If you’re thinking about gift knitting
already – or perhaps need a little nudge
towards thinking about gift knitting – we
have a few things in mind. We’ve already
shown you a couple of patterns made
just for the NEW Downton Abbey Yarn
Collectio n, here some selections from
the vast knitting internet to give you
more ideas! Let’s take a look again at the
Lady Mary yarn this awesome collection,
which can be both elegant and fun
because of that extra bit of metallic
thread. It’s never too early to start gift
knitting and adding some sparkle to your
holiday knitting!
The Lady Mary yarn is listed as a light
yarn weight in category 3, in other
words as a DK weight or “light worsted.”
This makes it versatile for projects
needing 5-6 stitches per inch in gauge.
Knitted more firmly it would make an
extremely stiff fabric, for knitting threedimensional ornaments and baubles,
and knitted more loosely it would be
enjoyable for lacy projects, as in the
Budding Romance shawl pattern.
Adding some
sparkle
to your holiday knitting
Glenna Harris
The Lady Mary yarn from the new
Downton Abbey yarns includes
metallic thread for extra sparkle.
One lovely and quick gift idea is this
Mini Mitten pattern. It uses doublepointed needles and can be done easily
within an evening – make a pair for a
unique present-topper or ornament! Or
perhaps a bookmark? Or, how about this
little stocking pattern, for a similar festive
ornament project?
Another great gift idea that I like are
these knitted coffee cozies. If you know
people who enjoy their daily dose of
caffeine, save them the trouble of always
throwing out those cardboard cup cozies
they provide at cafes, and give them
a re-usable one instead! Knitted in a
sparkly color like this yarn, they will be
less likely to forget it!
Or, try a simple hat pattern – hats
make very quick gift projects. With the
metallic component we don’t need to
look at cables or color-work patterns
since the pattern and sparkle would
compete too much.
These are just a few fun ideas – there are
so many to choose from! When trying a
new yarn it’s always a good idea to buy
one or two skeins to play with before committing to a big project, if you’re thinking
about something larger. So, these are all
one-skein-or-less projects to get you started. And remember, it’s never too early to
think about gift knitting while adding some
sparkle to your holiday knitting!
KNITmuch | issue 1
17