“Tap tap tap tap, go our little hammers, ring ring ring ring, go our little bells. We are Santa’s Helpers, making Christmas toys.”
I think we sang that little song in kindergarten or first grade. I still think of it when I hear the term, “Santa’s helper.” This garland is all about those little elves, and their cute little stocking caps and booties (with bells!). It’s a fast project: these charms knit up in just hours. Though they can be made easily with scraps, I indulged in buying brand-new yarn this year, and I’m going to make more garlands to give away to friends and family this holiday season. I hope you can, as well!

If you’re using scraps, each charm uses 4 to 7 g of yarn. Charms measure, on average, 4”. The “furry” cuffs are white 4-ply held double with white mohair to give a small halo.

NOTE: The cuffs are knit intentionally in stockinette so they’ll roll. Also note that you can increase the length of the stocking cap by knitting 6 or 7 rounds between decrease rounds, and for a longer bootie, you can knit 5 rounds between decreases.

GOOD TO KNOW: Basic sock construction, DPN or Magic Loop technique for knitting small things in the round, crochet chain stitch (to make the garland chain)