It's Getting to Be That Time of Year: Free Knitting Patterns for Christmas Ornaments

It's time again for my knitting group's annual ornament exchange.  The rules are always the same:  everyone who wants to participate brings a handmade ornament to exchange.  The ornament does not need to be knit, but it does need to be made by the person bringing it.

We haven't had our exchange yet, so I can't show you the ornament that I made.  But I thought I'd share some fun FREE knitting patterns I found for some cute ornaments.

First, the Little Christmas Tree Wreath by Magdalena Roslaniec - I made the ornament above following Magdalena's pattern.  The only changes I made were to use some ribbon for the bow instead of knitting my own, and gluing on some small beads as decoration.  I really enjoyed this pattern.  It's a quick knit, great for using leftover yarn, and makes a beautiful ornament.

I love Magdalena's pattern so much that I made a smaller version as a brooch or pin.  To make this smaller wreath, I cast on 12 sts on a #4 needle.  I knit my 3 cords for the braid as i-cords, and made each one about 6 1/2 inches long (40 i-cord repeats).  The resulting wreath is just under 3 inches in diameter.  Again, I added some ribbon as a bow and some beads for decoration.  I sewed a pin back in place on the back, but I think you could also use a stick pin to attach it to your clothing.

And a few shameless plugs for my own free ornament patterns:  These Cozy Little Snowmen are knit in the round from the head up through the hat.  These guys are a quick knit and great for using scrap yarn.  Once knit, you can add whatever facial features and accessories that you wish.

And this Yarn Ball Christmas Tree Ornament is a variation on my Yarn Ball Bookmark.  You can find the directions for the tree ornament at the bottom of my free pattern for the bookmark on my Hubpages.

Hope these free patterns give you some ideas for knitting your own Christmas Tree ornaments.  I also shared some patterns for Christmas ornaments last year that you might want to check out.  Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season!

Another Knitted Christmas Tree Ornament Tutorial (sort of)

A while back, I felted a Fair Isle sweater to make a sweater pumpkin decoration.  I loved the pattern on this sweater and had a lot of material left.  So I couldn't wait to use the same felted sweater to make some Christmas tree decorations.

The process for felting a sweater is quite easy and the materials to make these Christmas ornaments are quite basic.  All you need is an old ( or new) wool sweater, some coordinating fabric for backing your ornament, and some embellishments.  I have all the directions on my Hubpages!

I really love this little Christmas tree ornament!  The knitted Fair Isle pattern looks great on my little tree.  Check out the full tutorial!

2015 Christmas Ornament Exchange and Knitting Patterns

Last night was my knitting group's annual Christmas ornament exchange.  This is our fourth year having an ornament exchange and the rules are pretty simple.  Everyone who wants to participate brings a handmade ornament.  The ornament does not need to be knitted or crocheted, but it must be handmade by the group member.

I didn't have any great ideas for my ornament until I came across this super cute knitted mouse fairy (free!) pattern from Alan Dart.  I knew this pattern would be perfect for the ornament exchange.  The pattern is pretty quick and easy.  The finicky part is attaching the ears, wings and legs.  The main change I made was making a snowflake wand for my mouse.  I just used an eye pin and glued a small plastic snowflake to the top.  I'm really happy with how it came out.

Once I decided on my furry fairy, I came across even more wonderful knitting patterns for Christmas ornaments.  Here are some of my other favorites (not all free):

Holiday Stars and Ball Ornaments from Redheart (free)

These colorful Balls Up! by General Hogbuffer (free)

This cute Basket of Yarn pattern from RedHeart (free)

This Pretty Pink Ewe by Susan McClaskey - this pattern has a fee, but is a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. A great way to give back during this holiday season!

And these tiny wooden animals and the sweater patterns to dress them from Susan B. Anderson - the sweater patterns are free, but the wooden animals are for sale through the Juniper Moon etsy shop as a fundraiser for Heifer International.  These guys are so cute, and such a great fundraiser.

I hope these patterns give you some great ideas for your holiday decorating and gift giving!

Free Knitting Pattern: Tree Skirt (or Doily) for Table-Top Christmas Tree

My latest free knitting pattern is a round doily designed as a tree skirt for miniature or table-top Christmas Tree.  This skirt or doily features bands of different stitch patterns and can be adjusted in size depending on your needs.

Although designed as a Christmas tree skirt, you could also use this pattern to knit a round doily to put under a plant, decorative bowl, or lamp.  I chose not make my tree skirt very Christmas-y because I wanted to use it under other things during the rest of the year. However, if you'd like to add more holiday cheer to your doily or skirt, there are a few ways to accomplish this by using novelty yarn with shiny tinsel woven in it, or yarn doted with sequin.  Or you can knit each band of the pattern in a different color of yarn, alternating between white, green, and red.

You can find this free pattern on my Hubpages!

Sweet Snowman Knitting Pattern: Holiday Knitting

As promised, I wanted to tell you what pattern Jennifer used to make my cute little snowgirl ornament.

My ornament from Jennifer

Jennifer said she used the "Parson Brown" pattern by Emily Ivey (it's a FREE pattern!), but changed the hat and added a scarf.

"Parson Brown" by Emily Ivey

This pattern is adorable and there's still time before the holidays to knit one for your tree or for a friend!

Knitting Group Ornament Exchange

Last night was my knitting group's third annual ornament exchange.  Each member makes an ornament to exchange within the group.  The ornament does not need to be knitted, but it does have to be handmade.

The purple and red button ornaments below were my contribution to the ornament exchange.  (You can find the directions to make all four of these ornaments on my Hubpages!)

In exchange, I received this sweet and cozy snowgirl ornament from Jennifer.  I don't know if Jennifer used a particular pattern to knit her, but I'll ask and let you know.

She's adorable, and right now I've got her on display with Rambo, my stuffed lamb, in the center of our wreath:

Having a Ball: Christmas Ornaments Made with Yarn

Yes, it's getting to be that time of year - when most knitters turn their creative minds to holiday knitting.  For me, the first project to tackle is my decoration for my knitting group's annual ornament exchange.

This year, I started playing around with yarn - layering it inside Christmas balls, wrapping it around Christmas balls, and turning Christmas balls into yarn balls.  I came up with four different designs, and I'm not sure which one to use for my ornament exchange:

Want to make your own yarn ornaments?  Check out my Hubpages for the directions for all four designs!