Tiny Knit Sweaters for Christmas Trees, Garland or Wreaths
These Tiny Knit Sweaters knit up quickly and make adorable Christmas tree ornaments. They are equally cute on a garland, a wreath, as a gift topper, or as a place setting. Use some of your yarn stash for these knit Christmas ornaments.
I know I’ve said this before, but these wee sweaters may just be one of my most favorite knit projects, ever! I mean, could they be any cuter?
We are gathering with my entire immediate family, which really isn’t very many people, for Christmas this year. There will be ten of us for the week of Christmas and I am knitting a tiny sweater for every member of my family for a place setting at Christmas breakfast. My hope is that they will then use them as a Christmas tree decoration in the future as a remembrance of our week together.
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Luckily, you can easily make one of these tiny knit sweaters in a day.
Other Christmas Projects
These tiny knit sweaters are one of several Christmas projects you can find on the blog. Here are some of my other Christmas projects, knit and not-knit. Scroll through and click on the images below to go to that specific post.
These wee sweaters use double-pointed needles to knit them in the round. If you need a refresher or a tutorial on knitting in the round with double-pointed needles, I have a post about that here.
Material Needed for each 3” x 5” Tiny Knit Sweater:
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- 20 yards of worsted-weight yarn. I used Berroco Vintage in Buttercream which I had leftover from this hat.
- US 5 (3.75mm) double-pointed needles (5 needles needed)
- Additional yarn or thread for embroidery (I used a 4-strand DMC cotton thread, but use what you have!)
- Large eye needle for embroidery, weaving in loose ends, and securing the sleeves on your knit sweater ornaments.
- Wire doll hangers
- Printable Pattern in the Subscriber Library. If you’ve forgotten the super secret password, it is at the bottom of every Monday’s News from the Nest.
Stitches and Abbreviations Used:
- DPN: double-pointed needle
- KBF: knit through the back and then the front loop of stitch (a one-stitch increase)
- Rib Stitch: alternate knit and purl stitches
Gauge:
5 stitches and 7” for each inch of stocking stitch on US 5 needle.
Use Your Yarn Stash!
I used worsted-weight yarn, on US5 needles, for my sweaters because that’s what I had in my stash. But I encourage you to use what you have! First of all, these are wee ornaments, so the size really doesn’t matter. But, if you want some guidelines for using what you have, just pick the yarn you have, follow the needle suggestions below, and expect the sweater to come out a bit smaller or larger than the original. Knit one first and measure it before you make a whole batch.
Sock or Fingering Weight
- Two strands held together on US 5 needles: Two strands of fingering knit up to about a DK weight. Expect a sweater about 10 to 15 percent smaller than the original. Go up to US 6 and it will be about 5 to 10 percent smaller.
- Three strands held together on US 5 needles: This lands very close to the original size, within about 5 percent. It is a great way to use up leftover sock yarn, but keep the strands from tangling by pulling them from separate balls or winding them together first.
Sport Weight
- One strand on US 4 needles: The sweater will be about 20 to 25 percent smaller than the original. The neckband will be around 4.25 inches, the body about 3.75 to 4 inches wide, and the height about 2.25 to 2.5 inches. Add 2 or 3 extra rounds to the body and 1 or 2 to each sleeve if you want it to look more like the original proportions. A US 5 will give you a slightly larger sweater, but the fabric will be looser.
- Two strands held together on US 5 needles: This comes out the same size as the original, or a little larger. If you would like it closer to the original, drop to a US 4. Doubled sport makes a nice dense fabric that holds its shape well.
DK or Light Worsted Weight
- One strand on US 5 needles: The sweater will be about 15 to 20 percent smaller than the original. The neckband will be about 4.5 inches, the body about 4 inches wide, and the height about 2.5 inches. If your stitches look loose or gappy, drop to a US 4. Add 1 or 2 extra rounds to the body and 1 to each sleeve if you want the proportions to match.
