Christmas Crafting: What to Start Making Now | Craft and Canvas
October is the right time to start making for Christmas. It sounds early, but the projects that make the most meaningful gifts — knitted jumpers, felted decorations, embroidered pictures, cross stitch samplers — take time, and running out of it in December is a familiar and avoidable problem. Starting now means you can work steadily without pressure and still have everything finished, blocked, wrapped, and ready.
At Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge we have everything you need for Christmas making across several different crafts. This is what we would suggest starting with, and when.
Knitting
A knitted jumper or cardigan for an adult takes most knitters several weeks of regular work. If you are knitting one as a gift, October is the last comfortable month to start. Hats, mittens, and cowls are faster — most knitters can finish one in a long weekend — so these can wait until November without panic.
We stock a full range of knitting yarn and needles in the shop. If you are choosing yarn for a gift, consider who will be wearing it. Merino and alpaca blends are soft against the skin and work well for people who find wool scratchy. Cotton and linen blends are cooler and suit people who run warm. Come in and feel the options — that is the best way to choose.
Needle felting
Needle felted decorations are one of the most satisfying Christmas makes. The technique is direct: you push a barbed needle repeatedly through wool roving, matting the fibres together into a solid shape. No heat, no glue, no drying time. A small decoration — a robin, a star, a Christmas pudding — can be finished in an evening.
We stock needle felting kits and loose wool roving in the shop. Kits include everything needed for a specific project; roving is available in individual colours for people who want to work to their own design. Needle felting is also a good craft to do with children — supervised, because the needles are sharp, but accessible from about eight or nine years old.
Embroidery and cross stitch
Embroidered and cross-stitched pictures make gifts that are genuinely personal. A piece worked in the recipient’s favourite colours, or featuring a motif that means something to them, is something a shop cannot replicate.
The time required depends on the design. A small embroidered card or ornament can be finished in a few hours. A framed cross stitch piece of moderate complexity will take several weeks. We stock kits for both — cross stitch hoop kits from £9.99, embroidery kits from £25 — and the full DMC Mouliné thread range in over 500 colours if you prefer to work from your own design.
Fimo and polymer clay
Fimo is a polymer clay that you shape by hand and harden in a domestic oven. It is clean to work with, available in a wide range of colours, and can be used to make decorations, jewellery, gift tags, and small sculptural pieces. A basic set of tools and a few blocks of clay are all you need to start.
We stock Fimo in the shop in a range of colours. It is a particularly good Christmas craft because the results look far more considered and handmade-in-a-good-way than the effort involved might suggest. Small pressed clay tags with a name or motif make wrapping feel deliberate rather than hurried.
Thinking about timing
A rough guide: start anything that takes more than a few hours in October. Hats, small felted pieces, and Fimo projects can run into November. Cards and gift tags can be left until early December if you are organised, but mid-December is genuinely too late for most handmade things done properly.
One project at a time is usually better than several in parallel. It is easier to finish one thing and then start the next than to have half a dozen things in progress as the deadline approaches.
We are at 3 Carlton Street in Hebden Bridge. If you want help choosing a project or working out whether something is achievable in the time you have, come in and ask. We know the crafts we sell and we are happy to give an honest answer about what is realistic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest handmade gift to make?
A needle felted ornament or a Fimo decoration can be finished in an evening. A knitted hat takes a long weekend for most knitters. These are the most time-efficient options if you are starting late.
Are your craft kits suitable as gifts themselves?
Yes. Many of our kits — embroidery, cross stitch, needle felting — make good gifts for crafters. If you are not sure what level of experience the person has, ask us in the shop and we can point you to something appropriate.
Do you stock gift vouchers?
Yes. A Craft and Canvas gift voucher gives someone the pleasure of choosing their own supplies. Ask in the shop or contact us via the website.
What yarn do you recommend for a first knitted Christmas gift?
A machine-washable DK or aran weight is practical for a gift, because the recipient does not need to worry about hand-washing. We can help you choose something suitable when you come in.
Can children take part in Christmas crafting?
Needle felting (supervised), Fimo, and basic knitting are all accessible to children, depending on age and interest. Embroidery and cross stitch are possible from around ten or eleven with guidance. Come in and talk to us about what might suit a specific child.
Craft and Canvas · 3 Carlton Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8ER · craftandcanvas.co.uk