A friend sent me a set of patterns for lots of little ornaments and the first one I had a go at was the Christmas tree. With all the big projects I’ve been working on this year, I’ve got plenty of leftovers in my stash, and so has Mum, so these are perfect for using them up.
The patterns are knitted flat and then sewn up, and just use
stocking stitch and lots of increasing and decreasing for shaping, as well as
colour changes. I used some of the shimmery Sirdar Softspun I had left over
from my Emerald Eyelet jumper to do alternate stripes with a plain green DK.
I always find stuffing things like this the fiddly bit and
it never seems to go the shape I want, but I’m quite happy with this one in the
end. I added the chain stitch tinsel and knot baubles to jazz it up a bit.
From the same set of patterns I also knitted a golden bell –
this one was really quick and only took a couple of hours from start to finish
one evening while watching the TV. This one has a circle of cardboard added to
give the flat-bottomed shape, and I added a longer hanging loop than the
pattern suggested.
I’m thinking about trying to work out these patterns to knit
on DPNs to avoid having to sew up a seam, and I could then stuff them as I go.
I don’t think it’ll be too difficult to figure out; I’ll let you know how I get
on.
My other Christmassy knits are baubles. The patterns are from 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne and Carlos. These are done on DPNs
and with fairisle colourwork, and although it was a bit fiddly getting started
with only a few stitches over four needles, it didn’t take me long to finish
and I’m really pleased with how they turned out. The first design is called Selbu with a repeated flower motif, the second a squirrel, just becuase it looked fun, and the third a Greek Cross which I think turned out the best because of practising with the other two, and because having more red as the base colour means the white stranding doesn't show through.
I'm now trying to knit a little cardi for my 8 month old little cousin's Christmas present, but I think I left it a bit late to start so it might end up being a New Year present!
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a very Happy New Year, and that 2015 brings you lots of crafty opportunities! x
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