The Little Jumpers That Kick Off My Christmas in July Event

Every year, I run Christmas in July. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a chance to start thinking about your Christmas knitting while there’s still a bit of summer left to enjoy alongside it. Half the fun of any project is in the planning, choosing which patterns to cast on, picking the perfect yarn, deciding who’s getting what. Christmas in July is my gentle nudge to get you started on that part before December sneaks up and turns it into a panic.

In previous years, I’ve marked the occasion with discount codes here and there. This year, with the blog properly up and running, I wanted to do things a little differently. I know a lot of you knit for the little ones in your life first and foremost, so I’ll be keeping this year’s Christmas in July focused there too, patterns for them, and a bit of festive fun for you along the way. Expect pattern round ups, discount codes (of course, some traditions don’t need reinventing), festive yarn suggestions, free patterns, seasonal motifs, and plenty of excuses to play with colour.

First up, a mini sweater ornament knitting pattern with a twist, two of them, actually, Striped and Snowflake, ready to kick the whole thing off. Two tiny jumpers walk into a Christmas tree. No punchline needed, they just look brilliant hanging there.

There’s something about a jumper the size of your thumb that makes grown adults go a bit soft in the middle. Maybe it’s the scale. Maybe it’s the fact that somewhere between casting on and casting off, you’ve made something so small it could double as a keyring, and yet it still looks unmistakably like a jumper.

Whatever it is, these two patterns have become ones I come back to every year. So this Christmas in July, I’m giving you both, together, as one mix and match set.

Quick look

Skill level: Intermediate
Construction: Worked flat, seamed
Techniques used: Moss stitch rib, stripes (Striped), stranded colourwork (Snowflake)
Time to make: An evening or two per sweater
Yarn: Any leftover 4ply from your stash
Needles: 2.50mm straight
Extras: 3mm pearl beads for Snowflake, optional coat hanger wire
Finished size: 5.5cm tall x 12cm wide
Pattern type: Free, read straight from the blog
Perfect for: Tree decorations, garlands, advent calendars, gift toppers, charity knits

Meet the collection

Both patterns share the same yarn weight, needles, and finishing technique, so once you’ve made one, the other is no bother at all.

Striped is the quick one. Simple stripe sequence, no chart reading required, the kind of knit you can pick up after dinner and have off the needles before the kettle’s cold twice over.

Snowflake takes it up a notch. Same shape, same size, but with a stranded colourwork motif on the front and a little pearl bead sewn into the centre for good measure. If you’ve never tried colourwork before, this is about as gentle an introduction as you’ll find, small stakes, small sweater, big sense of achievement when it’s done.

Why knit them together

Because you already know how, that’s why. Master the construction on one and the other is just a variation. It also means you’re not restricted to knitting a dozen identical decorations. Mix stripes and snowflakes, mix colours, and suddenly your tree looks like it was decorated by a very talented, very small tailor.

A few reasons this pair earns its place in your knitting basket:

Stash busting.
Perfect for using up that odd ball of 4ply you can’t quite bear to throw away. Neither pattern needs much yarn, so this is the ideal home for leftovers that have been sitting in the bag of shame for longer than you’d like to admit.

A safe way to try something new.
Snowflake lets you dip a toe into stranded colourwork without committing to a full jumper’s worth. Low stakes, small scale, and if it goes wrong, you’ve lost an evening, not a fortnight.

Something for the little ones too.
Both patterns can be adapted using DK yarn on larger needles for a jumper with a bit more room, ideal for dressing a small teddy or favourite toy rather than hanging it on the tree. Exact sizing will depend on your tension, so a quick swatch first is no bad thing.

Don’t miss the rest of Christmas in July

Striped and Snowflake are just the start. Sign up to my newsletter and you’ll get every pattern round up, every discount code, and every free pattern as it lands this Christmas in July, straight to your inbox, no digging through the blog required.

Decorate

The obvious use, and a very good one.

