Surprises in the Cabinet

I store a lot of my patterns in this large cabinet in our kitchen. My daughter Kelley has never been happy about this because she says this cabinet makes a good "hiding place" and she yearns for the day I clean it out so she can have this big ole cabinet to hide in.

Last night I was looking at a few patterns I have in there (not that there are a few patterns in there but that I only got around to looking at a few!) and found some of my old Workbasket magazines. Those older issues are so fascinating to look at. I'm talking about the ones from 1947, '48, '49, and '50s. I found a pattern to make a yarn bunny (remember the yarn dolls where you just wrap yarn around cardboard, slip it off, and tie it off in strategic locations to form hands, arms, legs, head, etc.?). It's in the February 1950 edition. While I started it, I'm concerned with the 'tidiness' of it. I was thinking to myself that it seemed so much easier when I was a child! But it is my first one, and a small one (about 4" tall), so it'll probably get easier with practice. Anyone know of any other good websites with instructions on these yarn dolls? I know Vanna White did one several years ago on Rosie O'Donnell's show and that Lion Brand put out a freebie leaflet with the pattern (I think it's even at the Lion Brand website), (yes, it is) but any other places you know of? Or do any of you have SIMPLE instructions to share? I'd love to practice making a few more.

Oh, while at Lion Brand's website, I found these cute Pom Pom Dolls which are another variation. How adorable!

While looking through this cabinet of surprises last night, Kelley was half-in/half-out reaching way back in the back for something. She came out with this!
A Spool Knitter (Knitting Knobby)! It was still in a sealed package and I remember when I bought this at the Welcome Center's gift shop in Cherokee, North Carolina during one of our trips to Gatlinburg, TN several years ago. I just bought Kelley a cord maker at a LYS, about which I previously posted and when she pulled this out last night, well, I just had to start a cord, too! I don't know what I'll do with the cord when I get done, but I figure I have plenty of time to think about it while I do this. It's a nice little project to pick up when you want to do SOMETHING but nothing that takes a lot of thought process. I believe that's what you'd call doing something "mindless"? ha ha