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Sunday
Sep202009

Whit's Knits: Felted Christmas Trees

Last year Whitney created the wonderful heirloom Felted Christmas Tree pattern below that I've had my eye on for this Christmas.  As you no doubt have noticed if you are a regular follower of The Purl Bee, we just can't get enough of pink, red and white at Christmas so I thought it would be fun to revisit Whitney's pattern in our favorite holiday color palette (plus it just so happens that this color palette looks great in my own house!).

Last year's felted trees were knit with Cascade 220, a great basic yarn that is wonderful for felting.  This year's felted trees were knit with Manos Del Uruguay Handspun in Natural, one of my all time favorite yarns,  (two skeins made one large tree and one small tree) and it worked beautifully for this project. 

Please note, for this year's trees, I felted them BEFORE decorating them.  Once they're felted the tall tree is approximately 11-inches tall, the small tree is approximately 6-inches tall.  

I decorated the trees with Koigu KPM in hot pink, color #1150, and bright red, color #2229 (one skein each is enough to decorate about 12 trees).  I love the way the two colors work together, glowing like real ornaments on a tree.

The embroidery stitches I used to decorate the trees are very, very simple.  The challenge of the embroidery is finding a needle that is sharp enough to get through the felted wool, but big enough to accommodate the yarn.  I found several that did the job in this collection of needles.  A thimble for pushing the needle through the felted wool was also a big help.

To decorate the little tree I made little plus marks (in the neighborhood of 1/4-inch wide and 1/4-inch tall) in bright red all over the tree, then went back over a few of the larger plus signs with hot pink.  

On the big tree I first made big plus signs (around 1/2-inch wide x 1/2-inch tall) all over the tree and then went over those again in the center with a diagonal plus sign, both in hot pink.  Then I went over the diagonal plus signs again with bright red.  To finish the large tree I made small plus signs (about 1/4-inch wide by 1/4-inch tall) in hot pink all over between the large motifs.

I did the motifs on both trees totally freehand and without any attempt at uniformity which gives the design a lively quality that I am really fond of. Also, there is no need to cut the yarn between shapes (just bring the needle back out wherever you want the next motif to be) so the decorating goes very quickly.

If you need help with these stitches, please visit Molly's Asterisk Embroidery Tutorial right here which explains the technique for the motifs step by step.

I was so delighted with the way these trees turned out.  They have a sweet simplicity and happy quality that makes me smile every time I look at them.  They make great gifts too!

If you'd like to make them you can find all you need right here:

Merry Christmas!  --Joelle  (December 2010)

 

This year I wanted to make something that my son would always associate with Christmas's approach; something that every year he would see me pull out of a box that would bring the smell of pine to his nose and the warmth of a fire to his feet; something that would get him giddy for Santa Claus and snowmen; something that would elevate itself to the level of treasured heirloom, not because it's fancy but because it is loved.

These trees are lots of fun to make. You get to knit them up on big needles, nice and loose, then you get to decorate them with lots of pretty French knots and, finally, you get to feel the surprise of pulling them out of the washing machine, transformed into fuzzy little trees!  Enjoy! -- Whitney

The Materials

The Patterns

Gauge

 3 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch (before felting)

Finished Sizes

The Big Tree is 6 inches in diameter at its base and 12 inches high (after felting).

The Little Tree is 3 3/4 inches in diameter at its base and 6 3/4 inches high (after felting).

Big Tree

The Bottom

With the US #11, 16 inch circular needle and Color A, cast on 4 stitches, leaving a 24 inch tail.

NOTE: For the Bottom section, you will work back and forth on the needles, turning the piece at the end of each row.

Row 1: Knit into the front and back (kfb) of every stitch. (8 stitches)

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1. (16 stitches)

Row 4: Purl.

Row 5: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (24 stitches)

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (32 stitches)

Row 8: Purl.

Row 9: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (40 stitches)

Row 10: Purl.

Row 11: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (48 stitches)

Row 12: Purl.

Row 13: *K5, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (56 stitches)

Row 14: Purl.

Row 15: *K6, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (64 stitches)

Row 16: Purl.

