Last Minute Christmas Knitting

Like knitters all over the world – I am working on a last minute Christmas gift.  I should have started it earlier.  Every year – I say “don’t do” it  or “start in January”, but here I am again.

It is not really that stressful.  It is a shawl for my Mother and I don’t need to finish it until this time next week – so I have got plenty of time!!

Like a lot of shawls I have knitted – it uses 2 balls of contrasting yarn.  The plain colour is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply which is 75% wool and 25% nylon.  The multi-coloured yarn is Queensland Collection Perth which is 80% wool and 20% nylon.  The shade is called Alice Springs.  I know I was attracted to it because it seemed the most cheerful shade.

The design is a corruption of shawl pattern I have knitted before by Elanor King.  It isn’t that like it really.  It is just a fairly simple garter stitch shawl with about 6 rows of purl to create a ridged pattern.

I will try to remember to take a photo of it again when it is finished.  It is not very good weather for photos – it is either too dark or too bright.  I suspect I am at work when it is the ideal light for taking photos.

I hope anyone reading this gets lots of wool for Christmas and has the time to enjoy knitting it.

Christmas Wreath

There are a few words that I find difficult to spell – wreath is one of them – I want to put wreathe.  I think the latter is a verb.

This is a present which I have made for Oxford Yarn Store’s birthday.  It would make more sense as a Christmas present – but it is the store’s birthday at this time of the year.

I have knitted several different wreaths over the years and no 2 have been the same.  Basically I use some dark green to knit the basic ring shape and then stuff it.   I just knitted a straight piece of stocking stitch and then joined the end to the beginning to make a ring.  I then joined the sides to make a tube leaving a gap for the stuffing. 

I then use a Loopa to produce some foliage using 4 or 5 different dark green yarns including something textured.

Then I knit bits to decorate the wreath.  This time I have knitted 2 different kinds of red flowers.  

I have knitted some basic leaves and cut some leaves out of an old jumper which I had felted.   Thirdly I knitted a bit of holly.  This is fun but a bit fiddly.

I could have left it at that but I think I will sew on some gold beads to lift it a bit and make the finished wreath a bit more sparkly!

Below I am including a rough pattern for knitting a Christmas Wreath – without the instructions for a open flowers (which are not mine to publish).  However – if you want to make a wreath – I advise you to make one up using whatever yarn you have and decorating however you wish.

Christmas Wreath Pattern

Materials

100g DK in dark green
50g DK in contrasting shades of dark green (ideally include something textured if you are going to use a Loopa)
50g textured DK in red
50g of red DK for berries and roses
Small amount of yellow DK yarn
Gold beads
Stuffing material for the base.
4mm needles
Loopa (if available)

Base

Using dark green DK and 4mm needles cast on 30sts and work in stocking stitch for 186 rows.  Cast off and sew the top to the bottom to form a ring.  Join the side seams leaving a gap to add the stuffing.  Stuff the ring and sew up the gap.

Roses (Make 3)

Using red DK and 4mm needles cast on 35sts.

Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: *K2, M1, (pick up the loop between the sts and knit into the back of it); repeat from * to end. (52sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: *K3, M1; repeat from * to end. (69sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: *K4, M1; repeat from * to end. (86sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: *K5, M1; repeat from * to end. (103sts)
Cast off.
Wind up into a rose shape and sew together leaving a tail to use to sew the rose onto the wreath.

Rose Leaves (Make 16 or as many as required)

Using green DK and 4mm needles cast on 3sts.
Row 1: K1, M1, K1, M1, K1. (5sts)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K2, M1, K1, M1, K2 (7sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K3, M1, K1, M1, K3 (9sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: K4, M1, K1, M1, K4 (11sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: skpo (Slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over), K7, K2tog. (9sts)
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: skpo, K5, K2tog. (7sts)
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: skpo, K3, K2tog. (5sts)
Row 14: Purl.
Row 15: skpo, K1, K2tog. (3sts)
Row 16: Purl.
Row 17: Slip 2sts together, K1, pass the slipped stitches over. (1st)
Fasten off.

Red Christmas Roses (Make 4)

I used Nicky Epstein’s small flower pattern for these.  You could use any flower pattern you have access to.

Holly leaf (Make 4)

Using dark green DK and 4mm needles, cast on 3sts. 

Row 1: K1, M1 (pick up the loop between the stitches and knit into the back of it), K1, M1, K1. (5sts)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K2, M1, K1, M1, K2. (7sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K3, M1, K1, M1, K3. (9sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: Cast off 3sts, M1, K1, M1, K4.
Row 8: Cast off 3sts, P4.
Row 9: K2, M1, K1, M1, K2.
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: Cast off 2sts, K4.
Row 12: Cast off 2sts, P2
Row 13: Slip 2sts together, K1, pass the slipped stitches over.
Fasten off.

Holly berries (Make 6)
Using red DK and 4mm needles cast on 4sts, and work in stocking stitch for 3 rows. Cast off.  Tie the cast on tail to the cast off tail and shape into a ball.

Join the berries together and sew the leaves together.  Sew in any ends. Then sew the berries onto the front of the leaves.

Loop to hang wreath
Using 2 strands of dark green DK make a chain of 20sts.  Make into a loop and sew onto the top of the wreath base (at the back).

Finishing
Make a Loopa “scarf” in 5 shades of green.  If you haven’t got a Loopa – you could just add more leaves. As well as the Loopa scarf, I added additional leaves by felting an old jumper and then cutting out leaves from that. 

Position everything on the base and then sew into place.