Scrap Happy Christmas – Santa Sacks

I hate to mention the C word so early, but when you’re crafting, I’m afraid it has to be done…

Those of you who’ve been reading my blog for quite a while might remember back in 2016 I challenged myself to design and knit one Santa sack a day from December 1st to the 24th and post each pattern daily.

Snowman Santa Sack

Not only did I (just about) keep up with the challenge, I tidied up my patterns after Christmas and published them as an ‘advent calendar’ pattern of 27 Santa sacks.

27 Knitted Santa Sacks

Every year since I’ve found myself knitting a few Santa sacks using scraps of yarn.

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These little Santa sack patterns have proved themselves extra usable, because  knitting with different plys of yarn gives different size Santa sacks with different uses.

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4ply

Approx 7g wool needed per sack

  • Advent calendar
  • Tree ornaments*
  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas bunting/garland*
  • Dolls house Santa sacks

Double knitting

Approx 10g wool needed per sack

  • Advent calendar
  • Hanging from mantel piece at Christmas*
  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas bunting/garland*
  • Filled with a few chocolate coins for school fund raising.

*If used decoratively, the Santa sacks will look best if they are stuffed lightly with toy stuffing. They can also be filled with herbs and spices to add a delightful Christmas scent to a room or popped inside a parcel.

Aran

Approx 20g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Hand warmer covers

Chunky and Super Chunky probably use more than you have in scrap amounts, but I confess I do have balls of yarn I’ve only used a small amount of, so maybe you do too. Plus most sacks use more than one colour and the amounts I’m quoting are total weight used for each sack.

Chunky

Approx 36g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Party favour bags

Super Chunky

Approx 65g wool needed per sack

  • Christmas gift wrapping
  • Christmas ‘stockings’
  • Small hot water bottle cover

Right now I’m setting off knitting nearly a whole set – challenging myself again to knit one a day. I’ll be posting them on Instagram. And while I’m thinking about Instagram if you don’t and you’d like to follow me on IG, you can find me @dartmooryarns.

Fair isle group

If you like the idea of using your scraps, click on Kate or Gun(first two names in the list  below) and join us on the 15th of every month – or just those months you feel like joining in.  Here’s a list of both frequent and occasional Scraphappiers (?) if you want to see what everybody else is doing.

Kate,  Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn , Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan, Karen,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Johanna,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline and Sue L.

38 thoughts on “Scrap Happy Christmas – Santa Sacks”

  1. I do remember your Santa Sack challenge – I loved it! As to your thought on it being too early for the C word – It’s only too early if you are putting up the decorations and going shopping 🙂 As you know I’m already designing my Christmas cards – when we hand make stuff for Christmas it has to be thought of ahead of time. Last year I got really crazy and started in June as I handmade all the gifts for everybody. This year I’ve eased back on the throttle and have only just made the slow card design start and work on a poncho ……. But I’d love to find the time to make some little Santa sacks ……..

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  2. Cute!
    Eek, you’ve made me think about C*******s now 🎅
    I think a lot of people will get crocheted face scrubbies this year as they are quick and look cute in a printed wrap. Add a bar of hand made (not by me) facial soap and who could complain? That’s as far as my planning has got.

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  4. Ooh yes, thanks for reminding me! ❤ I must go get my book out. They are so lovely to make and your knitting patterns are well written so even a new knitter could follow them 😊 Last time I was making them with my handspun which is very fine; I fancy trying chunky yarn next.
    Xxx

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    1. Thank you so much. That’s such a lovely thing to say. Would you mind me quoting your comment about my pattern being well written. Someone else said how pleased they were with the accuracy of my patterns and I was thinking it would be good to add a couple of quotes to my pattern page.
      I know how disappointing it is when patterns aren’t well written/are full of mistakes and, although i know we all make mistakes and I may do so in future patterns, I don’t think it’s fair when people pay good money to sell them patterns that you haven’t done your utmost to ensure are well written.

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  6. I am planning for a Christmas craft fair in November, so was going through my patterns. Your sacks were there and so cute, I plan to make a few for the sale. Good to know how the yarn weight affects them!

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  7. Extremely cute! One could go a little crazy and decorate an entire tree with these. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I can’t knit, so I’m safe from this particular addiction, but it’s a really good way of using up scrap yarn, and a great ScrapHappy post!

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      1. I think my brain is too lame these days… I find it hard to make anything stick that I didn’t learn before chemotherapy scrambled my brains. It’s not the physical process, I can knit plain and purl, it’s following any kind of pattern! Too, I don’t have much need for knitted items in this tropical climate. Still, it might be worth a try…

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      2. It’s hard when health challenges/medication affect our abilities, but always worth having another go at getting our brains to work they way they used to – sometimes it is just a matter of time…

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      4. A friend of mine had a ‘permanent’ concussion in 2011 from a fall from a horse. She could hardly cope with anything until she started going in a bariatric chamber a couple of years ago. Saw her the other day any she’s amazing. So maybe even seven years on persistence will still make progress. I hope so – our brains are amazing things xx

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      5. The nearest one to here is a 4.5 hour drive away… I suppose it’s worth asking my medical insurance if they’d pay for a couple of sessions. Perhaps I could try dictating the pattern as an audio file. I seem to absorb information better for complex stuff if I hear it.

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      6. Shame its so far – but yes worth an ask.
        I’d definitely try the audio file. I do think if you can shake things loose in one way then sometimes find it easier to do in another way because of that shaking loose – if you see what I mean.

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    1. I reckon you can. There are a couple more basic ones you can fo first before you get onto the harder ones and, at the end of the day if it goes wrong, you can alway frog it and start again. I do love that about knitting, even though I’m a reluctant frogger!

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  13. What a wonderful and cute project! My kids would love to recieve these. I like Kate’s idea to decorate the tree and ‘The Snail of Happiness’ mention of a birthday sack. Yet two other uses for this project. 🙂 LOL. Yep. You are right that we must consider the ‘C’ word earlier than normal when it comes to crafting, sewing, etc. Nice project!

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