Let's Get Festive

Festive Ideas

With just over six weeks to go until Christmas Day many of us are beginning to think about festive projects, especially if we are planning to make some decorations for the tree or for the house.

I have two new patterns for crochet decorations to show you today and I have also picked out two shawl projects from my collection that I think would make great gifts either for a loved one or for yourself!

I know that there is much uncertainty over what the holidays will be like this year, but I am sure that the act of giving and receiving remains incredibly special nonetheless, perhaps even more so!
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Mini Stockings
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These cute little crochet stockings make a lovely festive decoration and would look great hung on the Christmas Tree. They are big enough to fit in a small gift, so you could make some to use as an alternative to gift wrapping, or, if you fancy making 24 of them, you could create your own advent calendar and pop in some scrummy chocolate treats to enjoy during December!
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The stockings do not use much yarn so are a great stash busting project too! Why not try making stockings with brightly coloured stripes from lots of colours or add different types of decoration on the cuffs like bright pom-poms or bigger beads?
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The pattern includes the instructions for four variations of the stocking. Two of the stockings are striped and two have a cuff. One stocking has a beaded cuff and another has a crochet holly detail. The pattern is written for DK weight of yarn and the stockings are worked in the round. The pattern is written in UK terms and has a chart for US equivalents at the front of the brochure.

The pattern is £5.95 and you can get the paper pattern via the web site here or you can download it via Ravelry or Etsy.

Festive Decorations
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I love putting the decorations on the tree or around the house at Christmas time. I have a really eclectic assortment of hanging baubles, adornments and trimmings that I use to make our home feel festive.  Our decorations have been collected over the years - some belonged to Andy’s grandparents and we have baubles we found whilst on trips away and some were made by my children when they were small. My favourite is probably the paper angel with a head made from a ping pong ball, with a wonky smile drawn in felt tip pen and a dress made from a paper doily that Charlie made when he was at primary school, although I think he cringes a little when I pop it on the tree!
 
I love the way unpacking the decorations year after year and arranging them around the house brings back lots of lovely memories and good feelings. Handmade decorations make extra special gifts as they convey that sentiment too and are a great way of using up odds and ends of yarn from your stash.
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For these hanging decorations I have used four shades of yarn for a more contemporary, simple look, but I think these would also look great made with all sorts of yarn types and colours with added buttons, beads and ribbon to add in a big splash of fun!

The pattern in written for five decorations and I have included an alternative shade sequence for each one, so you can see I have included ten decorations in the images.

The pattern is written in UK terms, but includes a list of US equivalents. The pattern is available as an 8 page paper brochure or you can purchase a download copy via Ravelry or Etsy.
 

Oonagh Hand Knitted Cushion Cover
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I designed this cushion cover for a workshop trip to the West of Ireland that I tutored last year. As the focus of the trip was the knitting heritage of the Aran Islands, that sit at the mouth of Galway Bay, I chose to use traditional cable stitch designs and textural patterns. To give the cover a more contemporary twist, and because I adore a bit of bling, I also added some beads using a slip-stitch method that enables the beads to create a cross pattern. 
 
I used traditional cream yarn as the shade for the first cushion cover with gold and green beads to echo the national colours of Ireland, but I had a feeling it would also look great in red with silver beads, so I set about commissioning a new version especially for the festive season. I really love the way the silver beads sparkle on this cover.
 
The pattern is written for West Yorkshire Spinners Colourlab DK, but you can use any DK weight yarn and of course you can use any yarn shade and bead combination. Andy has the Colourlab yarn in stock on the Just Knots web site here and you can get the pattern, the beads and the leather buttons along with the yarn on the Just Knots site - Andy has added drop down options from this page for you to put your own selection together.

​You can find the paper pattern by following this link and the download version is available via Ravelry or Etsy.

​Hollicarrs Wrap
 

​This project was originally designed for my good friend Rachel Atkinson, using her lovely yarn brand Daughter of a Shepherd and the pattern first appeared in Rachel’s fabulous book Volume 1: Beginnings. The pattern has since been updated to use 4ply yarn.
 

I love adding beads to crochet and felt that this lace design showed the subtlety of the twinkling beads beautifully. Beading is much easier than you would think, and you can find a free YouTube video via our channel that shows how to thread the beads and work the beading techniques needed for this design. You can find a lovely assortment of beads via the Just Knots web site - you will need 3 packs for this project and 200g (approx 800m) 4 ply yarn. You can find more details of the yarn used in the project by following this link.
 
You can find the paper pattern by following this link and the download version is available via Ravelry and Etsy.

​Lotus Flower Shawl
 

Within the City Palace complex in Jaipur there are four gate buildings that surround the inner courtyard, which leads to the Chandra Mahal – the main palace building within the complex. The four gates are adorned with themes that represent the four seasons and Hindu Gods. The Lotus Gate, which sits to the southern side of the courtyard, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva-Parvati, was the inspiration for this design. The Lotus Gate represents the summer and the incredible painted patterns within the archway around the central wooden doors feature a continuous fanned flower tessellation and Lotus flowers in full bloom are featured on the façade. 
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​The Lotus Gate alone features a huge amount of wonderful surface pattern and therefore design inspiration, but it is the Peacock Gate, which sits to the Northern side of the courtyard, and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the winter season, which is the most ornately decorated. If you ever get a chance to visit Jaipur, you must make sure you go to the Palace and seek out the gates, or, if you’re not likely to visit India, you can find a great article about the gates here.
 

You can find the paper pattern for this project by following this link and you can find the download version by following these links to Ravelry or Etsy.
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​Other Projects

If you fancy getting stuck into another project, but don't like the look of those I have featured here, how about checking out the Janie Crow brochure - simply click on this link or on the image below to be taken to the full colour download version or pop one in your cart alongside any other purchases on the Janie Crow web site and we will send you a paper copy for free.
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​Sending you lots of virtual yarny hugs!
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I have been nominated within the Craft Influencer of the Year category of the Craft Business Awards once again. I was fortunate enough to win this award for 2020 and would love to do so again. If you would like to vote for me then click on this link or on the image below to be taken to the online voting forms.
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