Valley Yarns Holiday Trees Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Holiday Trees Knitting Pattern

Project Overview

The Valley Yarns Holiday Trees pattern, designed by Susan Baron, offers a beginner-friendly knitting project for creating decorative cone-shaped trees to enhance your winter home decor. This downloadable PDF pattern provides instructions for crafting festive trees in three sizes: Small (9½" height), Medium (12½" height), and Large (21½" height). Each tree is constructed using two coordinating yarn colors held together, allowing crafters to customize their display to match any interior design scheme.

What Is Being Made

These are standalone decorative knitted trees designed to serve as holiday home décor pieces. The trees feature a classic cone silhouette achieved through strategic shaping and are finished by wrapping around either a Styrofoam cone form or stuffing with Poly-fil for structure. The pattern includes six pre-planned color combinations using Valley Yarns Northampton, including pairings such as Ocean Heather with Stratosphere, Raspberry Heather with Dahlia, and Dark Green Heather with Lake Heather, giving crafters multiple aesthetic options.

Techniques and Construction Method

The Holiday Trees are worked flat on straight or circular needles, then seamed to form the finished cone shape. This two-step construction approach makes the project accessible to beginners while producing a professional-looking result. The pattern uses a straightforward decreasing technique to create the tapered tree form, with decreases strategically placed and repeated to gradually reduce the stitch count from the cast-on edge to the final three stitches.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch – The primary stitch throughout the entire project, created by knitting every row. Garter stitch produces a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges that works beautifully for these decorative trees.
• Knit 2 Together (K2tog) – A right-leaning decrease used to shape the tree. Decreases are worked in a repeating pattern spaced 5 rows apart (or 9 rows for the largest size) to gradually taper the piece.
• Seaming – After the flat piece is complete, the sides are sewn together with a narrow seam on the wrong side to create the cone form.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Each tree requires Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool yarn available in multiple heather colorways. One ball of each of two coordinating colors is sufficient to complete one tree in any of the three sizes. Valley Yarns Northampton is spun at 247 yards per 100-gram ball, providing ample yardage for this project. The pattern calls for US size 10 (6.00 mm) needles in either straight or circular style, depending on crafter preference. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking decrease points, a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, and either a Styrofoam cone or Poly-fil stuffing to provide internal structure and shape to the finished tree.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 14 stitches and 32 rows over 4 inches in garter stitch using one strand each of two colors held together. This gauge ensures proper sizing and drape for all three finished measurements. The three available sizes accommodate different display preferences, from a compact 9½-inch Small tree to an impressive 21½-inch Large tree, each with proportional base circumferences.

Skill Level and Pattern Structure

Rated as a Beginner project, the Holiday Trees pattern is ideal for knitters new to shaping techniques. The straightforward construction—casting on, knitting flat rows with periodic decreases, and seaming—introduces fundamental skills without overwhelming complexity. Clear abbreviations and concise directions make the pattern easy to follow, while the repetitive nature of the decrease rows builds confidence and muscle memory.