If you’re planning to knit gifts or home décor for the upcoming holiday season, consider August and September a good time to search for patterns. Of late, those who enjoy perusing printed pattern collections won’t have a big selection of new books; Jorid Linvik’s Big Book of Christmas Knits being a prominent exception. Hailing from Norway, Linvik brings a distinct Scandinavian sensibility to the holiday season, offering a plethora of stranded color designs. She also presents some of the cutest patterns for dolls and doll clothing that I’ve seen in many years. As the title suggests, the patterns are limited to Christmas decorations, accessories, and gifts, but if you celebrate this holiday and like stranded patterns, this book will thrill you to the very core.

Past years have seen various books published on the subject, with a few standouts in the mix. Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures to Knit, available on Amazon and through special order at independent bookstores, is a focused collection of different techniques and skill levels. Beginners and experienced knitters alike will geek out over the choices, which range from gansey-inspired to cable bliss to striped splendor to, once again, stranded colorwork. I’ve personally used this book over and over to make last-minute gifts for loved ones; with yarn weights ranging from fingering to heavy worsted, it’s easy to find something that will work in the time span available.

Melanie Falick has long been known in the knitting world for her luxurious coffee-table sized knitting books. Holiday Handmade remains one of her best, offering patterns for the home, the body, and the wrappings. This tome, which almost begs you to sit down and page through it, offers patterns for both Christmas and Hannukah gifts, as well as for the Winter Solstice – pretty daring for a book published in 2005. although no other holiday traditions. It’s a wonderful collection which has not dated over the years, and it remains unique in its offering of several intarsia patterns.

The founders of San Francisco’s Imagiknit, Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs, published Holiday Knits: 25 Great Gifts From Stockings to Sweaters back in 2005. This book is good news for those of us who celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas; although small in size, it offers a myriad of ideas. This tome is organized by time commitment, from knits one can finish in a weekend to those that will take two weeks or more. While there are three Christmas stocking patterns, they aren’t knit in traditional colors; the rest of the patterns follow suit with neutrals predominating. Isaacs’ and Lucas’ design sensibilities are modern and fairly minimalist, and the patterns can be easily adopted for birthday gifts throughout the year. Of all the tomes listed here, this one remains my personal favorite.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of these authors or publishing companies. I have purchased these books with my own funds.

Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures of Knit. Interweave Press, Loveland, CO, 2001. ISBN: 1-931499-00-4

Falick, Melanie. Handknit Holidays: Knitting Year-Round for Christmas, Hannukah, and Winter Solstice. STC Craft, New York, 2005. ISBN: 1-58479-454-2

Linvik, Jorid. Big Book of Christmas Knits. Trafalgar Square Books, 2019. ISBN: 978-1570769528

Lucas, Sara, and Isaacs, Allison. Holiday Knits: 18 Great Gifts from Stockings to Sweaters.” Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2005. ISBN: 0-8118-4718-7.