• Tree decorations. The original purpose, and still the best. Add the coat hanger tutorial included in both patterns and you’ve got a proper little display piece.
• Garlands. String six to ten along a length of ribbon or twine for the mantelpiece, the stair rail, or anywhere that could do with a bit of festive nonsense.
• Advent calendar. Knit twenty four, one for each day of December, in a mix of stripes and snowflakes. A serious undertaking, but a satisfying one, and there’s no rule saying you have to start in November.
• Bottle toppers. As noted in the Snowflake pattern itself, these make a rather charming addition to a bottle of something nice for the host.

The Patterns

Both patterns below make up the full mini sweater ornament knitting pattern set, sharing the same materials, size, tension, and finishing technique. Where they differ is the front, stripes on one, a snowflake motif on the other, so I’ve written the shared bits once and the two fronts side by side.

You will need

• Yarn A (Silver), one 50g ball
• Yarn B (Mulberry), one 50g ball
• 2.50mm pair of straight needles
• Darning needle
• For Snowflake only: 3mm pearl beads, clear sewing needle and thread
• Optional, for the coat hanger: round nose pliers, 15 cm of 2mm thick aluminium flexible wire (sold in longer lengths, but you only need 15 cm per hanger)

Finished Size

5.5 cm tall x 12 cm wide (2.23 x 4.75 in)

Tension

30 sts x 42 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) using 2.5mm needles and stocking stitch

Abbreviations

M1, make one stitch. Pick up the horizontal strand between the last stitch on the right hand needle and the first stitch on the left hand needle, then knit into the back of it.

New to knitting shorthand? My Knitting Abbreviations Guide covers the full list.

Striped Mini Sweater

Stripe sequence: Two rows Yarn A, Two rows Yarn B

Cast on 18 sts using 2.5mm needles and Yarn B.

Moss stitch rib
Row 1: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 three times in total.

FRONT

Change to Yarn A
Row 7: Knit.
Row 8: Purl.
Change to Yarn B
Row 9: Knit.
Row 10: Purl.
Repeat from * to * until you have worked 9 stripes in total, ending with a Yarn A stripe.
Continue in Yarn A.

Neck shaping
Row 1: K6, cast off next 6 sts, k5 (1 stitch remains on the right needle after the cast off, plus k5, giving 6 sts on each side of the neck opening).
Row 2: P6, cast on 6 sts, p6.

Back

Starting with a Yarn A stripe, work 9 stripes ending with a Yarn A stripe.

Change to Yarn B
Next row: Knit Continuing in Yarn B.

Moss stitch rib
Row 1: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more.
Next row: As row 1.
Cast off.

Sleeves (make two)

Working the same stripe sequence as the body.

Cast on 14 sts using 2.5mm needles and Yarn B.
Row 1: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Work rows 1 and 2 once more.
Change to Yarn A
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: Purl.
Change to Yarn B
Row 7: K4, m1, k6, m1, k4. (16 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Change to Yarn A
Row 9: K4, m1, k8, m1, k4. (18 sts)
Continue in stripe pattern as set.
Row 10 and all even rows: Purl.
Row 11 and all odd rows: Knit.
Rows 12-16: Work in stocking stitch as set.
Cast off.

Snowflake Mini Sweater

Cast on 18 sts using 2.5mm needles and Yarn A.

Moss stitch rib
Row 1: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 three times in total.

Front

Rows 1 to 18: Work Chart A, the snowflake sweater chart below, using Yarn A and Yarn B as shown on the chart. Each square represents one stitch, start at the bottom right hand corner, and read right side rows from right to left, wrong side rows from left to right.

Neck shaping
Continuing in Yarn B.
Row 1: K6, cast off next 6 sts, k5 (1 stitch remains on the right needle after the cast off, plus k5, giving 6 sts on each side of the neck opening).
Row 2: P6, cast on 6 sts, p6.

Back

Continuing in Yarn B.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl.
Rows 3 to 16: Continue in stocking stitch as set.
Change to Yarn A.
Row 17: Knit.

Moss stitch rib
Work in Yarn A.
Row 1: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more.
Row 5: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Cast off.

