Knit Around Tree Skirt

purlsoho.com/create/2020/11/20/knit-around-tree-skirt

November 20, 2020 | Purl

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Deck the halls with our Knit Around Tree Skirt! A soft woolen blanket of snow that does
the sneaky job of hiding the hardware, a tree skirt makes the magic!

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If you celebrate Christmas, welcoming a twinkly tree into your home every December is
a source of childlike wonder that never grows old.

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A Christmas tree and all its decorations are a chance to recall a whole story-filled
tradition: the glass reindeer you coveted in the store and found in your stocking when
you were six, the stuffed Santa your grandmother gave your father when he was nine.

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A made-with-love tree skirt definitely enriches the story, and with its peppermint
stripes amidst soft folds of snow-white wool, our Knit Around Tree Skirt is the fa-la-la
of tree skirts!
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It’s a clever knit, too. Short rows create wedges that add up to a whole pie, and in garter
stitch, there’s not much to worry about… just adding a dash-of-color stripe every now
and then!

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For such an important object, we used our beautiful Super Soft Merino. It is as soft as
snow and also comes in ten new colors, some of which happen to strike a merry
Christmas chord. Make your Knit Around Tree Skirt in this palette of four reds and
oranges, try the greens-only version, or mix it up with both… Add a bough of holly, and
a tradition is born!

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Designed for Purl Soho by Jake Canton.

Materials

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Main Color: 5 (10) skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool.
Each skein is 87 yards; approximately 435 (870) yards required. We used
Heirloom White.
Color A: 1 (1) skein of Super Soft Merino; approximately 12 (24) yards required.
We used Red Gingham.
Color B: 1 (1) skein of Super Soft Merino; approximately 12 (24) yards required.
We used Alizarin Crimson.

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 Color C: 1 (1) skein of Super Soft Merino; approximately 12 (24) yards required.
We used Red Poppy.
Color D: 1 (1) skein of Super Soft Merino; approximately 12 (24) yards required.
We used Super Orange.
US 13, 24-inch circular or straight needles
A stitch marker

Prefer the green side of Christmas? Try these colors instead…

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 Main Color: Heirloom White.
Color A: Clover Green
Color B: Fresh Pickle
Color C: Frond Green
Color D: Reef Green

Gauge

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12 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch

12 stitches and 18 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Sizes
Small (Large)

Finished Circumference: 75½ (144½) inches

Finished Diameter: 24 (46) inches
Finished Length Of Flap: 10 (20) inches
Center Diameter: Approximately 5 inches

Sample: The Large size is shown here.

Notes

Stitch Multiple
This pattern works over a multiple of 5 stitches.

Short Row Shaping: WRP-T (Wrap and Turn)

Keeping yarn in back, slip next stitch purlwise from left needle to right needle. Bring
yarn to front. Return slipped stitch to left needle. Turn work so wrong side is facing you.

To see this technique in action, visit our Short Row Tutorial and follow along with the
wrap and turn on the knit side section (at 0:30 seconds), except do not bring the yarn to
the back before you turn.

Knitting Stitches With Their Wraps

Keeping yarn in back, pick up wrap with right needle from front to back and place on
left needle. Knit stitch and wrap together. This step is described at minute 3:29 of our
Short Row Tutorial.

Pattern

Wedge 1
With Main Color (MC), cast on 30 (55) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Row 1 (wrong side): With MC, knit to end of row.

Join Color A.

Rows 2 + 3: With Color A, knit to end of row.

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Cut Color A.

Row 4 (right side): With MC, to last 10 stitches, place marker (pm), k5, wrap and turn
(wrp-t, see Notes).

knit

Row 5: Knit to end of row.

Row 6: Knit to marker, remove marker, wrp-t.

Row 7: K5, pm, knit to end of row.

Small Size
Rows 8-11: Repeat Rows 6 and 7 two more times.

Row 12: Repeat Row 6.

Row 13: Knit to end of row.

Row 14: Knit to end of row, knitting wrapped stitches with their wraps.

Large Size
Rows 8-21: Repeat Rows 6 and 7 seven more times.

Row 22: Repeat Row 6.

Row 23: Knit to end of row.

Row 24: Knit to end of row, knitting wrapped stitches with their wraps.

Triangle 2
Repeat Rows 1-14 (1-24), using MC for Rows 2 + 3 and Color A for Rows 6 + 7 (8 + 9).

Triangle 3
Repeat Rows 1-14 (1-24), using MC for Rows 2 + 3 and Color A for Rows 10 + 11 (14 +
15).

Triangle 4: Large Size Only

Repeat Rows 1-24, using MC for Rows 2 + 3 and Color A for Rows 20 + 21.

Wedges 2 + 3
Repeat Triangles 1-3 (1-4), using Color B instead of Color A.

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Wedge 4
Repeat Triangles 1-3 (1-4), using Color A for Color A.

Wedge 5
Repeat Triangles 1-3 (1-4), using Color C instead of Color A.

Wedges 6 + 7
Repeat Triangles 1-3 (1-4), using Color D instead of Color A.

Wedge 8
Repeat Triangles 1-3 (1-4), using Color C instead of Color A.

Finish
Next Row (wrong side): With MC, knit to end of row.

With the right side facing you, bind off knitwise.

Weave in the ends and steam block.

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property of Purl Soho. All rights reserved. Note: ALL projects and patterns featured on this website are for
home use only and are not to be resold or made for sale to third parties. ® 2020 Purl Soho

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