King Cole Christmas Books

We know that it can be difficult to entertain thoughts of ‘the holidays’ right now, especially due to the fact that in many parts of Canada, the snow hasn’t yet melted from last Christmas! But the very same thing happens to us all, each and every year. Christmas rolls around, we see the gorgeous decorations and gift ideas filling the stores, and we say to ourselves, “I really need to get started on my Christmas crafting earlier next year”. And yet… we never do! And thus, the cycle begins again.

So we thought that we would do you all the small favour of offering up some Christmas inspiration just a touch earlier than usual this year- because it’s really never too early to get inspired for Christmas.

King Cole has published four Christmas themed knitting and crochet pattern books, all of which are fantastic. These books are chock-full of whimsical ideas for your holiday decor and Christmas gift giving- including charming ornaments, seasonal table runners, quirky garlands, colourful stockings and heirloom Nativity sets. These are projects that you will have fun making, and your family will have fun pulling out of the ‘Christmas Decorations’ box year after year after year.

King Cole’s Christmas Knits Book 1 covers all of the Christmas basics. Including stockings, a Santa hat, tea cozies, and even an advent garland -which just so happens to be our personal favourite. This advent garland is the ultimate in ‘stash-busting’ projects, and while the pattern calls for King Cole Pricewise DK, any DK weight yarn will do! So have a look in your stash for what might work, as a little bit of each colour will go a long way. But should you not have an ample enough stash to dip into, King Cole’s Big Value DK is a fantastic alternative. Big Value is available in a broad range of shades, and at a very reasonable price. So if you don’t happen to have a stash just yet… this is certainly a good place to start! King Cole offers many other DK weight options, including Smooth DK, Glitz DK (who doesn’t want a bit of sparkle around the holidays?), Drifter DK, Comfort DK– plus so much more! If you are still unsure, ask the kind people at your local yarn shop what might work, as they are always happy to help.

Nine patterns are found in Christmas Knits Book 2, each just as charming as the next. The first pattern in the book is the Gingerbread Man Toy, which uses only one ball of King Cole’s Baby Alpaca DK. This little guy would make a great gift for the tiny one in your life- but just to sure to tuck in a copy of Richard Scarry’s book along with it! Kids of all ages will love pulling out this toy and accompanying story year, after year, after year.

Christmas Knits Book 3 is a tough one to pass over, as it has a stunning nativity scene on the front cover. The book includes patterns for knitting all of the characters from the Christmas story, as well as a several other holiday home decor items. While knitting a nativity can be a fairly large undertaking, it makes for a great long term project! Tackle a character or two each month, and eventually you will find yourself with the entire cast- donkey included! So start with the main characters, and even if you don’t make it through the whole lot of them by the time Christmas 2016 rolls around, the key people will be accounted for. Another added bonus? Stash-busting.

And last, but most certainly not least, Christmas Crochet Book 1. While this is the only Christmas Crochet book that King Cole currently offers, we like to think that since it is titled ‘Book 1’, that means that subsequent volumes will follow. Much like the knitting versions of this book, it has a great range of projects for all skill levels and tastes. We find ourselves particularly charmed with the Christmas Tree Ornaments, which use a variety of yarns- but most importantly, King Cole Tinsel. We are quite certain that Tinsel was invented with Christmas decorations in mind- so now is the time to use it! These trees use styrofoam forms that are crocheted around, making simple, but textured trees that would look perfect on any Christmas mantle or table!

So give your local yarn shop a shout, and see if they happen to have any copies of these books in stock. Have a flip through them all, and see which volume speaks to you! Then get cracking on those holiday projects… because before you know it, Santa will be knocking- whether you like it, or not.

Leave a Comment