"From My House to Yours", Happy Holidays!

I know that Christmas still feels a long way off and some people might not even like to think about it, but for us knitters, the 25th of this month is a gentle reminder that there are just 9 more months to knit for it.

This month I share with you a Christmas ornament I designed that you can personalize in just about any way you like with different weights of yarn, different colors, stitch patterns, buttons and ribbons etc. Let your imagination go wild!

"From My House to Yours"

It's a simple recipe.

1. Start by casting on enough stitches in the yarn of your choice to create a 3.5" wide strip. You'll knit in stockinette for 5" and then switch to your roof color(s). I like to decrease every other, row starting on row 2, until there are 3 stitches left on the needle, then bind off. (Make 2 )

2. Knit up one more small strip (1" wide and 2" tall) for your door and sew on a small button for the doorknob. Slip stitch (or use fabric glue) to attach this to the right side of one of your house pieces.

3. Place your two house pieces, wrong sides together, and seam both sides of the roof using a mattress stitch. Put some stuffing in the the roof, then continue seaming down each side of the house leaving the bottom open.

4. Lightly stuff the rest of your house (I just used a polyester stuffing but you could add a sack of potpourri or cedar chips if you like) and then seam up the bottom end.

5. You may wish to add some ribbon to the top just below the roofline. I recommend 1/4" width. Measure the circumference of the area you want to put the ribbon, cut to size, and apply with fabric glue or slip stitch with fine thread in a matching color.

6. For the final touch, thread a good length of Jute through the top using a darning needle, tie at the desired length and cut.

There you have it -- a cute little Christmas Ornament that says, "From My House to Yours, Happy Holidays".