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Knit Gift Box Ornament – 12 Ornaments of Christmas

November 23, 2015 Leave a Comment

A cute pattern for a knit gift box ornament for the holidays! Click through for the free pattern.
Oh, what’s that? For me? Well, it’s the third ornament of Christmas, so it’s actually a new pattern for you. ;) Even though this third ornament in the series looks just like a present, I’m still clinging to my promise from the series kickoff to avoid sharing overly festive stuff as long as possible. I’m hoping the orange and purple colors are helping keep things subtle. Just you wait, though! With Thanksgiving (a.k.a. the herald of all things Christmasy) on Thursday, the floodgates will be opening, bringing all the red, green, and evergreen I can think up. Enjoy!

Get an inexpensive, printable, ad-free PDF of this pattern here, or you can continue scrolling to see the pattern now.

A cute pattern for a knit gift box ornament for the holidays! Click through for the free pattern.
Don’t forget! If you make this or any other of the 12 ornaments of Christmas, you can share them on social media using #handsoccupiedhohoho! 

Knit Gift Box Ornament Pattern

Updated 12/8/18. 

Skill level: basic

Supplies
1 pack Lion Brand Yarn Bonbons in Beach, which comes with 8 mini skeins. – You need less than a skein of orange and purple to complete the ornament.
size US 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles
scissors
tapestry needle
poly-fil
scrap ribbon
sewing needle & thread

Abbreviations & Terms

CO – cast on
sts – stitches
WS – wrong side
sl 1 wyif – slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front
p – purl
RS – right side
rep – repeat
BO – bind off
mattress stitch – A seaming technique for joining knit pieces. Here’s a tutorial.

Gauge & dimensions: 22 sts & 28 rows over 4 inches, knit in stockinette stitch. Finished ornament measures approx. 1.5” per edge.

Looking for a printer-friendly version of this pattern? Grab an inexpensive, ad-free PDF of this pattern right here.

The Pattern

Box panels (make 2)

CO 12 sts in orange.
odd rows 1-11. (WS) sl 1 wyif, p 11.
even rows 2-12. (RS) sl1 wyif, k 11.
row 13. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k 11.

even rows 14-24. sl1 wyif, k 11.
odd rows 15-25. sl1 wyif, p 11.
row 26. (RS) sl 1 wyif, p 11.

rows 27-38. rep rows 1-12.
BO all sts.

Lay your rectangles perpendicular to each other as shown below, and begin joining the two rectangles using the mattress stitch. You can sew one continuous line starting at the point shown in the diagram without having to break your yarn. When you get to the last sides to be joined, stuff your cube with poly-fil before finishing the seam.

How to join two long rectangles into a cube shape.
Box band (make 2)

CO 4 sts in purple.
odd rows 1-11. (WS) sl 1 wyif, p3.

even rows 2-12. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k3.

row 13. (WS) sl 1 wyif, k3.
even rows 14-24. sl 1 wyif, k3.

odd rows 15-25. sl 1 wyif, p3.
row 26. (RS) sl 1 wyif, p3.
rows 27-38. Rep rows 1-12.
row 39. (WS) Rep row 13.
rows 40-51. Rep rows 14-25.
BO all sts.

Sew ends of each band together, forming a loop (be careful not to twist the band when you sew the ends together). Place both box bands around the box, forming a plus sign as shown. It’s not necessary to sew them to the box unless you prefer to.

Box bow

CO 4 sts in purple.

odd rows 1-7. (WS) sl 1 wyif, p3.
even rows 2-8. (RS) sl 1 wyif, k3.
row 9. (WS) sl 1, k3.
even rows 10-16. sl 1 wyif, k3.
odd rows 11-17. sl 1 wyif, p3.

Sew ends of band together, forming a loop (be careful not to twist the band). Wrap some scrap yarn around the center of this small loop so it looks like a bow. Leave approx. 6-8” tails from the scrap yarn to tie the two bands of the box together as shown.

Finishing
Weave in all ends. Using a needle & thread, sew a scrap of ribbon to the back of your finished ornament to hang.

A cute pattern for a knit gift box ornament for the holidays! Click through for the free pattern.
A cute pattern for a knit gift box ornament for the holidays! Click through for the free pattern.
Missed anything? Catch up with all of the ornaments in the 12 ornaments of Christmas series here.

Filed Under: Christmas, Free Patterns, Knitting Tagged With: 12 ornaments of christmas, gift box, gift box ornament, knit ornament, knitting pattern, ornaments of christmas

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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