I’m always looking for new ideas of projects to make with my knitting machines, especially since Christmas is coming in a little over a month. I’ve made hats, scarves, and even some adorable stuffed pumpkins. But one thing I hadn’t tried yet – and really wanted to – was making a wreath. I’ve seen several wreaths made online with a knitting machine, but I wanted to see if I could come up with my own pattern…and I did! I’m excited to share it with you in this tutorial. The wreath and red ribbon are made with a knitting machine, and the off-white ribbon is a simple crochet pattern that I’ll share below.
You’ll Need:
- 22 pin knitting machine (I use an Addi, but any brand is fine)
- A 40, 46, or 48 pin knitting machine (I used a 46 pin)
- Yarn needle
- Size 3mm crochet hook
- Size 3 crochet thread in off-white or natural
- 1 skein of Big Twist worsted weight yarn in Varsity Green
- 1 skein of Big Twist worsted weight yarn in Varsity Red
- 1 15.6 inch foam wreath form
- Xacto knife, for cutting the wreath form
- A 2-inch piece of 3/8ths size dowel rod
- Tacky glue
- Masking tape
- Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
- Straight pins
- 6 inches of white 3/8th inch ribbon (optional)
Directions for the wreath & green knitted tube:
- Using the Xacto knife, very carefully cut through the wreath, at the point you want to be the bottom of your wreath. Cutting through it will allow you to slide the knitted tube over the end and pull it onto the wreath form.
- For the green wreath tube: Cast on to your 22 pin knitting machine (see video here) with Varsity Green or a similar color. Knit 450 rows and cast off. (I did this in one long tube – I have a special table for my knitting machines with a hole in it so I can knit super long tubes. If it’s easier for you, simply knit smaller tubes that add up to 450 rows and sew them together)
- Put knitted green tube over the Styrofoam wreath form, almost like you’re putting a long sock or tights on. Be careful not to bend the wreath form too much, or it may break (like my first attempt did!).
- Once you have the green knitted tube over the wreath form, push it back on both sides of where you made the cut. Cover one end of the dowel rod in tacky glue, and push it into the wreath form, in the middle of where you made the cut.
- Let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then cover the other end in tacky glue and push it into the other side of the wreath form, essentially gluing the wreath back together where you cut it. Cover the seam with masking tape and let dry for 12 hours.
- After your wreath form has dried, sew the ends of your knitted tube together around the wreath form and weave in your ends.
Directions for the bow:
- Using your 40, 46, or 48 pin machine, cast on and knit 90 rows. Cast off and pull the strings at each end to cinch your ends together.
- Pull the strings on either end to cinch each end. Lay flat and fold each end halfway onto itself, so the two ends are meeting in the middle.
- Using your yarn needle, sew the two ends into each other using the leftover strings from casting off. Two or three stitches together will be fine – just enough so the ends are attached to each other. Tie strings into a knot.
- Thread the yarn needle on one of the strings and insert it through the back layer of the bow, in the middle, to bring it to the front. Do the same with the other string and the other side, forming a bow. Tie these two strings together in a knot. (Note: If you were making an ear warmer, like in my tutorial here, the back layer of the bow is the part that would be going around the back of your head)
- Using a long piece of yarn, start wrapping around the middle of the bow – where all the pieces meet together. Wrap until the middle of the bow is covered, and then thread the string under the “knot” of the bow, tying it into a knot with the starting string.
- For the bow ends: Using your 22 pin knitting machine, cast on and knit 50 rows in Varsity Red. Cast off, and pull the strings on either end to cinch the ends closed, but not all the way. (Make sure to leave one of the strings on the end of the bow end – we’ll be using that to sew it onto the bow itself.) Weave in the cast-off yarn on one end, and trim. Seal with a small dab of tacky glue and let dry. Repeat once more for the other bow end, casting on and knitting 50 rows, and casting off.
- Using the ends on the bow ends that you didn’t weave in, sew the bow ends to the back of the bow. I did about three or four stitches for each end, and then tied the ends together in a knot and trimmed the excess yarn.
Directions for the crocheted ribbon:
- With your 3 mm crochet hook and size 3 crochet thread, chain 6.
- DC (double crochet) in the second chain from the hook and every chain after. Chain 2.
- DC in the first stitch and each stitch after. Chain 2.
- Repeat for as many rows needed to get to a long enough length to wrap around your wreath. For me, I did about 100 rows to get the length I wanted. The number of rows will vary depending on your yarn tension – some people crochet tighter stitches than others, and tighter stitches would mean more rows.
Putting it together:
- Position your crocheted ribbon where you want it to go around the wreath and attach with straight pins dipped in tacky glue every 6 inches or so, or at every turn of the ribbon in the back. This way the pins won’t be visible from the front, but they’ll provide much-needed support to keep the ribbon where you’d like it to be. Let dry for an hour.
- Using a low-temperature hot glue gun, attach the red bow to the bottom center of your wreath. Let cool, and then, using straight pins dipped in tacky glue, tack the ribbon on in several places to ensure it holds. I used pins in the loops of my bows so the pins wouldn’t be visible and did about 5 pins per side.
- For hanging the wreath, you can use an over-the-door wreath hanger, or you can add a loop of ribbon to the back to hang the wreath from. Using your 6 inches of 3/8th inch ribbon, make a loop and pin the bottom of it to the back of the wreath at the top, using straight pins dipped in tacky glue. Let dry for 1 hour before you hang the wreath.
Additional decoration ideas:
I like my decorations to be fairly simple and understated, but if you wanted to add more decorations to this wreath, here are a few ideas:
- Crocheted stars with gold crochet thread
- Crocheted snowflakes in silver or white crochet thread
- Painted wooden ornaments
- Glittered miniature pinecones
- Christmas flowers, like silk poinsettias
Wrapping it up:
I had so much fun making this project, and I love how it can easily be customized according to your preference in colors and shapes. What did you think? If you make a wreath, let me know in the comments below!
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