The 12 Ornaments of Christmas
Christmastime is here!
It’s time for a little (knit) cheer!
Cast on one of these, and soon you will see:
a festive cute tree before thee.
I wrote that off the top of my head just now, clearly in a spout of yuletide Seussian inspiration. :) Yes, Christmastime is here, and so is 12 ornaments of Christmas volume two! Last year I found myself really inspired out of nowhere to design some holiday ornaments using a pack of Lion Brand Yarn’s Bonbons yarn in Beach. Not only is the Beach color palette summery, the yarns in this pack are cotton. Warm oranges and purples aren’t what we usually associate with winter or holiday crafting, but the sweet ornaments that resulted couldn’t have been more perfect to brighten up last year’s tree. This year, I wanted to take it another step further, again using cotton and nontraditional colors. This go around, we’ll have four rounds of three delightful patterns knit or crochet around a specific theme for you to make and enjoy. Today, let’s tackle winter gear-inspired knit ornaments!
PS: Next week will be all about the sweets, so keep your eyes peeled for some more adorableness. ;) And if you’ve had some of last year’s ornaments in your queue or work on any of the new patterns, don’t forget to play along with #handsoccupiedhohoho on Instagram.
Get an inexpensive, printable, ad-free PDF of the mitten pattern here and sweater here, or you can continue scrolling to see each pattern now.
Mitten Pattern
Updated 12/8/18.
Skill level: easy
Supplies
1 pack Lion Brand Yarn Bonbons in Beach, which comes with 8 mini skeins. – You need less than a skein of orange to complete the ornament.
size US 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles, double-pointed or long circulars
stitch holder or scrap yarn
scissors
tapestry needle
poly-fil
scrap ribbon
sewing needle & thread
Abbreviations & Terms
CO – cast on
sts – stitches
rnd – round
p – purl
rep from * – repeat the instructions following the asterisk as directed
(Y rnds) – Y indicates the number of times to repeat the round
k2tog – knit 2 sts together
ssk – slip one st as if to knit, slip one as if to purl, k2 sts together through the back loop
(X sts) – X indicates the number of sts that will now be on your needle
BO – bind off
kitchener stitch – a seaming technique used to graft live sts together. Here is a tutorial.
M1R – make 1 right-leaning stitch. Here’s a tutorial.
M1L – make 1 left-leaning stitch. Here’s a tutorial.
Gauge & dimensions: 22 sts & 28 rows over 4 inches, knit in stockinette stitch. Laid flat, the mitten measures approximately: 4” in circumference & 3.25” from cast on to bind off.
Looking for a printer-friendly version of this mitten pattern? Grab an inexpensive, ad-free PDF of this pattern right here.
The Pattern
Knit the body of the mitten
CO 30 sts and join into rnd.
rnds 1-4. *k1, p1; rep from * 15 times.
rnds 5-8. k 30.
Place 6 sts from beginning of rnd on holder. (24 sts will be worked as the mitten body.)
rnds 9-18. k 24, skipping sts on holder. (10 rnds)
rnd 19. k 10, k2tog, k 10, ssk. (22 sts)
rnd 20. k9, k2tog, k9, ssk. (20 sts)
rnd 21. k8, k2tog, k8, ssk. (18 sts)
rnd 22. k7, k2tog, k7, ssk. (16 sts)
rnd 23. k6, k2tog, k6, ssk. (14 sts)
rnd 24. k5, k2tog, k5, ssk. (12 sts)
rnd 25. k4, k2tog, k4, ssk. (10 sts)
rnd 26. k3, k2tog, k3, ssk. (8 sts)
rnd 27. k2, k2tog, k2, ssk. (6 sts)
rnd 28. k1, k2tog, k1, ssk. (4 sts)
Arrange remaining sts evenly on two needles. BO using the kitchener stitch.Knit the thumb
Worked on sts from holder. Rnd begins on outside of thumb, centered.
rnd 1. k2, M1R, k2, M1L, k2. (8 sts)
rnd 2. k3, M1R, k2, M1L, k3. (10 sts)
rnds 3-5. k 10.
rnd 6. *k3, k2tog; rep from * twice. (8 sts)
rnd 7. *k2, k2tog; rep from * twice. (6 sts)
rnd 8. *k1, k2tog; rep from * twice. (4 sts)
Arrange remaining sts evenly on two needles. BO using the kitchener stitch.Finishing
Weave in all ends. Sew the gap between the thumb sts and body of the mitten closed.Using a needle & thread, sew a scrap of ribbon to the back of your finished ornament to hang.
Get the free mini knit stocking hat pattern here.
Sweater Pattern
Updated 12/8/18.
Skill level: intermediate
Supplies
2 packs Lion Brand Yarn Bonbons in Beach, each of which comes with 8 mini skeins. – You need 2 skeins of red to complete the ornament.
size US 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles, double-pointed or long circulars
2 stitch holders or scrap yarn
scissors
tapestry needle
poly-fil
scrap ribbon
sewing needle & thread
Abbreviations & Terms
CO – cast on
sts – stitches
rnd – round
k – knit
p – purl
rep from * – repeat the instructions following the asterisk as directed
(Y rnds) – Y indicates the number of times to repeat the round
DPNs – double pointed knitting needles
k2tog – knit 2 sts together
ssk – slip one st as if to knit, slip one as if to purl, k2 sts together through the back loop
BO – bind off
Gauge & dimensions: 22 sts & 28 rows over 4 inches, knit in stockinette stitch. Laid flat, the sweater measures approximately: 2.75 inches across the body, 4.25 inches from neck to hem of sweater, & each sleeve is 4 inches in length from neck to sleeve hem.
Looking for a printer-friendly version of this sweater pattern? Grab an inexpensive, ad-free PDF of this pattern right here.
The Pattern
Knit the body
CO 32 sts.
rnds 1-4. *k1, p1; rep from * 16 times.
rnds 5–24. k 32. (20 rnds)
Transfer sweater body to a holder or another set of DPNs.Knit the sleeves
CO 10 sts.
rnds 1-4. *k1, p1; rep from * 5 times.
rnds 5-20. k 10. (16 rnds)
After each sleeve is knitted, place next to sweater body on holder or DPNs.Join the sleeves & shape the top
Place 2 sts from each sleeve and 2 sts per sweater side on safety pins or scrap yarn (4 sts per armpit, 8 sts total will be on holders). You will now be working with 44 sts.Distribute sts evenly 4 DPNs (11 sts per needle) before beginning. For the following, each rnd begins at outside edge of the right sleeve.
rnd 1. k 44. (44 sts)
rnd 2. k3, k2tog, k12, ssk, k6, k2tog, k12, ssk, k3. (40 sts)
rnd 3. k3, k2tog, k10, ssk, k6, k2tog, k10, ssk, k3. (36 sts)
rnd 4. k3, k2tog, k8, ssk, k6, k2tog, k8, ssk, k3. (32 sts)
rnd 5. k3, k2tog, k6, ssk, k6, k2tog, k6, ssk, k3. (28 sts)
rnd 6. k3, k2tog, k4, ssk, k6, k2tog, k4, ssk, k3. (24 sts)
rnd 7. k3, k2tog, k2, ssk, k6, k2tog, k2, ssk, k3. (20 sts)
rnds 8-9. *k1, p1; rep from * 10 times.
BO in pattern.Finishing
Use the kitchener stitch or a three needle bind off to close the underarm holes. Weave in all ends. Using a needle & thread, sew a scrap of ribbon to the back of your finished ornament to hang.
Thanks heaps for these great patterns that I could do through the year as gifts for Christmas. Merry Christmas to you from Cheryl Ashton in Wellington New Zealand.