Felted Christmas Trees
This year I wanted to make something that my son would always associate with Christmas’s approach; something that every year he would see me pull out of a box that would bring the smell of pine to his nose and the warmth of a fire to his feet; something that would get him giddy for Santa Claus and snowmen; something that would elevate itself to the level of treasured heirloom, not because it’s fancy but because it is loved.
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
These trees are lots of fun to make. You get to knit them up on big needles, nice and loose, then you get to decorate them with lots of pretty French knots and, finally, you get to feel the surprise of pulling them out of the washing machine, transformed into fuzzy little trees! Enjoy! -Whitney
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoFeltedChristmasTrees. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 3 skeins of Cascade 220, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. These colors, from the top, are #7814 Chartreuse, #8910 Citron, and #8010 Natural.
- 7 skeins of Paternayan Needlepoint Yarn, 100% Persian Virgin Wool. These colors, from the left, are #842, #850, #880, #750, #698, #761, and #695. We no longer sell this needlepoint yarn, but we do sell Appleton’s Tapestry and Crewel Skeins!
- A US 11 (8 mm), 16-inch circular needle
- A set of US 11 double pointed needles
- A tapestry needle
- A bag of stuffing
Shop our wonderful collection of aran + worsted-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
NOTE: Be sure to pick a non-machine washable animal fiber so that your project will felt!
Gauge
12 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch (before felting)
Finished Sizes
The Big Tree is 6 inches in diameter at its base and 12 inches high (after felting).
The Little Tree is 3¾ inches in diameter at its base and 6¾ inches high (after felting).
Pattern: Big Tree
The Bottom
With the US 11, 16-inch circular needle and Color A, cast on 4 stitches, leaving a 24-inch tail. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
NOTE: For the Bottom section, you will work back and forth on the needles, turning the piece at the end of each row.
Row 1: Knit into the front and back (kfb) of every stitch. (8 stitches)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Repeat Row 1. (16 stitches)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (24 stitches)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (32 stitches)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (40 stitches)
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (48 stitches)
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: *K5, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (56 stitches)
Row 14: Purl.
Row 15: *K6, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (64 stitches)
Row 16: Purl.
Row 17: *K7, kfb, repeat from * to end of row. (72 stitches)
Row 18: Purl.
Row 19: Purl.
The Cone
Place a marker on the right needle and, with the right side facing you, join to work in round.
Round 1: *K10, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (66 stitches)
Knit 10 rounds.
Next Round : *K9, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (60 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
With Color A, knit 1 round.
Repeat the last two rounds.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
Continue with Color B.
Next Round : *K8, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (54 stitches)
Knit 8 rounds.
Next Round : *K7, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)
Knit 7 rounds.
Next Round : *K6, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)
Knit 6 rounds.
Next Round : *K5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)
With Color C, knit 1 round.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
Repeat the last two rounds.
With Color C, knit 1 round.
Continue with Color C.
Next Round : *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds.
As you knit the next round, change to the US #11 double pointed needles.
Next Round : *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds.
Next Round : *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)
Knit 2 rounds.
Next Round : *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)
Knit 1 round.
Next Round : *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)
Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches.
Weave in all the ends except for the cast on tail.
The French Knots
Thread three strands of the needlepoint yarn onto a tapestry needle. Bring the needle from inside the tree to the outside.
Wrap the yarn around the tapestry needle four times. (There are two ways to wrap the yarn: one way makes a knot and the other doesn’t. Please study the photo carefully to make sure you’re wrapping correctly. I find it helpful to think of wrapping toward the tail end of the yarn.)
Insert the needle into the hole directly above the one the yarn is coming from. There should be one strand, or “ladder”, of the tree yarn between the hole where the needlepoint yarn exits and where it enters.
Bring the needle through to the inside of the tree, sliding the wraps off the eye end of the needle. Gently tug the ends of the yarn to take up some slack in the french knot.
Tie the ends together and cut the yarn.
(We have another French Knot Tutorial here if you need some extra help.)
I arranged my French Knots in a vaguely rainbow order, so the reds are at the bottom, fading into yellows and greens at the top. I also tied off the top of the tree with two slightly different colors of red yarn.
Felting and Finishing
Put the tree in a cotton pillowcase and, along with a pair of jeans or a couple of tennis balls, put the pillowcase in the washing machine. Set the temperature to hot and the water level to high, add some soap, and let the machine run through an entire cycle. If the tree isn’t as felted as you want after one cycle, send it through again.
