What's a girl to do?

When she has 9 balls of Rowan Big Wool (admittedly in a rather lovely shade of cherry red) and 2 balls of Rowan Chunky Print? These were originally destined for a jumper with a large, loose roll-neck, but it never happened (despite knitting both the front and back!).

So, in what t'other half considers my mad quest to make as many hats and things as possible in a short space of time, here's what I came up with:

first, a knitted toddler pompom beret, using the Big Wool






Don't think Teddy was too impressed though!













I then used most of the two skeins of Chunky Print to knit this super slouchy beret, using Crazy Aunt Purl's easy knit beret




Huge thanks to my colleague Rebecca for agreeing to model it in the freezing cold!



I then made a much-needed iPod cover with the remainder of the Chunky Print and a Vineyard beret with two balls of the Big Wool - can't show pictures of these as they are destined for delivery by Santa!!!

This still left me with SIX balls of the Big Wool - was I never going to use it all up?? After a little thought, I decided to go hell for leather and make a felted bucket bag. I used a 11.5mm crochet hook and just kinda made it up as I went along.....here's the bag and strap before it was felted (I also made an i-cord for the drawstring)

















and here it is after one cycle in the washing machine at 90 degrees (eeek!)



I'm really, really pleased with how it came out, given that I didn't know how well the wool would felt. I didn't measure the beast before it was felted, but the finished bag is 29cm across the base, and 27cm high - a perfect size! In the end, I decided not to put the strap on, it would have made it look too bulky....

So, that's it - no more Big Wool!!!! :-)