Ten Yarny Christmas Gifts For Father Christmas Inspiration

The festive songs are playing in stores, lights are up in town centres and there's someone you know who has put up their decorated tree in November. Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Whether you're buying gifts yourself or wanting to leave a massive hint for Father Christmas, here are some ideas for those who love the yarny things in life!

1. Yarn Bowl

This yarn bowl from Ebsworth Pots has very cute sheep on the front and will stop your wool in progress from rolling under the sofa. It is hand thrown and costs £28 plus P&P.

Image courtesy of Ebsworth Pots

2. Christmas Dinner Discover Box

Know someone who likes to crochet as well as knit? Toft's Christmas Dinner Discover Box contains the yarn and patterns you need to craft your own Christmas dinner - no defrosting or oven required. It costs £39 plus P&P.

Image courtesy of Toft

3. Knitting Pin

This Susan Crawford Vintage knitting lady metal pin is a fun treat and costs £8 plus P&P. It's perfect to embellish a coat or project bag.

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford Vintage

4. Tote Bag

Know someone who loves reading as much as they do knitting? Ysolda's Wool and Books tote, made from sturdy heavy canvas, costs £10 plus P&P and can double up either as a shopping bag or holder for knitting projects.

5. Wool Wash Bar

This year scientists and the media have highlighted the danger that plastics cause to wildlife and the environment. A Northern Yarn Shear Delight Wool Wash Bar is a great gift for a knitter who is trying to ditch plastic bottles and packaging and wants to wash their woolies with care. It costs £6.50 plus P&P.

Image courtesy of Northern Yarn

6. Vintage Buttons

It can be a faff to find buttons to sew onto cardigans and other projects. Baa Baa Brighouse sells a  pack of 30 assorted vintage buttons for £2.50 plus P&P that can solve that problem.

Image courtesy of Baa Baa Brighouse

7. Yarn Addict Sticker

This Yarn Addict Sticker is a perfect stocking £1.50 for a knitter who is loud and proud of their hobby! Sold by Dear Ewe it costs £1.50 plus P&P.

Image courtesy of Dear Ewe

8. Personalised Knitting Needles

What to give the knitter who has everything? How about a set of 5mm knitting needles personalised with their name or a meaningful phrase? Oakdene Designs sells them in a handy box for £17 plus P&P on Not On The High Street.

Image courtesy of Not On The High Street

9. Hand Balm

Again this is a great gift for people who want to reduce their plastic use. Moel View Yarns' Crafters Lotion Balm is made with organic butters and oils and comes in four fragrances: Rosemary & Lavender: Sweet Orange & Vanilla Bean; Rose & Rooibos; and Bergamot & Black Pepper. Each handmade balm costs £14 plus P&P.

Image courtesy of Moel View Yarns

10. Yarntelier Beaded Lace Cowl and Bettys Gift Set

Last but not least is a big hitter present for someone really special. This gift set from Yarntelier costs £60 plus P&P and includes a ball of cashmere yarn, crochet hook, project bag, beads and pattern to knit the Nikita Beaded Lace Cowl; plus Bettys 100th anniversary Yorkshire tea and shortbread biscuits.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

These posts from A Woolly Yarn's archive offer more Christmas gift ideas but be aware that prices may have changed and items may be out of stock:

• From 2019 - Ten Fun Gifts To Slip In A Knitter's Christmas Stocking
• From 2017 - Christmas Gifts For Knitters 2017
• From 2015 - Christmas Gifts For Knitters

Yarntelier's Latest Patterns and Yarn Launches

The Yorkshire yarn and pattern business Yarntelier, owned by Louisa Harding, is synonymous with its 100% cashmere yarns made in England.

For the Autumn/Winter season the brand has launched three garment patterns to showcase three new shades of Cashmere Gilli and three accessory patterns knitted in three new shades of Cashmere Lace. Both yarns can be knitted on bigger needles for lace and smaller stocking stitch. As you'd expect the lace yarn is finer than the gilli.

Yarntelier yarns are not cheap but are high quality, perfect for investment knits that you want to wear for decades to come.

