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Um… So, somehow, it’s suddenly the middle of October. Which, in the knitting world, means Christmas. And do you know what? I’m ready for a bit of Christmas crafting – specifically, handmade Christmas decorations. Yep, we’re doing it. We’re decorating for Christmas.
See, the fancy pants, uber-cool micro pub across the road from my flat just got fairy lights put up in their window (probs not Christmas related), but it gave me the urge to start wrapping little LED lights all over the houseplants. I’ve also got a bit of a yarn stash – not a huge amount, but enough to at least start a few scrap-busting projects, and what better way to spend a few evenings than getting into the Christmas spirit and stitching up a few handmade Christmas decorations for my husband and me to decorate with?
Whether you’re into knitting or crochet, there are tonnes of flippin’ lovely Christmas decoration patterns out there. If you’ve got odd bits of yarn lying around, whether that’s leftovers from handknit socks, jumper projects, or just the ones you bought ‘cause they were pretty, I reckon this is a pretty neat way of using them up.
Now, I’m a knitter. I can crochet, but my hooks have been sadly neglected in a pencil case for the past 3-5 years (sorry hooks). But I know we’ve got plenty of keen crocheters amongst us, so I spent my morning browsing Ravelry with a cuppa (such a chore, I know) and rounded up 10 handmade Christmas decoration patterns for knitters and crocheters.
5 knitting patterns and 5 crochet patterns to be exact, to help you make the most of your yarn stash – and get into the festive spirit whilst you’re at it!
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How cute are these?! The Tiny Tree Socks by Summer Lee made my Ravlery favourites list as soon as I saw them. Granted, I’m having a bit of a moment with socks at the moment (I currently have 3 pairs on the go…), but what’s a few mini ones to add to the list?!
These teeny tiny handknit socks are the perfect handmade Christmas decoration to hang on your Christmas tree, and fantastic for making a (tiny) dent in your yarn stash. I also think these would be cute made into a garland or popped on the top of your Christmas gifts once wrapped.
If you ignore any colourwork aspect, you only need about 24m of leftover sock yarn, so if you’re a colourwork knitter, these will use up even the tiniest amount of scrap yarn you’ve saved from previous knitting projects.
Summer Lee includes a colourwork chart in the pattern download, and she gives you two heel options, so you can choose whether to do an afterthought heel or a traditional heel flap.
Oh, and bonus points – this is a free Christmas knitting pattern. Winner!
Find the Tiny Tree Socks knitting pattern on Ravelry
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Colourwork knitters, this knit Christmas decoration has your name all over it. You may well be familiar with the Doodle Knit Cowl if you’re a regular at Baa!? Well, the Holiday Doodle Stocking is another colourwork knitting pattern by Jamie Lomax that is basically a sort of ‘choose your own ending’ Christmas knit that makes me think of those Ghostbuster books I used to get from the library at school. Anyone else read them?…
This Christmas knitting pattern uses mix-and-match colourwork charts (34 in total!), so you’re free to create your own Christmas stocking, exactly as you want it, using whatever DK weight yarn you’ve got in your yarn stash. The perfect stash-busting knitting project to use up all those random leftover bits, odd skeins, or even make use of a yarn advent calendar.
Find the Holiday Doodle Stocking knitting pattern on Ravelry
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Growing up, my mum had a little model nativity scene that we would put out every Christmas. I love the thought of making a little knitted nativity, like this one from Esther Braithwaite, that would become a proper heirloom knit.
Now, I don’t know about you, but it would be quite ambitious for me to knit an entire nativity scene before we start decorating in time for Christmas 2025 (it’s a fair amount of knitting that I sadly don’t have time for), but maybe start with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus this year, then add more next Christmas.
Esther has also created the Knitted Nativity: Volume 2, so once you’ve finished the shepherd and his sheep, you can expand your nativity with the Angel Gabriel, Three Wisemen and a little camel.
The instructions are written for both flat and circular knitting, and since exact gauge isn’t important, they can be knit in whatever yarn you have floating around your yarn stash. Each doll requires approximately 60m of yarn in total, though, so you don’t need much to get started.
Find the Knitted Navity: Volume 1 knitting pattern on Ravelry
Find the Knitted Nativity: Volume 2 knitting pattern on Ravelry
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What’s Christmas without a snowman? And since we can’t always rely on a white Christmas here in the UK, this sweet little snowman by Susan B. Anderson might be the next best thing.
This handmade Christmas decoration is a lovely way to use up any white yarn you have as well as tiny scraps of colour for the scarf and hat. The knitting pattern calls for a sport-weight yarn, but I reckon you could get away with using a generous 4-ply like Scheepjes Catona, or BC Garn Bio Balance if you want a softer texture. To be completely honest, I’d probably wing it with whatever fingering to DK weight I had in my yarn stash.
