The MINIMISTLE wreath is a minimalist DIY Christmas decoration that combines knitting, felting and flower arranging. It’s a perfect beginner project that requires no previous skills or experience – and a perfect excuse to gather your friends for a wreath making party!

The mistletoe sprigs, berries and the ribbon are all knit separately using easy, beginner-friendly techniques. Hand felting is used to make the sprigs stiffer, so they keep their shape when hung. The individual pieces can be used to create many different decorations: attached to a hoop as part of a wreath, connected to each other in the shape of a bouquet, added to gifts and table decorations such as napkin rings, or even applied to a sweater – the possibilities are endless!

KNITTING LEVEL

Absolute beginner! The pattern guides you as you take your first steps with the help of selected videos and tutorials. It includes a guide on how to choose your yarn and needles, step-by-step instructions with pictures, detailed explanations of the used techniques as well as links to video tutorials. Knitting abbreviations are introduced slowly, so you can learn how to read a pattern as you go!

TECHNIQUES:
Slipknot, long tail cast-on, Knit (K), Purl (P), Yarn Over (YO), Make 1 Right (M1R), Make 1 Left (M1L), Knit 2 together (K2tog), Slip-Slip-Knit (SSK), Central Double Decrease (CDD), felting.

SUGGESTED YARN

This project is suitable for DK, worsted or aran weight yarns on 3.5 - 4.5 mm (US 4 - 7) needles.

The weight of a yarn (e.g. DK, worsted, aran) is usually indicated on the label. While this US-based terminology is widely spread, you might need to refer to a yarn weight conversion chart for some brands.

This is an awesome project for stash yarn and scraps!
I used Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Beiroa (230 m / 100 g) in “verde tropa” for my sprigs, scraps of a fluffy aran weight yarn for my berries and Lamana Como Tweed (120 m / 25 g) in “karmin” for my ribbon.

You’ll need about:
For the sprigs: 5 m (5.5 yds) of yarn per sprig
For the berries: 1 m (1 yd) of yarn per berry
For the ribbon: 65 m (70 yds) of yarn

NEEDLES AND OTHER MATERIALS

For the sprigs and berries, your yarn and needle size combination should create tight stitches and a dense fabric. For the sprigs, it’s important to pick a 100% wool non-superwash yarn, for felting. Any yarn can be used for the berries. For the ribbon, try achieving a drapier fabric by experimenting with a suppler yarn. I recommend using two double pointed needles, but you can also use circular needles.

I worked everything on 3.5 mm (US 4) needles, but some of my testers used a larger size. You might get away with only one needle size, or you might need a couple different sizes to work different pieces.

You’ll need a tapestry needle and a measuring tape. For the wreath, you’ll also need a wooden hoop and wood glue. I used a 20 cm (8”) hoop. Different projects might require different materials.

Need help at any point? Make sure to check the last pattern pages for tips, abbreviations, tutorials, and a contact