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Holiday Candle

Description: The Holiday Candle design is based on the traditional celebration of Christmas.

The white candle is symbolic of the purity and light of Christ.

The evergreen wreath reminds us that God's love is eternal. The red berries on the wreath represent birth.

And the three gold flowers are symbolic of the treasures that await us in heaven.

I strongly recommend that you use the materials described below.

Yarn is the best material for the wreath, and Olefin cord is perfect for the candle (Bonnie Braid). The flowers are made with lace and nylon cord (Amy Braid).

This holiday project is rated easy, but you should practice tying Square Knots before you get started.

Creating the wreath is time consuming, and will take several hours to make.

Supplies Needed:

2 mm Red Yarn (12 yards)

2 mm Forest Green Yarn (At least 45 yards)

6 mm White Braided Olefin (8 yards)

2 mm Gold Cord Material (3 yards)

Gold Lace (3 yards) -- Optional

1.5-inch ring

Project board and pins

Glue that dries clear

Small pliers or tweezers

Knots Used:

Crown Knot (Spiral design)

Square Knot

Picot Designs

Larks Head knot

Overhand knot

The Candle

The Holiday Candle features a Crown Knot design, which is described in the images below.

Cut 4 cords of the 6 mm white material, each 72 inches long. Prepare the tips to prevent unraveling.

Arrange the cords to form an X shape as shown in the images below. Secure them at the center. Mentally label the four segments A - D.

The two cords in each segment work together.

Step 1: Fold both cords labeled segment A to the right so they are resting on top of segment B.

Secure the curved area to mark that space.

Fold segment B backward so they are vertical and resting on top of segment C.

Fold the cords labeled segment C to the left so they are resting on top of segment D.

Fold segment D forward toward segment A.

Pass over - under the curved area of segment A.

Tighten the first knot as much as you can by pulling on each segment gradually until firm.

Make sure the two cords remain side-by-side and are neatly arranged.

Secure the knot to your board by placing the pin on the outside edge (on an angle if necessary).

Step 2: Repeat step 1 several times until the Holiday Candle measures six inches.

The knots will stack on top of each other as you progress.

You will eventually need to place the candle on it's side. When that time comes, just bend the area where you are working upward.

Important: Apply glue to the last Crown knot, then tie another one on top of the glue. Let it dry before moving on.

Step 3: Go back to the top of the Holiday Candle where you tied the first Crown knot.

Cut 2 pieces of gold material, each 10 inches long.

Work them through the crossed area with tweezers or pliers. Match the ends so they are centered.

Tie a Half Hitch with the left half of the cords, passing over - under the right half in a counter-clockwise direction.

As you pull them to the left, pass over the cords you are holding to complete the loop.

Tie another Half Hitch with the right half of the cords onto the left, moving in a clockwise direction.

Separate the fibers from each end of the gold cords, then brush until the flame is soft and fluffy.

Trim the "flame" as needed.

Gold Flowers

The three gold flowers for the Holiday Candle are optional. You can skip this step if you prefer to use something else to decorate the base of the candle.

Cut 6 pieces of 2 mm gold cord material, each 12 inches long.

Cut 3 pieces of gold LACE, each 30 inches long.

Step 4: Arrange one CORD vertically.

Place another CORD on top of it, along with one piece of LACE. They should be horizontal.

Make sure center of all three cords match up.

Tie an Overhand knot with the vertical cord, so it passes around the horizontal cord and lace.

Make sure the knot is at the center, then tighten it firmly.

Arrange the two halves of the vertical cord heading backward.

Position the two horizontal cords forward vertically, with the lace on either side.

The gold CORDS will be the fillers for the Square Knots below, which are tied with the LACE.

Step 4: The instructions below show you the four steps for tying all the Square Knots in the entire Holiday Candle design (flowers and wreath).

To make the flowers you will be tying the knots with LACE, which is challenging. Practice the Square Knot if you are unfamiliar with it, before making these flowers.

Designer's Tip: Don't worry about keeping the lace flat. The end result is the same if it's folded in some areas.

Fold the left half of the LACE to the right, resting over the fillers and under the right half.

Fold the right half of the lace to the left, passing it under the fillers and over the left half (near the curve).

Tighten the first half of the SK completely.

The two halves of the lace have switched places, so the direction you tie the second part of the knot is the opposite of the first part.

Move the left half of the lace to the left, passing it over the fillers and under the right half of the lace.

Move the right half of the lace to the right, passing it under the fillers and over the left half of the lace.

Tighten completely.

Step 5: The next set of instructions show you how to make the petals of the flowers. They are still Square knots, but with picot loops.

The evergreen wreath for the Holiday Candle is made with this technique as well.

Repeat step 4, tying the next Square Knot with the lace.

Tighten it so it rests 1.5 inches from the first knot.