Lay the tree flat to dry.
Fill the tree with lots of stuffing. Make sure it is nice and firm, which is easier to do by tamping down small amounts of stuffing rather than by trying to fill the tree all at once.
When the tree is full, use the cast on tail and a tapestry needle to sew the bottom closed.
Pattern: Little Tree
The Bottom
With the US #11, 16 inch circular needle and Color B, cast on 4 stitches, leaving an 18 inch tail.
NOTE: For the Bottom section, you will work back and forth on the needles, turning the piece at the end of each row.
Work Rows 1 – 12 of the “Bottom” section of the Big Tree pattern.
Row 13: Purl.
The Cone
Place a marker on the right needle and, with the right side facing you, join to work in round. (For visual aid, see the Big Tree picture, above.)
Round 1: *K6, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)
Knit 8 rounds.
Next Round : *K5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)
Knit 7 rounds.
Next Round : *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)
Knit 6 rounds.
As you knit the next round, change to the US #11 double pointed needles.
Next Round : *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)
With Color C, knit 1 round.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
Repeat the last two rounds.
With Color C, knit 1 round.
Continue with Color C.
Next Round : *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds.
Next Round : *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds.
Next Round : *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)
Knit 2 rounds.
Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches.
Weave in all the ends except for the cast on tail.
The French Knots, Felting and Finishing
Use the needlepoint yarn to decorate the tree, as explained above in the “French Knots” section of the Big Tree pattern.
And to felt and finish, also follow the directions of the Big Tree pattern above.
Here’s the Little Tree felted, laying out to dry.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
They are so sweet and so cute!!! Love it!!!!
Love the idea! I think I’;; make mine from sweaters I already felted and just sew them up. My knitting skills are a little rusty!
Can’t wait to make my trees. I just received my yarn in the mail yesterday and plan to cast on tonight. Thanks as always for the great pattern!!
I just felted three of the trees, one big and two small. More than half of my french knots fell out in the felting process. Also, the long strands for closing up the trees all fused together in the felting process. Any suggestions for the french knots would be great. The trees themselves turned out adorable but I am feeling frustrated that all the time I put into the french knots went out with the wash. 🙂
Still loving this from last year! Can I blog/link? xox – pugger
Love this pattern! I ‘ve finished knitting them and am ready to felt, which I’ve never done before. Sure wish the pattern was up on ravelry so I could ask people for tips.
WOW! I got to this site from a blog at wordpress.com and the knitting projects you have here are awesome. I do not knit but my wife knits a lot. She made me a sweeter last winter and i'm very sure she would love this site. Can't wait to show it to her.
Knitting the tree was easy–but oh, those French knots. I have no problem making a French knot on fabric, but it doesn't seem to stay put in this loose knitting! Each time I make one, it falls out. Any further suggestions? Thanks, Karen
Hi Karen,
Are you sure you're wrapping the yarn the correct direction around the needle? And you leaving a ladder strand between where the needle comes out and where it goes in? Do you think wrapping around the needle more tightly would help? Or tugging more gently on the ends?
If you're really at a loss, maybe you'd prefer Joelle's method of finishing with little embroidered stars. You can see her version here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/the-purl-bee/2010/12/12/new-felted-christmas-trees.html
Good luck – I hope it works out!
Whitney
What is the finished size of these? I would like to make something like this as ornaments, but am wondering how I will need to alter the pattern.
Thank you!
HI Jaime,
Here are the finished sizes:
The Big Tree is 6 inches in diameter at its base and 12 inches high (after felting).
The Little Tree is 3 3/4 inches in diameter at its base and 6 3/4 inches high (after felting).
To make something smaller, try smaller yarn!
Thanks for your question and please let us know if you have more!
Whitney
Hello!
I’m hoping to make these as gifts this holiday but notice the yarn is no longer available? Do you recommend something else?
All my best,
Courtney
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for reaching out! I would suggest using Brooklyn Tweed Shelter for the main colors and Appleton Tapestry Skeins for the contrast colors. Both yarns felt extremely well and come in a nice range of colors to choose from!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi: I’m in the midst of smaller tree but am holding off on bigger one I o finished ( in blues actuslly. . I used a ‘ fuzzier ‘ one with sparkles for small one so an felting.. ( The French knots: I just bring up and wrap 3 times ( counter clockwise – thanks for ladder hint and embroidered stars ( ! Alsi: having find crocheted versions without base: I skipped it on smaller one; started with magic circle of 56 . Just fine! Thanks!