Holiday Trees Decorations in Valley Yarns Northampton - 970 - Downloadable PDF

Holiday Trees Decorations Knitting Pattern – Valley Yarns Northampton (Pattern #970 by Susan Baron)

Bring a cozy, handcrafted charm to your seasonal décor with the Holiday Trees Decorations, pattern #970 designed by Susan Baron. This beginner-level knitting pattern guides you through creating a set of three cone-shaped decorative trees in three sizes — Small, Medium, and Large — each knit in luxurious Valley Yarns Northampton 100% wool. Whether arranged as a tabletop centerpiece or scattered throughout your home, these trees are a wonderful introduction to simple shaping techniques and a satisfying quick knit for crafters of all experience levels.

What You Will Make

The pattern produces a set of three decorative knitted trees in graduated sizes, designed to mimic the classic silhouette of a conical evergreen. The finished measurements are as follows:

• Small: Height 9½", Base Circumference 10¾"
• Medium: Height 12½", Base Circumference 14"
• Large: Height 21½", Base Circumference 17½"

Once knitted and seamed, each tree is shaped over a Styrofoam cone or stuffed with Poly-fil to hold its three-dimensional form. The result is a firm, freestanding decoration that can be displayed on mantels, shelves, or holiday tablescapes.

Techniques Used

This pattern uses two core construction techniques that make it especially approachable for beginners:

• Worked flat: Each tree is knitted flat on straight or circular needles, meaning you work back and forth in rows rather than in the round. This is one of the most fundamental knitting methods and requires no knowledge of circular or double-pointed needle techniques.
• Seamed construction: After knitting, the flat piece is joined along its side edges using a narrow seam on the wrong side, forming the cone shape. Seaming is a foundational finishing skill that gives the tree its three-dimensional structure.

The shaping is achieved through evenly spaced decrease rows worked at regular intervals. Stitch markers are placed to divide the work into sections, making it easy to track where decreases fall — a helpful technique for beginners learning to read their knitting and manage multiple points of shaping simultaneously.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch: The entire tree is worked in garter stitch, which is created by knitting every row. Garter stitch produces a squishy, ridged fabric with excellent elasticity and body — ideal for a decorative item that needs to hold its shape over a form. It is also the most beginner-friendly stitch pattern, requiring only the knit stitch.
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together): This is the decrease stitch used to taper the tree from its wide base to its narrow tip. K2tog is a right-leaning decrease worked by inserting the needle through two stitches simultaneously and knitting them as one, reducing the stitch count by one. In this pattern, three stitches are decreased per decrease row — one at each of two marked points and one at the end of the row — creating the gradual cone shape.
• Cast on: The pattern begins with a standard cast on of 36 (45, 54) stitches depending on the size being worked.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool worsted weight yarn available in 100g / 247-yard skeins. Only one ball in each of two colors is needed to knit all three sizes — Small, Medium, and Large — making this an economical and stash-friendly project. The two strands are held together throughout, which creates a thicker, more substantial fabric and allows for beautiful color blending effects.

The recommended needle size is US size 10 (6.00 mm) straight or circular needles, or the size needed to achieve the gauge of 14 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch with one strand of each color held together.

Additional materials include:

• Stitch markers to track decrease positions