Showing posts with label Stjärna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stjärna. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2013

Operation Christmas Tree

We have a Christmas tree! Why is this a big deal? Because this is the first tree I have ever had. Growing up, we didn't really do Christmas. No tree, no presents, no lights. I was ok with a lot of that, except for the tree part. I've always wanted a tree. Because we've never had a tree, we don't really have any ornaments, or more importantly, a tree topper. I have a collection of lights from when I used to run shows. It was a great way to light an area without it being too bright. And I talked my Dad into helping me string cranberries and popcorn. But since I'm a knitter, I decided to knit up the tree topper.

I used the Stjärna pattern as a starting point. But I made some mods to make it fit on top of the tree. The star is made in two halves, so I used Judy's Magic Cast On (Which I learned specifically for this project. It's a way easy cast on. I should have tried it out sooner.) After completing the first side of the star, I put 2 stitches before and 2 stitches after the original cast on on a stitch holder. Then I provisionally cast on 4 stitches to make up for the "missing" 4 stitches. After finishing the second side of the star, I stuffed it then picked up the 8 held stitches, plus 2 extra stitches on either side of the held stitches. 

I then knit a tube the length of the star. On the last round, I k2tog all the way around, then threaded the yarn through the remaining 5 stitches and cinched it tight.

The toughest part was shoving the tube into the star. I had pulled the yarn at the end of the tube into the star. If I had been a little wiser, I would have threaded the yarn at the end of the tube into the top of the star and used it to help me inside our the tube. Eventually I got it.

Tada! A star on top of the tree. (I did put a little plastic on top of the tree to keep sap from touching the yarn.) I've been enjoying it each night.
Even Scooter has his own stocking.

So does anyone else have any yarn/ knitting/ fiber craft decorations on their tree? Any suggestions? I've got a thread started up on the Bear Ears rav group and I'd love to see pictures or pattern suggestions.
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