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Let’s have more Christmas in July

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Let’s have some more fun with Christmas in July!

Carrying on from last week’s enthusiasm about Knitting for Christmas in July, I decided to offer kits for the Bitty Beady Christmas Tree since I was getting requests to give knitters a jump-start in conveniently getting the yarn and beads from one source.

Bitty Beady Christmas Tree gift bag decoration
Bitty Beady Christmas Tree gift bag decoration

So now you can get Materials Kits for Bitty Beady Christmas Tree starting at just $3.95. There are several color options for yarn and beads that mix-and-match for appealing to a range of traditional, vintage and modern schemes.

You’ll get all the materials you need to make one Bitty Beady Christmas Tree. NOTE: Pattern not included. Please purchase downloadable e-Pattern separately.

Besides your choice of yarn and bead colors, a floss threader is included IF you want to string your own beads. OR you can purchase the upgrade option to get the beads already strung on the yarn ready to start knitting right away!

You may also purchase a coordinating greeting card with envelope. This makes a nice gift enclosure to go along with either giving the kit itself, or with your completed bitty tree.

Even if you are not interested in a kit, you can purchase the pattern individually and use small amounts of glitzy yarn you have on hand, e.g. metallic yarn, or yarn that has been plied with beads and you just let the beads fall where they may. Want to go smaller (or larger): Other ideas and inspiration for variations on the Bitty Beady Christmas Tree.

Let’s enjoy small projects like Bitty Beady Christmas Tree while the weather is hot-hot-hot. It’s not too early to start getting ready for Winter holidays now, especially if you are like me and the months are just flying by. Where-oh-where did over half the summer already go!

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The Designing Day

Knitting for Christmas in July

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Christmas in July! Goodness knows, with all this summer’s heat, day-dreaming about snow while knitting projects for winter holidays is a bit of a welcome reprieve.

Every year at Christmas time, I say that the next year I am going to start doing my gift projects earlier. So this year I am finally doing better because there are 2000+ Bits of Lace knitting members who are keeping me at my word for this month’s project at KnitHeartStrings.com. The project is the Satin and Lace Ornament and the pattern is free when you are subscribed to the HeartStrings newsletter and you register for free content at the member website).

So if you are looking for an idea to celebrate Christmas in July, com’ on and join us.

Satin and Lace Ornament
Satin and Lace Ornament

 

Yes, I know that you usually see me doing lace and beads. But I do like all forms of knitting. I finally got around to writing the pattern for No Two Alike Snowflakes. I had designed the original hat and mittens set in a 4-year old child size as a guild project for the Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House (1998).

Ever since then, I have had requests to publish the pattern for these. And (finally) I have done that and the pattern is available. If you have been waiting, thank you for your patience!

No Two Alike Snowflakes
No Two Alike Snowflakes

The set features Fair Isle stranded knitting in 4 colors against a snowy solid white background. Just as real snowflakes are each different and unique, each snowflake in this set is a different design motif (and thus the name I decided on for this pattern)!

The published pattern expands the sizing to Child S thru Adult XL. I also changed the thumb on the mittens to a gusset style vs. the Latvian style of the original, as I felt a gusset is more comfortable for adult sizes (and works equally well for child sizes).  The knitting is done in-the-round with no seams to sew.

Picot trim is a fancy bind off technique used for both the tip-to-cuff mittens and the bottom-up hat. I hope you enjoy  the “secret” used to make the red picot trim at the upper edge of the hat band, even though the crown continues from there in a seamless construction.

The pictured sample models for the published pattern were knit in size adult medium using KnitPicks Wool of the Andes. The pattern is available in downloadable pdf format from HeartStrings pattern sites such as Ravelry, Shopatron, Patternfish, etc.. It is also now also available thru the KnitPicks Independent Designers listing at their website). Printed patterns will be available in shops this coming Fall.

Are you doing anything for Christmas in July? Doesn’t matter whether it is knitting or not, I’d love to hear about it.

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