A Dressed up Ornament:
If you're a little tired of your plain old glass ball Christmas ornaments, take an evening to knit up a few of these Fair Isle Christmas Ornament Bands.
Using just a little bit of a couple different colors of yarn and a simple chart, this pattern can be worked up in a bunch of different colors to suit your decor or your mood. It's a quick change that also makes a cheap ornament gift-worthy.
Materials:
- about 11 yards of your main color and 5 yards contrasting color of medium-weight wool or acrylic yarn
- one pair size 7 US knitting needles
- Fair Isle Band Chart
- scissors and yarn needle
- glass ball ornament (mine is almost 8.5 inches around)
Gauge:
5.5 stitches per inch. Gauge is not critical.
Size:
Finished band is 1.5 inches tall and 8.5 inches around, or size needed to fit your ornament.
Instructions:
- Using main color (white in ornament shown), cast on 9 stitches.
- Work from the Fair Isle Band Chart, knitting the Xs in your contrasting color (mine is red) and working in Stockinette Stitch.
- Repeat the chart as many times as necessary to make a band that wraps all the way around your ornament. Stretching to fit will help it stay on the ball. End with row 1.
- Use main color to bind off.
- Sew the cast on and bind off edges together and weave in ends.
- Slide the band onto the glass ornament.