Find the Snowman knitting pattern on Ravelry
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Yuletide Bauble Ornament by Juliette Pécaut
If you prefer something a little more traditional than tiny hand-knit socks hanging on your Christmas tree, Juliette Pécaut’s Yuletide Bauble Ornaments are a really, really lovely knit Christmas decoration you can make yourself. Knit a few in colours to match your Christmas theme, or just go wild and use up every little yarn scrap you’ve got hiding in your stash.
According to the Ravelry listing, you only need about 27m of fingering weight yarn in total if you only use one colour. I personally love the colourwork designs, but if you’re looking for an easy knitting project for some festive sofa knitting, a plain version would do you nicely.
Find the Yuletide Bauble Ornament knitting pattern on Ravelry
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Jim Carey’s Grinch is iconic, and I won’t hear otherwise. If you like your Christmas craft projects to be a bit quirky, this crochet tree topper is absolutely brilliant.
You’ll need approximately 160g of aran-weight yarn to hook up this crochet Christmas decoration, and the pattern download comes with an easy-to-follow photo tutorial with notes to help if you’re more of a beginner crocheter.
Oh, and if you’re looking for something extra to wear on Christmas day/the work Christmas party/Christmas Jumper day, there’s also a matching Grinch Christmas hat!
Find the Grinch Christmas Tree Topper crochet pattern on Ravelry
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I can hardly put together a list of handmade Christmas decorations and not include Christmas baubles, can I?! And the Crochet Baubles by Raffaella Tassoni are so cute, I couldn’t resist.
My husband and I have started collecting a new bauble every year, so I like the thought of one of these being one of those special ones, but I equally love the thought of crocheting a whole bunch and having them dotted around the Christmas tree.
Raffaella’s set of amigurumi baubles contains 7 different designs, including a snowman, a Christmas pud, and my fave, a little reindeer. It’s written using a DK cotton, but you could use any DK you have lying around. If you were planning on making a whole set for the tree, West Yorkshire Spinners colour lab DK has a good range of colours that will get you started.
Find the Christmas Baubles crochet pattern on Ravelry
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If you’re after a handmade Christmas decoration that’s slightly on the more traditional side than a crochet Christmas pudding, these granny baubles might be more your thing.
I like this beginner-friendly crochet pattern because you really are free to go as classic or as jazzy as you like. Use up all of your leftovers and create some big, bold colour combinations, or err on the more traditional side and create a more cohesive collection in classic Christmassy reds and greens.
The pattern calls for Scheepjes Catona, which has an excellent colour range, including some incredible neons, but there is advice for experimenting with both a DK and 4-ply yarn in the description if you only have your yarn stash to play with.
Find the Easy Granny Christmas Baubles crochet pattern on Ravelry
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I’m nowhere near your traditional handmade Christmas decorations at this point, but I think that’s the joy of making your own, right?! The Pig in a Granny Square Blanket by A Good Right Hook is so stinkin’ cute, I think it would be impossible to stop at just one!
Perfect for hanging from the Christmas tree, this crochet Christmas decoration pattern doesn’t specify exactly how much yarn you need for each one, but it does say only 60-80m of DK yarn.
Find the Pig in a Granny Square Blanket crochet pattern on Ravelry
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When I tell you I have been searching for the perfect Ugly Christmas Jumper for years, I’m really not exaggerating. In my opinion, the Ugly Sweater Ornament by Raffaella Tassoni is anything but, and whilst they might not be big enough for me to wear, I can decorate everything else with them instead. Much like the Tiny Tree Socks by Summer Lee, these crochet Christmas decorations are super versatile so you could add a little loop to hang on the Christmas tree, hook up a load to string up into a garland or I also think these would be cute made into a garland or tied onto all your Christmas gifts as a bonus handmade Christmas gift.
As with most of these handmade Christmas decorations, the exact gauge doesn’t matter too much, but the pattern recommends a sport-weight yarn, such as the Scheepjes Catona. Each teeny crochet jumper uses less than 20m of yarn in total, so you can finally make use of all those random odds and ends you have lying around. A super speedy Christmas crochet decoration that you could whip up on the sofa.
Find the Ugly Christmas Jumper crochet pattern on Ravelry
Whether you’re a knitter, a crocheter, or like to dabble in both, making your own handmade Christmas decorations is a fab way of bunkering down and settling in to these colder, darker October evenings, don’t ya think? I’ll definitely be curling up with a Hallmark movie (or two, or three) when my brain needs a break to whip up a load of teeny tiny tree socks to decorate all my Christmas gifts with.
Hopefully, this list has given you a bit of festive inspiration too, to get you rootin’ around your yarn stash, thinking about how you can use up those bits of scrap yarn (and essentially make room for new yarn for Christmas, right?)
Please do lemme know if you do make any knit or crochet Christmas decorations from the list. We’d love love love to see them, so make sure you tag us in your pics on Instagram @baawool so we can see your Christmas knitting and crochet creations.
