Happy Christmas break! We made it! Kids did all the winter concert things, you did the parties, you got those cards out (or did you?)? You did all the things! (Ok, I’ve done some of the things). But we made it. I recorded my temporary greeting at work and updated my Out of Office autoreply. I work at one of those great places that close over the Christmas break, so I’m looking forward to a lovely break! Next year, I think I’m going to take a week off at the end of November so I can feel a little bit more ready, but here we are now. Now it’s time to rest (and wrap) and make!
If you’ve been madly trying to finish up a few handmade gifts for your loved ones, you might just want to take a break from making for a while. Sometimes people lose their mojo for making during this past season, especially if you’ve been prepping things to sell at craft fairs or making gifts for people. But I find this is a great time to start looking at fun patterns to make for myself or just browse to see what interesting things there are to make. I’ve often spent the winter break making Christmas accessories for my home, like the stockings I knit one year. I never manage to get these things made in time for Christmas for ourselves, but I just think about it getting done in plenty of time for next year!
So what will you make this winter break? Need some ideas? Why don’t you check out this great collection of fantastic patterns to make this winter? Something for you? Something for someone special? Something for the house?
*Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on them and buy something, you don’t pay any extra, but I may get a small commission.*
Something for yourself maybe? Or a monarch loving friend? Would you like to try some crochet colourwork? Or a sweater? Try it all at once with this easy/intermediate level Monarch Sweater Crochet pattern. Working with a few colours is a bit of a challenge, but if you’ve mastered the basic stitches (seriously just chain, single crochet and back loop half double crochet) you can totally make this pattern. Also, HaileyBailey has written this as a fully customizable pattern, including suggestions for customize your sweater to fit any size, and if you’re a bit bigger on top and smaller on the bottom, this is a great pattern to make something that fits YOU just perfectly.
Want to whip up something quick for yourself? Think making a sweater takes weeks and weeks of work? Try this Shit That’s Quick Sweater from Knitatude. This baby whips up really quickly for a sweater. With super bulky size yarn and some simple stitches with some fun cable detail on the arms, there’s enough here to keep you interested, but also easy enough to watch shows with your family for most of it.
As a maker, do you ever give gift certificates for handmade things for Christmas because you just plain ran out of time? I’ve totally done that. There’s no shame. Creative people have grand plans and are often not so great at time management. Did you promise a sweater to a special man in your life? if you didn’t, you should. Especially if you crochet, because look at this fantastic WULF Men’s Pullover Crochet Pattern! So classy. It’s not always easy for crocheters to find good sweater patterns. Because crochet typically makes a thicker fabric, sweaters are often really bulky, but I think this one is just fabulous, don’t you!?
Maybe you’ve been wanting some boot cuffs. Check out this Cabled Boot Cuffs Knitting Pattern. The fun thing about more intricate cable patterns like this is that they’re small and they come together relatively quickly. If you’ve never made a cable-knit project before, boot cuffs are a great project to start with. The beauty of this pattern is that you can wear them under the boot like this or folded over the boot for a cuff like this:
So, whichever you prefer, you can make these Cabled Boot Cuffs 4 ways! The bottom half has a ribbed pattern, so you can have 4 different looks from one set of boot cuffs. What a fun pattern!
I’ve really been enjoying Chantel’s patterns from Knitatude. I love this off-the-shoulder look of this Crossback Sweater. It’s also reversible! So you can wear it with the wrap in front or at the back as seen here. This pattern looks interesting but also has simple stitches, so it’s perfect for the advanced beginner. If you’re starting to venture into slightly more difficult projects, this one is for you! So you can stop making dishcloths and you can start making clothes! For yourself! That are fun and stylish. Knitting isn’t just for grannies; you can make trendy, sexy things too! And you’ll be the only one of your friends who has one just like it. Can’t go out to the store and just buy this!
Sometimes you just need to try something different. Like embroidery! This is a fibre craft that you can eventually bring into your knitting and crochet! So start with this Beginner Floral Embroidery Pattern of Wildflowers on a hoop and then maybe try it on a handmade dishcloth, or cup cozy or sweater! Wouldn’t that be fun? I love the beautiful simplicity of the wildflowers and embroidery adds such a special touch to handknit or crocheted items. It’s a great skill to develop and winter break is a great time to try something new! Also, if you take this inspiration to your knitting and crochet, you can use up scrap yarn in the process! I love to put all those bits and pieces to good use!
