It’s September, which is the time when many of us crafters start thinking about Christmas crafting – we need the time to prepare right! So with that in mind Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine have started the Christmas crafting countdown…and I’m helping with a couple of new seasonal designs.

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without games is it! You stuff yourself silly, watch the Queen’s speech, then… anyone for Uno? Monopoly? Our family usually has a tradition of holding a Christmas party on Christmas Eve where we all play games!

And now you can add a handmade touch to your games collection this year with a new FREE three part crochet-along. Over the next three issues of Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine, starting with issue 124, we are going to be making six skittles, plus ball, that you can gleefully enjoy knocking down!

First up is the classic Father Christmas and his beloved wife which you can access for free over at topcrochetpatterns.com. You just need to create an account to access this free pattern (and many more.)

❤️ SAVE CHRISTMAS SKITTLES – PART 1 ON RAVELRY ❤️

And I’ll just share with you a little sneaky peep of the next two skittles in the collection…they’ll be available in issue 125 which is out on 1 October 2020, and topcrochetpatterns.com soon after.

I also had fun creating a seasonal nutcracker soldier for this edition. I actually have a bit of thing about nutcrackers, I love them! I think I’ve designed two nutcrackers in the past before now, and it was really fun to come up with something new.

Did you know that Nutcracker dolls are most commonly made to resemble a toy soldier? This soldier has a smart red uniform, purple boots and hat, smart braiding and a big smile! I think he would make rather an endearing addition to your seasonal decor.

❤️ SAVE NUTCRACKER ON RAVELRY ❤️

There are lots of other fab things in this month’s edition including some gorgeous knitted designs that really make me want to develop my (very) dusty knitting skills! And as usually the magazine comes with a yarn pack which includes the relevant size crochet hook and knitting needles for the projects inside.

LGC Knitting & Crochet Magazine is available in major supermarkets and newsagents across the UK or if you’re not able to get to the shops right now you can get a digital version of the mag from Pocketmags (the free cover gifts are not available via this digital subscription).

If you hook up either the Christmas Skittles or the Nutcracker I hope you’ll share your photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! 

Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx