Finally, I went for it and made a Christmas pattern. It’s really just crazy I haven’t done one before because the yuletide is my absolute favourite time of year!

There certainly are numerous beautiful Christmas themed mosaic crochet patterns around, and for a time I felt that I had nothing to add. But then finally my urge to make my own Christmas blanket was stronger than any practical thoughts on the matter. I started drawing up some simple Christmas motifs and they just kept coming. My inspiration is our Nordic Yule heritage and includes motifs like the eight petal rose, lots of plump hearts and little stars and of course the classic pine trees, representing the evergreen we celebrate as a symbol of life during this darkest time of the year.

I ended up having 4 different collection of motifs, and even then, I had to force myself to stop drawing! So, I came up with a nice solution, a little trick to get my brain to stop for now. I have decided that this pattern will be an ongoing work, where I can add new designs and motifs each Christmas. So, I now proudly present to you my Yuletide Collection, which already includes over 50 charts that can all be combined to make one coherent piece. The Yuletide collection will then continue to grow and evolve, hopefully for years to come. In the little baby blanket, you see here, I have used only 5 of the many different charts and designs you’ll find in the Yuletide collection.

This pattern is different also because I have only just started working with it myself, like I said, I had to force myself to stop drawing and start crocheting! I’ve done 3 little Yuletide projects now in December, one is still a work in progress. To be totally honest, I didn’t have all the designs ready until a bit late and didn’t want to add stress for my testers team in December, so we don’t have many finished items to show. I decided to just go for it and publish anyway, mainly so I could then work on my big Yuletide blanket myself over Christmas! This really goes to show that I always just make new patterns because I want and need a new project myself. I feel that this way I produce the best work too, because they come straight from the heart.

We start this little tradition of adding to the pattern each Christmas right this year. For now, you only get this intro. Then, on the 24th I will add the charts themselves. My hope is that it will be like opening up a little present, when you can finally see all the designs included and can start combining them and working on your Yuletide blanket in peace and quiet, once all the stress leading up to Christmas has passed.

For me the yuletide is the most wonderful time of year. Up here in the north it is very cold and dark during the holidays. Therefore, the origins of Christmas as the ancient celebration of light and the winter solstice is very much still alive. Yule here is the celebration of peace and light and the fact that we have now reached that point of winter when light conquers the dark. From winter solstice and onwards we have a little more sun and light each day, which is a just magical and certainly a reason to celebrate. Bring on the light!

Yarn

You can use any yarn you like for this pattern and a hook that suits your yarn. You can make all kinds of projects with this pattern collection, but blankets are always popular so I have included instructions for 3 sizes of blankets which you can do in any yarn weight and thus get different sizes. See tables on page 10 in the pattern.

I do not have yarn stats for all the different weight of yarns you can use for all the different sizes of blankets and projects you can make with this pattern. The absolute best would be to just use your yarn stash in one type of yarn weight, that’s what I’m doing for my big one.

I will keep on adding special files to this pattern, with colorways and yarn stats for specific projects that me and my tester team make every now and again. For now, you can use the following yarn stats in sports weight and DK weight for estimates.
Sports weight Yuletide yarn stats

For the SMALL size Yuletide blanket you see here, I used sports weight yarn and a 3.5 mm hook for the body of the blanket and 3 mm hook for the border.

I used the beautiful 2ply Shetland wool from Jamieson and Smith. This yarn comes in 25g skeins = 115 m.

You will need 18 x 25 g skeins for the body of the blanket. This is a very generous amount.

Plus 4 x 25 skeins for the simple double border.

DK Yuletide blankets yarn stats

I know that DK weight yarn (50 g = 100 m) is very popular for blankets and I’ll be doing my LARGE sized Yuletide blanket with my DK stash. Following is an estimate I did to give you an idea of how much DK yarn you will need approximately for each size. This all depends on the motifs you choose for your projects, gauge, different brand of yarn etc, so please remember that this is just an estimate.

SMALL YULETIDE blanket in DK
Approximately 12 balls for the body of the blanket, that’s 8 in color A and 4 in color B. Plus 3 skeins for the border.

MEDIUM YULETIDE blanket in DK
Approximately 25 balls for the body of the blanket, that’s 15 in color A and 10 in color B. Plus 6 skeins for the border.

LARGE YULETIDE blanket in DK
Approximately 50 balls for the body of the blanket, that’s 32 in color A and 18 in color B. Plus 10 skeins for the border.

Hooks

If using the DK yarn, you will need a 4 mm hook for the body of the blanket and a 3.5 mm hook for the border.
If using the sports weight yarn, you will need a 3.5 mm hook for the body of the blanket and a 3 mm hook for the border.
For other yarn weights, use a hook that suits your yarn for the body of the blanket and then go down half a hook size for the border.

Gauge
Approx. 20 ST & 20 rows = 10 cm or 4 inches, Using DK yarn and a 4 mm hook in a basic mosaic stitch.

See gauge for other weights of yarn in the tables on page 10 of the pattern.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ST = stitch/stitches
SS = slip stitch
CH = chain stitch
SC = single crochet
DC = double crochet
FPDC = front post double crochet

General Instructions

The Yuletide Collection is an interactive pattern where you can arrange the various designs included as you like. This is an ALL CHARTS PATTERN and comes with user-friendly charts for all the Yuletide designs.

All the designs are worked in repeats of 38 plus 3 stitches, so they all fit together, and you can arrange the different patterns to make a project in any size you like. For example, cushions, rugs, purses and blankets. See the blanket size guide included in the pattern for guidance on the dimensions you want for your Yuletide blanket.

The pattern can be worked both flat and in the round. For instructions on how to work mosaic crochet in the round, check out my YouTube tutorial #4 Beginners Guide to Mosaic Crochet – In the Round.