Row 17: *K7, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (72 stitches)

Row 18: Purl.

Row 19: Purl.

The Cone

Place a marker on the right needle and, with the right side facing you, join to work in round.

Round 1: *K10, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (66 stitches)

Knit 10 rounds.

Next Round : *K9, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (60 stitches)

Knit 4 rounds.

With Color B, knit 1 round.

With Color A, knit 1 round.

Repeat the last two rounds.

With Color B, knit 1 round.

Continue with Color B.

Next Round : *K8, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (54 stitches)

Knit 8 rounds.

Next Round : *K7, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)

Knit 7 rounds.

Next Round : *K6, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)

Knit 6 rounds.

Next Round : *K5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)

With Color C, knit 1 round.

With Color B, knit 1 round.

Repeat the last two rounds.

With Color C, knit 1 round.

Continue with Color C.

Next Round : *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)

Knit 4 rounds.

As you knit the next round, change to the US #11 double pointed needles.

Next Round : *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds.

Next Round : *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)

Knit 2 rounds.

Next Round : *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Knit 1 round.

Next Round : *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)

Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches.

Weave in all the ends except for the cast on tail.

The French Knots

Thread three strands of the needlepoint yarn onto a tapestry needle. Bring the needle from inside the tree to the outside.

Wrap the yarn around the tapestry needle four times. (There are two ways to wrap the yarn: one way makes a knot and the other doesn't. Please study the photo carefully to make sure you're wrapping correctly. I find it helpful to think of wrapping toward the tail end of the yarn.)

Insert the needle into the hole directly above the one the yarn is coming from. There should be one strand, or "ladder", of the tree yarn between the hole where the needlepoint yarn exits and where it enters.

Bring the needle through to the inside of the tree, sliding the wraps off the eye end of the needle. Gently tug the ends of the yarn to take up some slack in the french knot.

Tie the ends together and cut the yarn.

(We have another French Knot Tutorial here if you need some extra help.)

I arranged my French Knots in a vaguely rainbow order, so the reds are at the bottom, fading into yellows and greens at the top. I also tied off the top of the tree with two slightly different colors of red yarn.

Felting and Finishing

Put the tree in a cotton pillowcase and, along with a pair of jeans or a couple of tennis balls, put the pillowcase in the washing machine. Set the temperature to hot and the water level to high, add some soap, and let the machine run through an entire cycle. If the tree isn't as felted as you want after one cycle, send it through again.

Lay the tree flat to dry.

Fill the tree with lots of stuffing. Make sure it is nice and firm, which is easier to do by tamping down small amounts of stuffing rather than by trying to fill the tree all at once.

When the tree is full, use the cast on tail and a tapestry needle to sew the bottom closed.

Little Tree

The Bottom

With the US #11, 16 inch circular needle and Color B, cast on 4 stitches, leaving an 18 inch tail.

NOTE: For the Bottom section, you will work back and forth on the needles, turning the piece at the end of each row.

Work Rows 1 - 12 of the "Bottom" section of the Big Tree pattern.

Row 13: Purl.

The Cone

Place a marker on the right needle and, with the right side facing you, join to work in round. (For visual aid, see the Big Tree picture, above.)

Round 1: *K6, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)

Knit 8 rounds.

Next Round : *K5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)

Knit 7 rounds.

Next Round : *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)

Knit 6 rounds.

As you knit the next round, change to the US #11 double pointed needles.

Next Round : *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)

With Color C, knit 1 round.

With Color B, knit 1 round.

Repeat the last two rounds.

With Color C, knit 1 round.

Continue with Color C.

Next Round : *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)

Knit 4 rounds.

Next Round : *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds.

Next Round : *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)

Knit 2 rounds.

Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches.

Weave in all the ends except for the cast on tail.

The French Knots, Felting and Finishing

Use the needlepoint yarn to decorate the tree, as explained above in the "French Knots" section of the Big Tree pattern.

And to felt and finish, also follow the directions of the Big Tree pattern above.

Here's the Little Tree felted, laying out to dry.

 

DateSeptember 20, 2009 | Print ArticlePrint | Comment9 Comments