Christmas Character Goodie Bags 2 sizes

Christmas Character Goodie Bags by Tanya Oakley

Project Overview

These festive knitted goodie bags are designed by Tanya Oakley as downloadable knitting patterns featuring Christmas characters. The pattern offers two sizes to accommodate different gift-giving needs: a smaller 5-inch bag and a larger 6-inch bag. Each size includes instructions for creating character faces and coordinating festive hat designs, making these practical storage pieces also charming holiday decorations or gift containers.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces knitted goodie bags with attached Christmas character embellishments. The bags serve as small storage containers perfect for holiday treats, small gifts, or decorative display. Each bag features a main body paired with character elements including faces and themed hats such as bobble hats, elf hats, and festive character hats. The finished pieces combine functional bag construction with decorative character details that bring holiday personality to any space.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Cable cast-on method – Used to begin the knitted fabric with a strong, flexible edge
• KFB (knit front and back) increases – The designer's preferred method for shaping and increasing stitches throughout the pattern
• Mattress stitch seaming – The recommended finishing technique for sewing pieces together with an invisible, professional seam
• Stuffing techniques – Special attention to proper stuffing of knitted soft toys and decorative elements to maintain shape and finished appearance despite the stretchy nature of knit fabric

Stitches and Construction

The pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for intermediate-level crafters. The gauge is set at 7 stitches by 9 rows per inch, which is standard for DK weight yarn worked on the specified needles. This gauge ensures the bags achieve their intended finished dimensions and proper fabric drape. The construction method involves knitting the bag body as the primary component, then creating separate pieces for character faces and hat elements that are subsequently sewn together using mattress stitch for seamless assembly.

Materials Required

Needles: UK No 10 (3.25mm) US 3 and UK No 8 (4mm) US 6 needles are required for this project, allowing for gauge adjustments and different fabric densities as needed throughout the pattern.

Yarn: DK weight yarn is the primary material. Yarn quantities vary by size: Size 1 bags require 20–25g for the bag body, while Size 2 bags use 30–35g. Character components require additional yardage: faces need 6g (Size 1) or 10g (Size 2); bobble hats require 10g (Size 1) or 15g (Size 2); elf hats and festive character hats each require 6g per color (Size 1) or 10g per color (Size 2). Snowflake yarn accents use 6g (Size 1) or 10g (Size 2), and orange yarn for character details requires 5g (Size 1) or 8g (Size 2). The designer notes that any color can be imagined and used, though traditional Christmas colors are suggested.

Notions and Embellishments: Toy stuffing fills the character components and bag body as needed. Twelve-millimeter eyes and 30-millimeter pompoms add dimensional character details. A tapestry or darning needle is essential for sewing pieces together and finishing.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to tackle shaping techniques, seaming, and small toy construction. The combination of bag knitting with character embellishment assembly requires comfort with multiple techniques and attention to detail.

Pattern Details

The complete pattern spans 12 pages and includes all necessary instructions and photographs. The pattern text and photographs are copyrighted by Tanya Oakley as of 2023. The downloadable PDF format allows crafters to access the full instructions, charts, and visual references needed to complete both bag sizes and their accompanying character designs.