Here are the details on the knitted nativity I made last Christmas. This year, I made Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus in the manger.
I really enjoyed making these. Although I only made the Holy Family, the pattern I purchased includes 14 different pieces: Mary, Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus’ Manger, Joseph, shepherds, Angel Gabriel, Three Wise Men, a donkey, a camel, and a sheep. I plan to make more pieces each year, until my set is complete.
I mostly used yarn from my stash. The specific yarns I used are on my Ravelry project page (linked below). The angel (which I have not made yet) will require “gold” yarn, so I purchased some for when I finally make the angel.
My Knitted Nativity Pattern Tips for Success
I’ve done a lot of knitting, using a lot of patterns. And I have studied how to evaluate patterns.
Here are my thoughts on how you can be successful knitting this nativity:
- If you are new to stuffed toys, I would recommend you start with a pattern with more detailed instructions first. These instructions are fine, but pretty advanced. They assume you know how to knit and lack some specifics and close-up photos of the steps.
- Try not to make increases into the first and last stitches in a row… this will make seaming more difficult.
- There were some interesting techniques in this pattern, especially with the braids on the headdresses and the hay in the manger. Read through these sections a few times, and don’t be afraid of retrying them!
Link to my Christmas Nativity Ravelry Project: Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus
