The hound of the holidays is already nipping at my heels.  You’re probably familiar with this…the voice that says, “You gotta get ready! Start buying! Start making! Start preparing!”  And as November flies by, the voice gets louder and louder, especially if I haven’t paid much attention to the hounding voice.  Every year I say, I’m going to start earlier!  Every year I say, I’m going to simplify!  And every year it ends up feeling like a mad dash to the finish line!  Yet every year, in the midst of the dashing, there are moments of sweetness: baking with my children, enjoying family and friends, and of course, creating gifts for certain people on the list.

Much of the time, when I set about to make a few gifts, this is how things go:

I look around me at what I have.  Paper, paints, yarn galore, fabric, buttons, etc.  And that sets my mind to wonder, “What can I make from all this?”

Last year, I kept peering into a huge stash of leftover yarns.  There they were…the “castoffs”, left over from other yarn projects, or the single ball of yarn that caught my eye on a sale table, or yarns that had been given to me from others who no longer wanted to store their stash.  I SO wanted to USE it!  Not give it away or throw it away.  Hmmm…

So I began putting colors together and came up with this wonderful bag that uses every color in the rainbow.  Genevieve is sporting the large one I’ve kept for myself.  You can see more photos of this one here.  I made them in all different sizes, with whatever yarns I had on hand.  The photo to the left is a small one, also made with multiple leftovers, though the bag can be made with just one yarn.  I line them all with fabric, to give the bag a finished look and to keep it from stretching too much. And of course, a hand-painted card completes the gift!

I’ve created a pattern that allows you to make ANY size bag you’d like.  My hope is that you’ll enjoy getting miles of fun out of just ONE pattern!  So many options, so many to make and give for friends and family members.  I’d love for you to share them with me, if you make one or more!

My next post will share with you another idea for using up what you have.  Repurposing what was once used for something else is a fantastic way to ward off the hound of the holidays!  I’d also love to hear how YOU deal with that ole hound!