Sleeves (make two)

Cast on 14 sts using 2.5mm needles and Yarn A.
Row 1: *K1, p1, rep from * to end.
Row 2: *P1, k1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more.
Change to Yarn B
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: K4, m1, k6, m1, k4. (16 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: K4, m1, k8, m1, k4. (18 sts)
Row 10 and all even rows: Purl.
Row 11 and all odd rows: Knit.
Rows 12-16: Work in stocking stitch as set.
Cast off.

Using clear thread, sew a bead into the centre of the snowflake.

New to stranded colourwork?

Stranded colourwork uses two strands of yarn at a time, letting you create a motif in the knitted fabric. It also produces a slightly warmer, more durable fabric than single colour knitting, since you’re carrying two strands rather than one. Most stranded colourwork uses only two colours in a row, with just one strand worked at a time.

Want to see it in action first? Very Pink Knits has a lovely colourwork tutorial that walks through the technique step by step.

Finishing (both patterns)

With wrong sides facing, fold the sleeves in half and sew the underarm seam to form each sleeve.

With wrong sides facing, fold the sweater body in half and sew the bottom ribbing at the sides. Place the Sleeves just inside the sweater and sew in place, then sew the sweater side seam closed.

The coat hanger (optional)

Aluminium flexible wire, 2mm thick, is sold in 2.5 m (98 in) lengths from Hobbycraft (or any craft retailer). Each hanger needs just 15 cm (6 in), so one length will make you plenty.

Cut a 15 cm (6 in) length of wire. Using round nose or chain nose pliers, bend the wire approximately 5 cm (2 in) from each end so the two ends cross, forming a shape roughly 5 cm (2 in) wide at the base.

Where the ends cross, bend one side tightly to make a hook shape.

Finally, twist the other end of wire tightly around the neck of the hook, taking care to bend any sharp edges inwards.

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Mix it up: Variations

• Stash bust it
  Neither pattern needs much yarn, so this is the perfect home for that odd ball of 4ply that’s been sitting in the bag of shame. Any two colours that play well together will do, you don’t need to match my shades exactly.
  
• Go bigger with DK
  Swap to DK yarn on larger needles for a jumper with a bit more room, ideal for dressing a small teddy or favourite toy rather than hanging it on the tree. A quick swatch first will help you judge sizing.
  
• Mix your stripes
  Change the stripe width, or the colour pairing, on the Striped version for a completely different look each time.
  
• Personalise it
  Embroider an initial or a name onto the front for a keepsake decoration, lovely for grandchildren or as a personalised gift topper.
  
• Swap the beads
  No pearl beads to hand for Snowflake? A few French knots in a contrast thread work just as well for the centre of the motif.
  
• Make a collection
  Once you’ve got the construction down, these are quick enough to knit a whole set for an advent calendar or a garland, mixing stripes and snowflakes as you go.

Safety first

If you plan to sell finished items made from this pattern, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the toy safety guidelines that apply to handmade items for children. The UK Hand Knitting Association has a helpful overview of the relevant regulations, including guidance on small parts, materials, and CE marking.

If you liked these, you’ll love

• Bumble Bee Baby Booties, another free pattern, quick to knit and just as giftable.
• Baby Robin Christmas Jumper, a full sized festive jumper with the same warm, characterful feel as Striped and Snowflake, scaled up for little ones.
• Baby Reindeer Hooded Blanket, cosy, seasonal, and a lovely gift for a new arrival.
• Baby Penguin and Polar Bear Christmas Jumper, another festive favourite, perfect if you’re already in the Christmas knitting mood.

That’s Christmas in July for you, plenty of time, no panic, just the good part of Christmas knitting, the planning, the yarn shopping, and the small satisfaction of casting on something new. Striped and Snowflake are just the start. I’ll see you back here soon with the next one.

Happy knitting,

Jane

Queries? Email jane@janeburns.co.uk or visit janeburns.co.uk

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About Jane

Jane is a UK based knitting and crochet pattern designer with 18 years of experience, specialising in whimsical, characterful patterns for babies and children. She is the founder of Jane Burns Whimsical Designs, with a focus on patterns that carry real personality, and on making knitting feel accessible, joyful, and a little bit daft when it needs to be.

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