A few ideas for Christmas knitting

I’ve been off work sick for the past few days. Seeing as looking at any screen for a prolonged period of time made my head want to explode, the bright side is that it gave me plenty of time to work on my newest knitting project (while wrapped in a blanket, drinking tea and occasionally weeping pathetically).

I can’t write about what I’m actually making in case the person I’m knitting for stumbles across this post – I’ll have to write about it after Christmas – but it got me thinking about Christmas knitting. So, here are some tips to help you get started with your crimbo crafting.

Get a bit weird and cutesy.

Christmas is a festival of all things adorable and wintry. Embrace it, friend. There are some great Christmas knitting boards on Pinterest and one of my favourites is by Let’s Get Crafty magazine,  which also links through to all the patterns. Don’t be afraid to knit some novelties – they make really cute gifts and can be whipped up really quickly!

Perfect patterns
Where to start? If you’ve been thinking wine bottles look a little chilly this time of year you’re not the only one. In fact, so are mugs! And how could I mention ‘cute’ without linking to one of my favourite designers, Anna Hrachovec? Her teeny creations are ideal stocking fillers; start with a whole herd of Tiny Reindeer (pictured top).

Think big. Big yarn, that is.

By that I mean – go chunky. You only have one pair of hands and so many hours in a day, and the likelihood is you also have to squeeze in boring stuff like working, feeding yourself and sleeping (snore). So rather than planning in loads of crazy, fiddly 4ply, stick to patterns using chunky yarn.

Perfect pattern
Desperate to knit a cute Christmas jumper?  Try the gorgeous owls sweater pattern by Kate Davies Designs (see above). There’s even an adorable owlet pattern for little ‘uns. Aw.

Accessorise.
When I started thinking about Christmas knitting (in, like, August) I was convinced I was going to knit everyone I know a jumper. Everyone. All of them. A couple of months on I realise that’s totally crazy, and things like socks, scarves and hats are the way to go.

Perfect pattern
These chunky knitted slipper boot patterns are completely free, and would make a super snuggly present for someone with chilly toes.

Toys, toys, toys.

Toys aren’t just for kids. Well, I mean, they’re supposed to be – but some are just so cute even grown-ups can’t resist. Knitting up a few animals is a great way to use up leftover yarn, or to just indulge your obsession with knitted animals in funny outfits. Whatever, really.

Perfect patterns
I love pretty much everything by Barbara Prime, (non Ravelry-ers can view her adorable designs here) but especially her beautiful Pug with Anorak. Totally irresistible. I also recently stumbled across the pretty natty Sophisticated Mr Fox by Amanda B Collins.

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Anyway, they’re just a few places to start. What are you knitting for Christmas? Let us know 🙂

Personalised map heart print

Ok, so I know this isn’t technically hook, knit or stitch related but I really wanted to share this with you anyway!

Not that long ago, our friends decided to get married! With the wedding day impending, James (my boyfriend) and I were wracking our brains trying to figure out what we could get them. We didn’t want to conform to the ‘gift list’ they had created or get them the standard ‘we couldn’t think of anything’ gift voucher, we  wanted to give them something more personal, something that made them think of us everytime they saw it…

So, after some considerable thought and several days later, we came up with the idea of making them a personalised map heart print. Now I know what you are thinking, these are available everywhere(!), but by making it ourselves not only was it nice because we had taken the time and energy to make it together but it was also loads cheaper (bonus!)!

In our print we decided to use three map hearts. The one on the left is where the bride grew up, the one on the right the groom and the one in the middle where they met (which in this case was Paris – how romantic!). It was so simple to make and we were really chuffed with how it turned out and with the couple now wed, I can also report that the bride and groom loved it too (yay!).

To make a lovely map heart print like ours, all you need is:

– Cheap frame (we got ours from Wilkos for £4.99)
– A nice bit of card for the background
– Photocopied sections of map that relate to where the bride and groom grew up and where they met (this will save you cutting up and ruining expensive maps you may have purchased)
– Scraps of card which you can cut into heart shapes
– Glue (we used mod podge matt)
– Scissors!

1. Cut your cream card to size so that it fits neatly into your frame. This will provide a background for your map hearts so make sure you choose a colour that works well with your maps.

2. Draw and cut out three heart shapes around the sections of map you have chosen. Make sure all the hearts are the same shape and size by using a template to draw around – this makes it so much easier, trust me!

3. Mount your three map hearts onto the scrap bits of card and cut out so you end up with three map hearts backed with card.

4. Carefully measure out where you want each of your map hearts to go on the background you cut out earlier and then, stick them into place.

5. Give it time to dry and then pop it into your frame and you’re done! Now all you have to do is wrap it up nicely and remember to take it with you on the wedding day!!