Mistletoe Garland Scarf

Is it a scarf? Is it garland? Yes! You can use this easy-to-crochet strand of mistletoe to deck the halls--or to deck yourself out for the holidays. It's worked entirely in chain stitch, slip stitch, and single crochet, so it's a super simple project for crocheters of all skill levels. The pom-poms are tied on when the stitching is finished. I used two skeins of Vanna's Choice yarn from Lion Brand in Kelly Green, one skein of Simply Soft Party yarn from Caron in Snow Sparkle, a size I/9 crochet hook, and a 1 3/8-inch pom-pom maker from Clover.

The extra-long scarf (mine has a length of about 80 inches) is constructed of chain-stitch loops worked on the top and bottom of a chain-stitch base. Follow the instructions below, or click here to download a printable pattern.

To begin, chain 250 with the green yarn.

Row 1: Single crochet in the 20th chain from hook, (chain 16, single crochet in the next stitch) across, ending with a single crochet in the last stitch.

Row 2: Turn work upside. Chain 20, single crochet in the base of first stitch, (chain 16, single crochet in the next stitch) across, ending with a slip stitch in the base of the last stitch. Fasten off.

For the "berries," make 18 pom-poms from the white yarn and tie them to the scarf in an arrangement you like. To finish, weave in any yarn ends.















Ta-da! Your mistletoe garland is ready to wear or display. If you'd prefer to make a holly garland, swap the Kelly green yarn for a darker shade and use bright red yarn instead of white. (I've really got to make one of those myself!)

I'll be taking a break from the blog next week to spend some quality Christmas time with my family. Hope you all are doing the same!

Festive Leaf and Berry Pillow

What's your favorite Christmas color scheme? I like so many, I can't settle on just one, so I use different combinations in different rooms. In the living room, where I display the tree, I go traditional with colors from the forest and nature. The kitchen, which has become the "Santa" room, is decked out in bright reds with pops of blue and other accent colors. In our very casual dining room, I decorate with cool grays, crisp white, silver, and sparkles.

This festive pillow puts a fun twist on the traditional red-and-green holiday combination. It was originally featured in a holiday issue of Craft Ideas magazine. Click here to visit the instructions page on their website. Here's a list of the materials I used: National Nonwovens WoolFelt in Magical Forest 0779, Chartreuse 0715, Spring Tickle 0728, and Red 0923; DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss in Bright Christmas Red 666, Bright Chartreuse 704, and Medium Parrot Green 906; green cotton print fabric; red baby rickrack; and a 14-inch pillow form.

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I love the bold contrast between the red and the light greens--it definitely makes this pillow merry and bright. If this palette doesn't suit your holiday style, switch up the colors to create a pillow that matches your own Christmas color scheme. Happy holiday stitching!

American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast Today

The big day is here! As I told you last week, Pat Sloan, host of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast, invited me to be a guest on her show! My interview will be available today, December 4, at 4 pm Eastern Time (3 pm Central, 2 pm Mountain, 1 pm Pacific).

I admit, I was mildly terrified, but Pat was super nice. We had a great chat about the WoolFelt projects I've designed for American Patchwork & Quilting and Quilts and More magazines--and other needlework topics. The show features interviews with three other designers too.

Click here to check it out. If you can't listen live, no problem! The podcasts are uploaded to the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast page, so you can listen any time.

Mini Christmas Stocking Ornaments

Are you ready for some Christmas cuteness? These mini Christmas stockings are super simple to sew from felt, embroidery floss, buttons, and trims from your sewing basket. They make adorable ornaments, obviously, but you can also use them to decorate packages and brighten your holiday place settings.  I used a classic color scheme of red, white, and black, but you can use any palette you like for your stocking collection.

To begin, print out the patterns below to the size you like. My finished stockings are about 3 inches high. For each stocking, cut two stockings from your main color and one toe piece from a contrasting color. (As I do for all my felt projects, I used WoolFelt from National Nonwovens.) Use two strands of embroidery floss and whipstitch to sew the straight edge of the toe piece to one of the stocking pieces, as shown in the photos (this will be the stocking front). Cut a length of ribbon or rickrack slightly wider than the stocking and sew it in place about 1/8 inch from the top edge of the stocking. Sew an arrangement of buttons below the ribbon. 

When you've finished embellishing your stocking, pin the front and back pieces together, folding the edges of the ribbon over and tucking them between the two pieces. Starting at one top corner, sew the two pieces together with running stitch. Sew through the ribbon and curved edge of the toe piece to secure them in place. When you reach the other top corner, stuff the stocking with fiberfill before sewing the top edge closed. If you prefer, you can leave the top edge open and use the stocking to hold a miniature candy cane or other tiny treats. I sewed a jump ring to one corner of my stocking for securing a hanging loop, but you could also sew a hanging thread or ribbon directly onto the stocking.

That's it--your mini Christmas stocking is complete! If you get carried away like I did, here are some ideas for using your little stockings . . .

Use them as ornaments--on the Christmas tree or all through the house.

Tie them on Christmas presents for an extra touch of cuteness.

Wrap them around holiday sweets, then arrange them in a candy dish or on your holiday table.