Advent Christmas Wreath

Advent Christmas Wreath by Andrew Lucas

Project Overview

This downloadable knitting pattern creates a festive Advent Christmas wreath measuring 23 centimeters in diameter, designed by Andrew Lucas as a beginner-friendly decoration project. The wreath serves as a functional and decorative piece perfect for holiday displays, combining simple knitting techniques with practical battery-operated tealight holders.

What Is Being Made

The Advent Christmas Wreath consists of two main components: a circular wreath base and four matching tealight holders. The wreath forms the foundation of the decoration, while the four holders are positioned around it to display battery-operated tealights, creating a warm, glowing centerpiece suitable for seasonal decoration.

Wreath Construction

The wreath base is knitted using brown double knitting wool and measures 23 centimeters in diameter when completed. The construction begins by casting on 20 stitches and working 150 rows in stocking stitch, which creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for forming the circular shape. Once the knitted piece reaches the required length, the row ends are stitched together and the piece is filled with stuffing to create a three-dimensional, padded ring. The cast-on and cast-off edges are then secured together to form the complete circular wreath structure.

Tealight Holders

Four identical tealight holders are knitted separately using red double knitting wool. Each holder begins with 28 stitches cast on and features a combination of stitch techniques. The first 3 rows are worked in garter stitch to create a stable edge, followed by 3 rows of stocking stitch. The pattern then continues with 8 rows of garter stitch, which provides texture and structural support. The holder is then shaped through strategic decreasing: the next row reduces stitches to 14 by knitting two stitches together across the row, followed by another decrease row that reduces the stitch count to 7. A final shaping row decreases to 4 stitches, creating a tapered, cup-like form suitable for holding the tealights.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

• Stocking Stitch (st st): The primary stitch used for the wreath base, created by alternating knit rows with purl rows to produce a smooth, classic fabric
• Garter Stitch (gs): Used in the tealight holders for texture and stability, created by knitting every row
• Decreasing (k2tog): Knitting two stitches together to reduce stitch count and shape the tealight holders into their tapered form
• Casting On and Casting Off: Standard techniques used to begin and finish the knitted pieces
• Yarn Round Needle (yrn): A technique referenced in the pattern abbreviations for creating decorative elements
• Increasing (inc): A shaping technique available in the pattern for customization

Materials Required

This beginner-friendly project requires 3.25mm knitting needles and double knitting wool in four colors: brown for the wreath base, red for the tealight holders, plus green and yellow for additional decorative elements. The pattern calls for oddments of yarn, meaning small quantities of each color are sufficient. Additional materials include a small amount of stuffing to pad the wreath and four battery-operated tealights to complete the functional decoration.

Difficulty Level

Designed as a beginner level project, this Advent Christmas Wreath uses fundamental knitting skills including basic cast-on and cast-off techniques, stocking stitch, garter stitch, and simple decreasing. The straightforward construction and minimal shaping make it an accessible project for knitters new to the craft who wish to create a meaningful holiday decoration.