- Two strands held together on US 4 needles: This gives a sweater within about 1 to 10 percent of the original size, just slightly larger. For a size nearly identical to the original, use US 3 needles. The fabric will be dense, which is great for ornaments.
A Few Tips for Any Yarn Weight
- Keep the ribbing to the number of rounds in the pattern, and add extra rounds only to the plain stocking-stitch sections.
- Bind off the neck loosely so there is room to thread a ribbon or loop through for hanging, especially with thinner yarns held in multiples.
- If you see a small gap where the sleeve meets the body, snug it up with the yarn tail when you weave in your ends.
- Holding two different colors together gives a lovely marled, tweedy look, and it is a great way to use up the last bits of two skeins.
Instructions for Tiny Knit Sweaters:
(This pattern is available for download in the subscriber library, and you can access the video that shows how to knit tiny sweater, step by step)
Knit these sweater ornaments from the neck down.
Knit neckband and shoulders:
- Cast 26 stitches on one of the DPNs
- Divide the 26 stitches among four DPNs as follows: 7 on the first needle, 6 on the second needle, 7 on the third needle, and 6 on the fourth needle. Make sure the cast on row is not twisted.
- Row/Round 1: Join and knit the rib stitch (K, P) in the round.
- Row/Round 2: Continue rib stitch (26 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 3: Knit (26 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 4: KBF in the last stitch on each needle. (30 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 5: Knit all stitches (30 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 6: KBF in the first and last stitch on each needle (38 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 7: Knit all stitches (38 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 8: KBF in the first and last stitch on each needle (46 stitches total among the 4 needles)
- Row/Round 9: Knit all stitches (46 stitches total among the 4 needles)
Separate the Sleeves from the Knit Sweater Body:
You now have 46 stitches divided between 4 needles; two needles have 12 stitches and two needles have 11 stitches.
Slide the 11 stitches on those two onto two scrap pieces of yarn.
I find it easiest to slide the 11 stitches off of the needle while holding the stitches between my fingers and thread a needle holding the scrap yarn through the stitches. Tie the scrap yarn to keep the stitches on.
Knit the Body:
- Rows/ Rounds 1—10: Continue working in the round and knit the body of the tiny sweater in stocking stitch. The neck will be facing down as you work towards the bottom of the sweater.
- Rows/Rounds 11 + 12: Work two rows in rib stitch.
- Bind off in pattern.
Knit Sleeves:
- Row/Round 1: Put the stitches of one sleeve back on two needles and knit in the round, KBF on the last stitch at the armpit. You will then have a total of 12 stitches between the two needles.
- Rows/Rounds 2—7: Knit in stocking stitch
- Rows/Rounds 8 + 9: Work two rows of rib stitch. Bind off in pattern.
- Work the second sleeve the same way and weave all loose ends through the sweater.
Ideas for Embellishing Your Tiny Knit Sweaters:
- I cross-stitched initials on mine. I made my letters 5 columns wide and 7 rows tall and didn’t use a pattern, just free-handed the letters.
- You could also embroider cursive letters with the back stitch or stem stitch.
- Embroider a snowman using a cross stitch or a snowflake using a back stitch or stem stitch.
- Use different colors of yarn to make stripes through the sweater. I didn’t have a colored worsted in my stash and was bound and determined to use what I had! But stripes would be too cute!
So, there you go my friend! As I said, you can easily knit one of these tiny knit sweaters in a day. If you make these sweet knit sweater ornaments, PLEASE take some pics to send to me. I love the inspiration you all provide when you put your own spin on the projects and send photos.
Would You Like a Printable Version of this Pattern?
This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF in the Subscriber Library. If you don’t remember the super secret password, I include it at the bottom of every Monday’s newsletter. But, you can also email me and I’ll gladly remind you of it.
OR…click this link and the pattern will automagically appear in your email inbox.
Bookmark this page or pin the following image to return back to the instructions for these Tiny Knit Sweaters.
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