Last Minute Christmas Decorations

With Christmas around the corner we thought we would pull together some of our favourite Christmas decorations chosen especially for you.

If you have finished your Christmas gift knitting you still have time to create a few of these lovely items to make your home look even more festive. And they are a great way to use up a little more of your stash.

We love Amalia’s lovely Christmas lights – perfect for a doorway.

If you are looking for a crocheted version, here is one from the much missed Marinke Slump.

Kimberlee Daly has created an irresistible collection of tree decorations.

Kate Greedy’s Christmas bauble’s will be admired by your visitors they are so beautifully designed.

Or what about Kate Heppell’s Tiny Elf Sweaters for Santa’s little helpers.

Finally a beautiful wreath for your front door by True Brit Knits.

Now you are all set to welcome in the festive season and may we wish you and your families health and happiness for Christmas.

If you want to enter our Christmas giveaway to win a set of Marblz interchangeable needles, follow this link. Please note this giveaway opens on Friday at noon.

Words of Wisdom

When we are looking for inspiration and new patterns or techniques to try, we often turn to one of our favourite blogs.  There are so many knit and crochet bloggers out there that have so much to offer us – an invaluable resource to every yarn-based crafter.

Here are a few of our favourites which we hope you will enjoy.

Lucy’s blog, Attic 24, is a constant source of joy for us and many others.  Not only is she brilliant at guiding you through her new designs with comprehensive step-by-step photo tutorials but her sense of colour is amazing.  Every project is a winner.

A Playful Day is a very informative podcast and blog all rolled in to one with lots of reviews of yarns and books as well as illuminating interviews with key designers and personalities from the world of craft.  She also looks at a wider range of textile crafts that are really interesting.

We have followed Kate Davies’ blog practically since she started.  Her designs are iconic and she is so good at explaining her inspiration so that you feel really involved in each project.  But more than that, her posts that look at the history of knitting are brilliantly researched and always add to our knowledge.  Oh and don’t forget the fun posts from her dog, Bruce, as he cavorts around the Scottish hills.

Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch is one of the bright young stars of craft blogging.  She writes 

mainly about knitting but the odd bit of sewing does creep in – not surprising really since her mother appeared on the Great British Sewing Bee. The word Cwtch is welsh and means cuddle or cubbyhole.  At the moment she is featuring a top up sock with after-thought heel tutorial so head over there if you want some guidance.

Cherry Heart is a wonderfully cheerful blog written by Sandra, a stay at home mum.  Her adventures in craft are entertaining and we love her crochet designs. Her first loves now are knitting, crochet and thinking up new yarnie ideas – her passion for her craft really comes across in her blog.

Little Cotton Rabbits is a must for anyone who loves to knits toys.  Julie’s cats, dogs, rabbit, elephants and other toy animals are so beautifully made with gorgeous little clothes – we just wish she did jumper patterns for grown ups!  Julie is also a pretty fantastic photographer with captivating images of the world around her.

Do you have any blogs that you would like to share with us?  Leave a comment below and one of you will win a lovely prize.