Check out These Booklets Full of Knit Holiday Cheer

It might be a little late to order these books from Leisure Arts to make something for this Christmas, but they’d be a great gift for the knitter in your life (or you) who loves to knit things for the holidays.

The Stockings Were Knit by Mickey Landau includes eight cute stocking patterns: one with a dog theme and a cat theme, one with a cool textured colorwork cuff, one decorated with bells, one with herringbone and a bit of lace (pictured on the cover), on covered with snowflakes, one with a snowy scene and one with a gingerbread man (see some of them on Ravelry). They’re all really cute and best for intermediate knitters.

Beaded Ornaments is a collection of 12 knit balls, with beads worked in different designs, made to slip over a ball ornament (the page on Ravelry is for an older version, but the patterns are the same). There are a variety of designs here including hearts, crosses, zigzags, stripes and diamonds. Because they are worked in the round and include beads, all the patterns are rated intermediate, but they aren’t really that difficult.

Either of these books would be fun to start knitting for next year or to whip up a quick ornament or two for gifts this year.

Are you done with your gift knitting yet? I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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