I’ve always thought a Christmas tree looked incomplete without candy canes hanging on its branches, but I’m not a big fan of actually eating the things. So every year I’d buy a box of candy canes to finish trimming my tree. They’d look great on the tree. Then in January the tree would come down and the candy canes would sit on a table or in a mug, gathering dust. I’d eat maybe one and sooner or later the rest would end up in the trash. It just felt so wasteful.

Then one December I had the idea to knit myself a set of candy canes. I got some inexpensive red and white yarn and quickly turned out a dozen of these. They look great on my tree, and best of all I can reuse them every year.

A candy cane also makes a great package decoration or looks adorable peeping out the top of a stocking hung by the fireplace. They’re a really quick and easy knit, even a beginner can turn one out in well under an hour. So knit some up for yourself as well as all of your friends and family. Don’t forget to make the requisite joke: these are the perfect holiday candy for anyone who needs a little more fiber in their diet.

NOT A TOY! The end of the cloth stem wire used to shape these candy canes sometimes pokes out. It can be pretty sharp, so keep them away from the little ones.