Did you attend an ugly Christmas sweater party this year? Did you feel blue because you didn’t have one to wear? I just can’t bring myself to buy one in a store, but somehow I feel like it would be so much more fun to make one myself. I know buying one would be less expensive than all the time it’s going to take me to make one myself, but there’s just something more authentic about a handmade ugly Christmas sweater. And if you think they have to be knit, you’re wrong! Check out this crochet pattern for this Rudolf Christmas Sweater. How fun is this? Get working now and you’ll be all ready for next year’s party.
I still think that if I were truly to make ugly Christmas sweaters for my family, I would probably have to go with Harry Potter-inspired sweaters. This one is also crochet. I would probably prefer to do something knitted, but I couldn’t find a pattern for humans, so I guess I’ll have to make one up!
I did, however, manage to find one for dogs! If you have a special dog in your life, let me tell you, that dog does not know that you missed Christmas and their sweater is late. Most of the time they have no idea what day it is anyway! You can still make them a fun Gryffindor sweater for the cold winter months ahead. Check out this Mischief Managed Dog Sweater pattern. Your dog could totally get away with wearing this more frequently than you could your Harry Potter sweater!
Ok, back to the pretty things. Here is another relatively quick knit sweater pattern. The Moss Stitch Sweater is worked up with super bulky yarn, so there are just fewer stitches. It’s a great starter project, even for the novice knitter and will give you a perfect transitional piece that will take you fashionably through the seasons. This is a fun pattern that will work up quickly and be so cozy to wear! I love this golden yellow colour… so gorgeous!
Have you seen these bobble sleeves sweaters? What are your thoughts about them? They’re pretty fun, definitely a statement piece, but not one I’m sure I could pull off wearing this sweater. Super fun though. Here’s the link to this Bobble Sleeves Cardigan. If you make this, you’re going to have to show me a picture and tell me where you wear it. Maybe you’re just way cooler than me and can wear funky things without feeling weird.
Winter break is also a great time to make a blanket! Bigger projects like this are soothing to sit under while you cozy up and watch a movie while it snows outside. I love cozy times when you don’t have to go anywhere, don’t you? This Crochet Square Sampler Blanket Pattern is also perfect to make while travelling since you can make it in pieces and then seam it up afterwards! Samper patterns are also great because they keep the project interesting. you get to make a bunch of different stitches and textures in coordinating colours to make a beautiful cohesive blanket! It’s so satisfying to finish these projects once they all come together!
Crocheters, have you ever been jealous of the beautiful cable-knit patterns that are out there for knitters? So intricate and lovely looking? Well, did you know that you can cable-crochet? It’s a little different, but you can get very similar looks. If you want to learn, try out this Annandale Cable Braided Blanket Crochet Pattern with a Celtic Aran cable pattern, perfect for Irish-inspired home decor. A complex interwoven Celtic design, this blanket is an heirloom-quality project. The pattern brings together three different cable motifs in a symmetric layout to generate a spectacular visual effect. A lace border frames the cables with a feathery elegance. This is a perfect project to make for your home when you have some extra crochet time on your hands!
For something simpler, but still just as satisfying, try this Canyon Throw crochet blanket pattern from Two Little Birds Patterns. This crochet throw pattern is an easy and versatile crochet pattern to compliment any home decor. Make this crochet blanket for yourself or as a beautiful and unique gift for someone special. The modern chevron-look of this stitch pattern is easy to learn and your finished throw blanket will keep you cozy all season!
Wrap yourself up in this romantic throw blanket from Meghan Makes Do. The Livy throw is the perfect pattern to keep you busy this winter season. Made using simple triangle and hexagon motifs it works up fast. You will need to know basic crochet stitches as well as how to make a puff stitch.
The Bicycle Race Crochet Blanket Pattern is an easy pattern for a blanket with a fun repeating bicycle pattern. This is a filet style crochet blanket with rows of bicycles that change directions each row. This pattern includes written directions in US terms and a crochet chart. You can make this blanket in any size as well as any gauge. How cute is this? It would make such a cute baby blanket pattern that’s not too baby-ish. It’d be perfect for anyone, especially bicycle lovers!
So, have I inspired you to make something while you have a bit of extra time to sit around this winter break? Do you get a little bit of extra time to relax this season? Which of these great patterns will you get started on this Christmas! Merry Christmas, makers! Pick up one of these great patterns for yourself or pin it for later!
