Surprise Wool Ball - Wunderknäuel

Thanks to the Internet I am able to read German and English blogs and newsgroups. That's when I came across a post about knitting socks from a 'Wunderknäuel' - surprise wool ball in English. I remember those fondly from my childhood. It was a great incentive to get me knitting.

The picture above shows a Wunderknäuel with the knitting started and some of the content from the Wunderwolle blog, it is in German.

Now what on earth is a 'Wunderknäuel' - surprise wool ball? I asked at a local wool shop if they had ever heard of them and the answer was no, what is it. So it seems to be totally unheard of in the English speaking world, but quite common in the German speaking world.

A 'Wunderknäuel' - 'surprise wool ball' is a ball of wool that has been rewound around a bunch of 'goodies' or surprises.

For kids it was usally a toy or several that only became visible as you continued knitting. The surprises can be anything small enough that can be incorporated by winding it into the ball of wool. Most often is was enough wool to knit a pair of socks.

The picture above shows the content of a Wunderknäuel from Mandala's blog, it is in German.

I love the idea of the Wunderknäuel and exchanging them with friends. It is a great gift and for younger knitter or even crocheters a great incentive.

At Creadoo.com I came across the idea to make a Wunderknäuel for advent with 24 items in about 200 g of wool and each day you would knit to the next surprise until on December 24 you had finished your project.

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