A step-by-step guide to knitting the Christmas Bon Bons
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?” We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the knitting process.
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to knitting hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your bon bons.
The Christmas Bon Bons are a great beginner project. They're made using a combination of garter stitch, and stockinette stitch, both of which are made using a combination of knit and purl stitches.
You'll want to be confident with the knit and purl stitches before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches (AKA getting your stitches onto your needles) which is the first step in any knitting project, as well as casting off to finish.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our Learn How To Knit page.
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Onto the bon bons!
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 6mm needles
- 1 ball of Limited Edition Cardigang Merino Wool in Fairy Bread
- A darning needle
- A bag of stuffing and ribbon
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
🧶 Let's knit up a storm!
Time to get click-clacking and whip up your show stopping masterpieces.
Our bon bons are knitted with a top and bottom border of garter stitch which we create by using only knit stitches. For the middle of each piece we’ll use a combination of knit and purl stitches to create a stockinette stitch pattern. Your kit comes with enough materials to make 4 festive bon bons, so let’s get ready to sprinkle some joy!
STEP 1: Cast on
First thing first, cast on your stitches. Your stitches will run onto the plastic tubing that connects your needles - that helps you squeeze the stitches on!
💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways so if you don't like the technique we suggested, you can pick any that’s right for you.
STEP 2: GARTER STITCH
You're going to start with 13 rows of knit stitch to make a garter stitch pattern. Garter stitch is the simplest stitch! It's created by knitting every stitch in every row - super simple hey?! 😎
STEP 3 to 5: STOCKINETTE STITCH
Okay, now let's get into the guts of our bon bons 🚀 We're going to follow a 2-row sequence to create a stitch pattern called stockinette stitch. Stockinette stitch is a basic stitch that most knitting patterns often don't explain! It's created by knitting one row and purling the next and the 'right' side of the stitch is the one with the V's facing upwards.
Let's dive in 🤿
STEP 6: GARTER STITCH
Let's finish with 12 more rows of garter stitch. 🔥
STEP 13: CAST OFF
✔️ Time to cast all your stitches off your needle.
When you cast off the second last stitch you'll be left with one stitch on your right needle. Cut your yarn from the ball (give yourself about a 25cm tail) and thread the tail back through the last stitch to secure it.
FINISHING
🪡 Grab your darning needle, let’s seam this little bon bon together! Fold your piece in half long ways. Then use your darning needle to sew the sides together. Our video below will show you how to do the seaming.
Once you've got your tube made, use your ribbon to tie a bow and secure one end. Then stuff the bon bon with stuffing. Use your ribbon to secure the other end. Bon bon - DONE!
Repeat until all your bon bons are made 🎄
D.O.N.E! You've finished your baby blanket, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your bangin' blanket 💥❤️
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.