There's only a couple of weeks to go and we will all be in full advent fever. All the Giddy Yarns Advent Calendars have shipped and I'm excited for you to open them and to see all your pattern choices!
I had meant to include a list of pattern ideas in the box but for some reason 2020 got away from me a bit (let's blame COVID shall we!) So I thought I'd put a couple of blog post together giving you a few pattern ideas. This is by no means an exhaustive list, I've picked out some of my favourite patterns, trying to provide a mix of free and paid for. If you have other suggestions then feel free to get in touch and I will update the posts to include them, especially if you have crochet patterns for 10g minis you can recommend!
There are a LOT of advent patterns out there so I have split it up into two blog posts, this one covers ideas for 10g minis skeins and the second post will cover 20g minis. I have also mentioned at the beginning of each section which patterns I feel would work best with the Christmas: A History Advent Calendar. Some Patterns are written specifically for Advent Calendars and some may need a little bit of adapting to work with 24 minis.
RAVELRY NOTE: In light of accessibility issues around the Ravelry website I will try where possible to include links to where you can purchase patterns outside of Ravelry as well as Ravelry links. Please be away that where Ravelry links have been used, following these links may default to the new Raverly interface so if you have experienced issues with new Ravelry then please follow links cautiously.
COWLS
Cowls are a popular choice for 10g Advent Calendars,any of these patterns would work well with the Christmas: A History advent.
Land of Sweets Cowl - By Helen Stewart (Curious Handmade) - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - £5
Litmus Cowl - By Amy Edwards - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - Free
Manic Panic Cowl - By Sarah Core - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - Free
Round and Round Cowl - By Crazy Sock Lady Designs - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £4 ($5 USD) and Etsy - £4.75
ADVENTurer Cowl - By Ambah O'Brian - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £5 ($6 USD) and Etsy - £5.70
WRAPS/SHAWLS
If you're looking for a larger project the a wrap or shawl can be lovely using advent yarns. For the Christmas: A History Advent I would recommend the Habitation Throw, the Adventuresome wrap or the Nalya Wrap.
Among The Clouds - By Melissa Measor - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £6 ($7 USD) and on their independent website here - $7 USD
Habitation Throw - By Helen Stewart (Curious Handmade) - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - £5 and Etsy - £6.96
ADVENTuresome Wrap - By Ambah O'Brien - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £5 ($6 USD) and Etsy - £5.70
Nalya Wrap - By Shara Made - Crochet Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £2.50 ($4 AUD)
Kambalda Scarft - By Elena Fedotova - Crochet Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £5 ($6 USD)
Julie Ann Amos Has also released a series of Advent Shawl knitting patterns aimed at the adventurous beginner - Available in her Ravelry Shop - all £4.50 each.
SOCKS
Scrappy socks are another fun option for your advent calendar, you can of course do this yourself if you're a proficient sock knitter. I test knit the Christmas: A History advent by adding 5 rows of each colour to the leg and foot of my socks and using a light grey contrast for heels, toes and cuffs. Below are a couple of fun pattern suggestions. These would both work well with the Christmas:A History Advent.
Bundled Up Socks - By Mina Phillips - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - £4 and Etsy - £4.80
Pixel Rise Socks - By Kemper Wray - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £3.50 ($4.50 USD)
HAT
I love this hat pattern, it uses very little yarn too so it's great as an additional knit with your advent calendar, making the most out of the leftovers you've got.
Full Of Minis Hat - By Barbara Nalweko - Knitting Pattern - Available on Ravelry - approx £4.70 (5 EUR) and Lovecrafts - £4.29
OTHER IDEAS
If you're happy to not have a complete project at the end of advent then Crochet Blankets are a fantastic use of advent minis, I've seen a number of people adding their advents to a Granny Stripe Blanket or a Batternberg Blanket over the course of a few years until they have a generous sized blanket.
You could also use you minis to knit a little sock advent calendar to fill with treats next year, using the Bookmark For Dobbie sock pattern.
Finally, I am using my leftover minis from last year to crochet up little stars and attached them with a crochet chain to make a festive garland. There are various crochet star tutorials available on YouTube.