Fiona Goble - Knitivity: Create Your Own Christmas Scene

Knitivity copyright Ivy Press Limited 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

an Andrews McMeel Universal company

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010939799

This book was conceived, designed, and produced by

Ivy Press

210 High Street

Lewes

East Sussex BN7 2NS

United Kingdom

www.ivy-group.co.uk

Creative Director Peter Bridgewater

Publisher Jason Hook

Editorial Director Tom Kitch

Senior Designer James Lawrence

Designer Clare Barber

Story Text Gill Paul

Photographer Andrew Perris

Illustrator Ivan Hissey

Digital Assistant Emily Owen

Color origination by Ivy Press Reprographics

IMPORTANT!

Safety warning: The knitted figures are not toys. Many have small, removable parts and should be kept out of the reach of small children.

Christmas is a special time of the year and nothing captures that magical feeling quite like the beauty and simplicity of the traditional nativity scene. With easy-to-follow patterns and charming details for each figure, Knitivity will help you create a lasting nativity scene that will be cherished by you and your family for years to come.

From Mary and Joseph to the shepherds and the wise men and, of course, the Baby Jesus, all of the essential figures are included in the Knitivity scene. The completed scene includes: Mary, Joseph, an angel, Baby Jesus, three shepherds, three wise men, two sheep, an ox, a donkey, the star, and three gifts.

From the angels pale green wings to the gilded gifts from the wise men to the downy wool of the sheep, each figure is uniquely designed to bring depth and character to the scene. Whats more, each character is straightforward to make. There are no fancy patterns or scary cables. If you can cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease, and bind off, then you wont have any problems knitting the entire Knitivity cast.

The satisfaction starts at the very beginning, with choosing the yarns and colors for the first character in your collection.

Then, while youre knitting, you will be excited as you see each figure develop. Furthermore, since all of the characters are small, you will be able to knit each project surprisingly and satisfyingly quick. Once complete, take a step back, admire your work, and invite your family and friends to enjoy the beauty of your handmade nativity scene.

If you dont fancy knitting the Knitivity as one large project, you can knit it in stages. In the first year, for example, you could knit Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and an animal or two. The year after you could add the shepherds or wise men. Over a few years, you will eventually create a beautiful and detailed Knitivity that you and your family will treasure forever.

The Knitivity also makes a great project for friends and knitting groups. Pool your resources of yarn, take a character each, and, before you know it, your Knitivity will be complete. You may want to donate your set to a school, church, or community group. Alternatively, it makes a great present for friends or family members.

Whether you choose to create your Knitivity by yourself or with friends, have fun and enjoy the pleasure of making a family heirloom, by hand, that celebrates this most special time of year.

You dont need any fancy tools to get started on your Knitivity. This is one of the best things about knitting, along with the fact that your work-in-progress is so portable. You probably have most of the tools already. Just in case you dont, the list below sets out everything you will need. In between sorting out your bits and pieces, dont forget to grab yourself a nice bag or basket to keep your project safe.

Knitting needles can be made of plastic, metal, or bamboo. It doesnt matter which of these you choose for these projects, but short-length needles are recommended, because they are easier to maneuver. When knitting small items on small needles, it is helpful to use ones that have fairly pointed ends.

You will need these for creating the basic dolls, their clothes, and the animals. This is a slightly smaller size than is usually chosen for working with double knitting (DK) yarn. This is because it is important that your knitting is tight, so that the dolls and animals keep their shape and the stuffing doesnt show through.

You will need these for knitting smaller pieces such as beards or some of the animals ears.

If you knit particularly tightly or particularly loosely, you may need to choose knitting needles in a slightly larger or smaller size ().

Theres no crocheting as such involved in this book, but you will need a crochet hook to make simple chains for the dolls hair, their belts. and a few other items. If you already have a crochet hook that is either a little larger or smaller than D-3 (3.25 mm), you dont need to buy another, as it will do the job perfectly well.

You will use these for knitting the wise mens gifts.

A tapestry or darning needle is the best needle to use to sew your work together. These needles have blunt ends, which means that you will be less likely to split your yarn and spoil all your hard work.

For some of the projects, you will need something to hold spare knitting stitches while you work on another part of the knitted item. A stitch holder, which is a sort of cross between a knitting needle and a large safety pin, is specially designed for this job. If you dont have one already, you could easily use a spare needle or an ordinary large safety pin instead.

These are small plastic circles that clip easily on to your work to mark certain rows. Alternatively, you can use small safety pins () or a short length of contrasting thread tied through the stitch.