Cashmere Gilli

The three new shades are Tartan, Hawthorn and Silverhey.

Both the Gilli and Lace samples A Woolly Yarn received are gorgeously soft with a faint natural scent. All opinions are our own.

The Autumn/Winter pattern releases to support Cashmere Gilli are:

Cybele: a lace-edged sweater photographed in the Hawthorn shade. The pattern costs £5 to download.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Lulia - a lace-sleeved cardigan photographed in the Tartan shade. The pattern costs £5 to download.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Elya - knitted in the shade Silverheys it also costs £5 to download this asymmetrical cable jumper pattern. Elya is A Woolly Yarn's favourite of the three designs for being functional and luxe at the same time.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Cashmere Lace

The three new shades are darker than their Gilli counterparts and are Night, Forest and Rosehip. Together they are deep and jewel-toned.

The Autumn/Winter accessory patterns to support Cashmere Lace are:

Thisbe: this beaded edge shawl pattern costs £5 to download from Yarntelier. The model is wearing it in the shade Forest. 

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Esota: this diagonal tweed scarf is knitted using the new shade Night and the existing shade Ripple. As with the others the pattern costs £5 to download.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Annya: this beaded lace cape is A Woolly Yarn's favourite of the new accessory patterns. It costs £5 to download and the model is wearing it in the new shade Rosehip.

Image courtesy of Yarntelier

Yarntelier fans may also like to know that Louisa Harding will be running a two-day workshop at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire on the weekend of 18th and 19th April 2020. The workshop costs £320 and Harding will demonstrate how to translate your creative ideas into an original design for a hand-knitted lace scarf or shawl. The price includes lunch on both days, yarn samples and a Yarntelier goody bag.

Which is your favourite out of the new shades and patterns? 

Five Free Patterns For Christmas Jumper Day 2019

Image courtesy of Save the Children

Save the date people - this year's Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for the charity Save the Children is Friday 13th December.

Schools, workplaces and anyone else who wants to join in are encouraged to wear a seasonal sweater and donate to Save the Children to support its causes around the world.

Cheesy, classic or contemporary - it doesn't matter the type of jumper you wear as long as you take part and spare what cash you can.

Knitters know it's much better to knit your own jumper that will last for years and years rather than buy unsustainable fashion that will fall apart after a few washes.  Here are five free pattern ideas:

1. Hobbycraft has a free download pattern for a woman's Christmas jumper complete with pom pom for Rudolph's nose!

Image courtesy of Hobbycraft

2. Lovecrafts has a free download of a Painbox Yarns pattern for men featuring lots of Christmas trees.

Image courtesy of Paintbox Yarns/Lovecrafts

3. DROPS design's free pattern has a festive silver stag yoke.

Image courtesy of DROPS

4. Let's Knit magazine has a free download pattern for a unisex child's snowman jumper.

Image courtesy of Let's Knit

5. The Yarn Loop has a free snowman pattern by Sue Stratford for adults who don't want to miss out on the fun!

Image courtesy of The Yarn Loop

Now all you have to buy is that yarn, that's if you haven't got any hanging around in your stash that is!

Delve into A Woolly Yarn's archive for more Christmas jumper pattern ideas:

• 2014 - Get Knitting For Christmas Jumper Day
• 2015 - Christmas Jumper Patterns
• 2017 - Seven Christmas Jumper Patterns for 2017
• 2018 - How To Design A Christmas Jumper

Which is your favourite Christmas jumper pattern?

Marie Wallin's Two New Pattern Books For Winter

Meadow image courtesy of Marie Wallin

It's like waiting for a bus and then two come along at once! Fans of knitting designer Marie Wallin - who formerly worked for Rowan and now runs her own business - will be thrilled to know that she's releasing not one but two pattern books this winter.

Meadow

Meadow is already available and contains seven Fair Isle and textured stitch designs that are Wallin's speciality. The whole collection uses Jamieson's Spindrift 4ply wool. Spindrift is a hardy wool with a sticky texture that makes it suitable for steeking - if you dare!

Says Wallin about the patterns:

"The designs in the Meadow collection are lightly inspired by traditional Fair Isle patterns and ornamental design. Many of the shapes are more contemporary in look and styling with some of them being easy to change to a different colour, if so desired."

Meadow costs £18 plus P&P from Wallin's website and she is donating £1 from each copy sold to the Shetland MRI scanner appeal. The island of Shetland is close to Wallin's heart and currently residents who need an MRI scan have to travel to the mainland.

All seven designs are available to browse on Ravelry, but here are A Woolly Yarn's top three favourites:

Cowslip

This cropped, boxy-shaped jumper is knitted flat in pieces and uses 16 different shades of Spindrift. Great for a challenge!

Cowslip image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Mallow

Wallin has used the shade 'Blue Lovat' for this jumper with three-quarter-length sleeves. The intricate stitch pattern is very striking.

Mallow image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Teasel

Want a change from stranded colourwork yokes? This design places the colourwork around the waist instead.

Teasel image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Gentle

Wallin's second pattern book of the season, Gentle, uses her own British Breeds yarn range, including four new shades that will launch on 1st December to coincide with the publication of the book. Gentle is available to pre-order for £19 plus P&P from Marie Wallin's website.

Gentle image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Gentle contains 12 designs and, after a sneak early peak of them all, here are A Woolly Yarn's top three favourites:

Honeysuckle - a beautifully-shaded Fair Isle cardigan.

Honeysuckle image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Veronica Cowl - a smaller project suitable for stranded colourwork learners.

Veronica image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Mistletoe Tam - a seasonally-named hat that's almost too beautiful to wear!

Which is your favourite? Dare you steek or do you opt for designs you don't have to cut? Let us know in the comment box or on A Woolly Yarn's Facebook page.

Fashionistas Hail Knitted Power Jumpers

Reading this week's Grazia magazine one very woolly story popped out at me. Apparently knitted power jumpers are set to be all the rage: "No longer assuming a solid supporting role to coats and boots, cardis and sweaters are making a play for the limelight this winter".  The article was accompanied by photos of jumpers with prices reaching up to a whopping £684, much, much more than the hand-knitted Vinterskov jumper by Karie Westermann that I happened to be wearing whilst reading the article.

It got me thinking that fashionistas are rather slow on the knitted jumper uptake. Knitters love a statement jumper that they've made themselves - we've been practicing slow, sustainable, eco-friendly fashion for years.

Vinterskov image courtesy of Karie Westermann

During my childhood I was told to put a jumper on rather than turn the heating up and I love this time of year when the clocks go back, the nights get darker, the days cooler and crisper and it's officially cosy sweater season. I finished my version of Westermann's Vinteskov back in April this year and it's only in the last couple of weeks that it has been cold enough to wear it. My version is mainly knitted in a one-off hand-dyed yarn by Eden Cottage Yarns along with some leftover plum aran for the trees that matched the dark speckles exactly.

My version of Vinterskov 

Knitters have known for centuries that woolly jumpers are can be both practical and fashionable. Grazia says that a power knit "should simply look compellingly cosy and as if it has - and will be - in your wardrobe for years."

One jumper that fits the bill, which I finished a couple of months ago, is the cover pattern from Shetland Wool Week's 2018 Annual: Alyssa Maggie's Tree Yoke.

Image courtesy of Alyssa Maggie

My version is knitted using Susan Crawford's Excelana 4ply, with a darker grey and lighter yellow.

My other 'power jumper' this year is Marna Gilligan's The Simpler Sinister Sweater.  Marna's original is knitted in yellow and grey:

Image courtesy of Marna Gilligan

I opted for yarn from the Kettle Yarn Co. in brighter colours:

Coming soon to my needles is a fabulous new power jumper pattern by Mrs Moon using super chunky wool:

Mossy jumper image courtesy of Mrs Moon

It's going to be a Christmas gift for a relative and I'm hoping that because it's knitted on 10mm needles I'll get it finished way before December 25th!

What's your favourite hand-knitted power jumper? Or which are you planning to knit over the months? Tell all in the comments below or on A Woolly Yarn's Facebook page.