

Back to the question who to give it to, I decided that I could give it either to my mum or to a friend (who did not knit, but could always use an very cool book on her shelves about knitting gay guys) to whom I was her Secret Santa. But when the book arrived, and I took a sneak peek my self resistance caved  in. I simply had to have this book for myself! Judging from my enthusiasm you would almost think I get commission on the book because besides giving it to both my mum and my friend I have been promoting the book ever since. Just browsing through the book puts you in an instant happy holiday mood even if you can not knit.

I had learned knitting from my mother but I would never wear the sweaters that I knitted, because I was not ready to reveal my knitting skills to the world (a very common teenager thing at that time when knitting was far from cool). As some of you might know, knitting sweaters takes a relative long amount of time and you have to have quite some perseverance to finish it. These Christmas ornament took me about two evenings each, which makes them a great condensed project to start up knitting again. I say start up knitting again because if this is actually your first knitting project these balls can be nerve racking. The balls start out with a very small amount of stitches over four needles and for the beginner this might be hard to handle. But two of my friends that did not have much experience tried, succeeded and loved it (not the friend who got the book though, she prefers to keep these guys on the shelves, but you never know for the future..)

Most of the balls I made I gave away as presents. Where I have some pictures of a few that I kept.