Cute Ways to Wrap and Decorate for the Holidays from Our Readers

I love getting user submissions because there’s no way I can keep up with all the yarny goodness happening out there in the world without a few spies. If you ever have anything to share, whether it’s a pattern on your blog or something you see somewhere else that you just love, you can click on that link at the top of the page that says “suggest a DIY” and give me all the details.

That said, here are a few great posts my readers have shared recently that revolve around the theme of getting ready for Christmas and wrapping presents. A couple use knitting and a couple just use yarn, but they’re all cute.

On the knitting front, there’s this super cute Santa Knit Gift Card Holder from Kara at Petals to Picots. Inspired by Santa’s suit, this is a fun way to give a gift card, use up little bit of yarn and make a present that doubles as a decoration.

And Dee Hardwicke has a really cute “pot stand” with a reindeer worked in stranded knitting back and forth in rows. It’s really pretty and would be great to use as a hot pad or an extra large coaster for your hot chocolate.

In the yarn but not knit category we have purl3agony’s cute yarn-wrapped Christmas ornaments (I love the one with the buttons!) and the super-cute ice cream cone themed wrapping decoration from Let’s Wrap Stuff.

Do you add yarny embellishments to your packages, or your tree? I’d love to hear about it!

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

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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