Knit For Christmas

We know this time of year can be tricky, whether you’ve promised to craft your entire family and friendship circle hats, scarves and mitten sets; you’re attempting to create your own nativity for display before the festive season is over or you’ve realised the jumper you’re making for your husband will no longer fit due to the extra layer of podge he’s added to his middle in time for winter. Whatever seasonal stress is causing you sleepless nights, we have the remedy! With top tips from both readers and designers and some sensational stories of YOUR festive successes – 2018 will definitely be the year of happy handmade, for both you and the recipient!

Weird and Wonderful Wishlists

Planning is essential when knitting to a deadline, particularly one as important as Christmas Day, which LK designer Tina Barrett knows only too well. “I write a list of family and friends and match them up with the perfect project. Be mindful of over-complicated projects that will take too long and hinder the knitting schedule. Keep it quick and cute with the main emphasis on matching project to personality,” she told us. That being said, it can be difficult to say no when a family member has a certain project in mind, and it can only add to the complications if you aren’t sure exactly how to make the request come about.

LK reader Susan Evans has been there: “One week before the big day about five years ago, my granddaughter announced that she had asked Father Christmas for some Angry Birds. I had absolutely no idea what they were so had to get my son to send me some photos and then make up the pattern from scratch myself. I managed to get them done, and they have since been passed on to other members of the family so I think they were a success!”

LK designer Lynne Rowe thinks handmade presents take on an extra-special touch when linked to something the person likes, and loves going that bit further to personalise the gift. “For someone who loves a cuppa, you could knit up a teacosy and gift it with a pretty teapot, a box of their favourite tea bags and a packet of special biscuits. For someone who likes to go on long walks you could knit them a pair of mittens or a scarf and gift them with a pretty flask and a decorative lunch box. Going that extra mile means that the knits can be simpler and quicker to complete, and the present itself will have even more meaning for the recipient.“

LK reader Lou O’Sullivan loves to personalise her presents and told us how one year she made a particularly special Christmas surprise for her brother-in-law. “He is a huge fan of Guinness and collects all the memorabilia he can, so two years ago I decided to make him a unique present that he would really cherish. After putting my thinking (and knitting) cap into overdrive, I came up with the idea of a Guinness-themed stocking! I knitted the foot in the colours of the Irish flag and the main body in black with cream at the top to resemble a pint, I then knitted a toucan to sew onto the front. He was over the moon and said it would be hung up every single year! Well worth the time and effort.”

The Season for Giving

Charity knitting doesn’t need to stop to make way for Christmas knitting either, if you’re organised enough you can do both and spread the joy not just to your loved ones, but also across to those who need it most. Making extra toys and blanket squares means you can easily fill shoeboxes for festive collections and other great causes. Sometimes one great pattern is all you need for a whole stash of successful Christmas gifts.

LK reader Jenni Lin says, “A couple of Christmases ago my daughter needed some low cost gifts to pass on to her Rainbow unit so I knitted her some mini knitted stockings which she insisted had to be pink. We popped a small sweet inside and they were a success. I liked the idea so much that I made some for my Guide unit but in traditional red and green.”

One of our most popular designers, Anniken Allis thinks smaller projects are the way forward during the stressful festive knitting season and believes in the importance of maintaining enjoyment whilst you work. “It’s important to be realistic and stick to more manageable projects and setting deadlines and multi-tasking on multiple projects at the same time is key. If Christmas knitting is causing you too much stress, abandon it and knit something you enjoy instead – it should always still be fun!” she told us. The over-riding advice is to plan ahead and make sure you are still having fun doing our favourite craft whilst working on pieces for others. The moment you lose the sense of passion and the thrill of the project is the time to stop, as nobody would want to think their wonderful handmade gift made you unhappy or forced you into high stress levels.

Deck the Halls

Spreading the handmade effect at Christmas doesn’t always have to be in the form of presents. We discovered a number of you love making decorations too. LK reader Ann Graham spent a huge amount of time and effort making a stunning, intricate festive wreath for herself, but once her daughter saw this amazing creation - she wanted one too! “I had literally just finished knitting 33 holly leaves, 33 berries and a cover for both the wreath and the robin, which were all individually sewn on, but of course I couldn’t say no to my daughter so I started the whole process again!” Ann told us.

A touch of Christmas magic

No matter how stressful gift-knitting can be, the end result is nearly always worth the effort. LK reader Emily Hamilton-Kennedy knows this well, “I love knitting for my four-year old daughter and last year she wanted a blanket. I made some character squares to practise the intarsia method, starting in March thinking it would be a small six square blanket, but after the first one she asked for other characters totalling 15 squares. I was determined to finish it for a Christmas present and ended up sewing the squares together on Christmas Eve night.” Despite the stresses of such a laborious task, Emily doesn’t regret it in the slightest, “Seeing her open it and exclaiming how it was her favourite present completely made the nine months work and Christmas Eve panic completely worth it. To this day it is my proudest knitting achievement.” It’s that magical feeling that will keep us knitting our gifts, and we wish you all a fabulous and stress-free Knitmas!

If you are on the look out for a Christmassy knit that won’t raise your stress levels, click herefor a free festive pattern