Christmas Cards - Free Knitting Pattern For Christmas in Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply by Debbie Bliss

Debbie Bliss Christmas Cards – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

This is a free downloadable knitting pattern by Debbie Bliss, originally published in Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine Issue 5 (Pattern 23). It produces small, decorative knitted panels designed to be mounted onto blank greeting cards, making them a charming and handcrafted alternative to shop-bought Christmas cards. Each finished knitted piece measures approximately 9 x 10.5cm (3½ x 4¼in) and is attached to a plain blank card roughly 13.5cm (5¼in) square using double-sided adhesive tape.

What Is Being Made

The pattern creates small, flat stranded colourwork knitted squares or rectangles intended to decorate the fronts of Christmas cards. These miniature knitted pieces are worked from a charted design in two colours — Red (shade 33, colourway 09) and White (shade 01) — and once finished and pressed, are simply adhered to the front of a blank card. The result is a tactile, textile-based greeting card that doubles as a keepsake or small decorative piece. Each individual card panel uses only 7–8g of yarn, making this an excellent stash-busting or yarn-remnant project.

Techniques Used

• Stranded colourwork: The pattern is worked using the stranded knitting technique, where two colours of yarn — Red and White — are carried across the row. One colour forms the main fabric while the other is woven or stranded across the wrong side, creating the traditional two-colour motif visible on the chart. This is a classic Fair Isle-adjacent method widely used in Scandinavian and British knitting traditions.
• Worked flat: The knitted panel is worked back and forth in rows on a pair of straight needles, rather than in the round. Right side rows and wrong side rows are worked alternately, following the chart instructions for each colour placement.
• Chart reading: Knitters follow a 33-stitch by 33-row colourwork chart, reading right side rows from right to left and wrong side rows from left to right, as is standard for flat knitting.
• Finishing: Yarn ends are darned in carefully, and the piece is lightly pressed on the wrong side before being mounted onto the card with double-sided adhesive tape.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (St st): The fabric is worked in stocking stitch throughout — knit stitches on right side rows and purl stitches on wrong side rows — forming the smooth, classic knitted surface ideal for displaying colourwork motifs clearly.
• Cast on and cast off: A standard cast on of 33 stitches begins the piece, and a straightforward cast off completes it after all 33 chart rows are worked.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto 4-Ply in Red 33 (shade 09) and White 01. One 50g ball of each colour is specified, though each individual card uses only 7–8g, meaning a single purchase of each shade will yield multiple cards. Rialto 4-Ply is a premium 100% merino wool yarn known for its softness, stitch definition, and suitability for fine colourwork.
• Needles: A pair of 3mm (US size 2–3) knitting needles is required.
• Notions: Plain blank cards approximately 13.5cm (5¼in) square, plus double-sided adhesive tape for mounting the finished knitted panel.

Tension

The stated tension is 31 stitches and 38 rows to 10cm (4in) square over patterned stocking stitch using 3mm needles. Because the finished piece is small and decorative rather than a fitted garment, precise tension matching is less critical, though working to the stated gauge will ensure the knitted panel fits neatly onto the card.

Difficulty Level and Suitability

This pattern is rated intermediate