You Still Have Time to Knit Christmas Ornaments

It may feel like Christmas is right around the corner, and it is, but there’s still time to add to your handknit holiday collection with the addition of some knit Christmas ornaments.

The great thing about ornaments is that most of them are small, so you can knit them up in an evening or two. They don’t use a lot of yarn, and you probably have something in the house you can use.

And if you haven’t gotten to all of the gift knitting you wanted to do, you can knit an ornament for everyone on your list and use it to decorate the gift bag with the store-bought gift inside for a little handmade sweetness.

There are tons of free knit Christmas ornament patterns on Ravelry, and this is almost a random sampling just to give you some ideas of the variety that is out there.

Carolyn Kennington has some great little Santa hat and Christmas tree ornaments in her Christmas decorations pattern. Or try the sweet Santa Hat for the tree from the Natural Suburbia blog.

Becky Kibblewhite made a lovely knit version of Christmas tree candles you can check out on her blog.

There are so many great Christmas ball patterns, including a collection from Mary Ann Stephen’s Two Strands blog (PDF), Nadia Majid’s pretty blue Christmas Bauble, a sweet collection from MillaMia Sweden, and a collection of stars and balls from Red Heart, to name just a few. Paton’s has a pretty diamond-shaped “ball” as well. Or try a Christmas Pudding Bauble from Amanda Berry. So cute!

Amalia Samios can help you spell JOY in knitting on your tree, while Ginny Sturdy spreads love with her holiday hearts. And there’s always Minutia, the annual collection of tiny Christmas sweater ornaments from Berroco.

And while they don’t necessarily have to go in the tree, Rebecca Danger has a great collection of little critters — an elf, a snowman and a couple of Christmas monsters — in her free Knit Picks collection A Very Danger Christmas. I also love the little Christmas elf peg dolls from Knitted Toy Box.

That should certainly get you started! Have you ever knit ornaments for the holiday tree? I’d love to know what you’ve made or what you’re working on now.

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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There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background.

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design.

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs.

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs.

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28.

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