Knit Some Simple Holiday Gift Card Holders

Over at Craftown they’re already thinking about Christmas (and I heard yesterday some stores are already selling Christmas stuff), so if you’re ready to start your holiday crafting you might want to take a look at these knit gift card holders from Melanie Smith, which are so cute you could hang them on the tree until it’s time to open them.

Of course, if you’re thinking this far ahead you probably aren’t buying anyone gift cards, but file this one away for your last-minute shopping. Or knit the holders now knowing your gift will look cuter than just a gift card when the time comes.

You could also use the basic envelope or tube shape to jazz up a gift card any time of year, just knit in different colors.

Are you thinking about Christmas already?

[Photo via Craftown.]

I am a big fan of gift cards, I know lots of people find them impersonal but being able to purchase what YOU need or what YOU want is far more logical than receiving random gifts and stocking fillers that you may not use. Especially with all these Netflix programs telling us to downsize, declutter and or course Konmarie everything.

The only disappointing thing with gift cards is not being able to shop for items, if you are like me and enjoying shopping for special gifts then maybe consider shopping for smaller stocking fillers or fun ways to wrap or gift the gift cards. You can present or gift a gift card in a fun and special way too.

One year I added the gift cards to some pretty wide mouthed water bottles that have been filled with little trinkets. We also featured this Giftcard Christmas tree idea on the blog here.

Next Pattern:

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.

Next Pattern:

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