Hold the fillers cords steady while you push the second SK backwards to rest next to the first one.

Two picot loops form on each side.

Manipulate the lace so they are as neat as possible.

Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 three times, tying a total of four Square Knot Picots.

Apply glue to the last SK you tie just before tightening it.

Step 7: Fold the picot designs in half so both halves of the cords are all heading forward. Two will rest under the lace.

Position the two cords on the bottom horizontally. They will be used to tie the next knot.

Tie an Overhand knot with the two bottom cords that are arranged horizontally, passing them around the other half of the cords and the lace.

Apply glue and cut off the excess LACE when it's dry.

Do not cut the cords.

Step 8 : Repeat steps 4 - 7 to create two more gold flowers for your Holiday Candle (total of three). You can make a fourth one if you wish (optional).

Place the Holiday Candle in front of you and locate one segment of the Crown Knot near the BOTTOM.

Step 9: Use your tweezers or pliers to pass the 4 gold cords from the flower under the Crown Knot segment in opposite directions.

Arrange the candle so you are looking at the bottom of the last Crown knot.

Pass 2 gold cords around the two white cords closest to them.

Tie 2 tight Overhand knots with the gold cords. Apply glue before tightening the second one.

Repeat with the other two gold cords.

Step 10: Repeat step 9 to attach the other two gold flowers to the candle.

Try to space them evenly around the candle even if you need to attach them to it differently than described in step 9.

The Wreath

Step 11: The evergreen wreath decorates the bottom of the Holiday Candle. It's made with Square Knot picots, similar to what you did with the lace for the flowers.

Don't cut the yarn ahead of time. It's best to cut as you mount each cord to the ring, since the number will depend on the thickness of the material.

Cut a 24-inch piece of red yarn.

Fold it in half and place it under the ring with the fold forward.

Bring both halves over the ring and under the folded area. Tighten the Larks Head knot firmly.

Tie two Larks Head knots next to the first.

You make the first half of the knot by moving each half of the yarn over - under the ring and over the yarn.

Rotate clockwise on the left and counter-clockwise on the right.

To make the second half, bring each half of the yarn under - over the ring and under the yarn.

Step 12: Repeat step 11, mounting more pieces of red yarn to the ring until it is completely covered.

You will probably need at least 15 to 20 pieces.

Step 13: Now you will attach the green yarn to the red ones to make the wreath.

Don't cut these ahead of time either.

Cut one 90-inch piece of green yarn.

Tie an Overhand knot in the center of it, but don't tighten.

Slide two pieces of red yarn coming from the ring through the knot. Push the knot close to the ring and tighten it firmly.

Step 14: Tie a Square knot with the green yarn. The two halves of the red yarn are the fillers.

Place it 1.5 to 2.5 inches from the Overhand knot.

Push the knot towards the ring, so it rests against the Overhand knot. This will form the picots.

Step 15: Repeat step 14 several times to make more picot loops with the green yarn. Stop when the two halves are around 4 inches long.

The picots for the wreath of the Holiday Candle should NOT be the same size. The spacing between the SK should change each time you make one.

Designer's Tip: The design looks great if you alternate sizes by starting out wide (2.5 inches) and narrowing as you progress.

Step 16: Tie the two halves of the red yarn together with a single Overhand knot as shown.

This will form the red berry at the tips of the wreath.

Tighten it completely, but keep it a little loose so it's not too small.

Tie the first half of a Square Knot with the green yarn, so it rests in front of the Overhand knot.

Tighten it slightly and then pull on the berry so it stands up.

Bend the red yarn to the back of the picot design.

The half Square Knot you just tied should also rest in the back.

Pull on the berry so it's as visible as you can make it (see next image).

Step 17: To finish off the 2 pieces of green yarn, tie a tight Overhand knot using both of them, so it rests on top of the half SK in the BACK of the design.

Apply glue, then cut off the excess material close to the knot (both green and red yarn) when it's dry.

Step 18: Repeat steps 13 - 17, creating one picot design with the green yarn on each pair of the red yarn pieces mounted to the ring.

Time Consuming: Be prepared to spend several hours completing the wreath for your Holiday Candle.

Finishing Touches

Slide the candle through the ring from the bottom up.

Make sure the ends of the white cords remain under the wreath. The flowers should be above it.

Turn the design upside down or on it's side.

Select two gold cords close to each other. Bring one around the ring.

Use the two cords to tie a tight Overhand knot. Apply glue and tie a second knot.

Repeat this step with the other sets of gold cords.

Finishing Option #1: You can stop here and cut off the excess material after applying glue to the last Crown knot (no fringe).

Finishing Option #2: Follow the instructions below to make a soft white fringe for your Holiday Candle.

Unravel each white cord by pulling out individual fibers.

Do this near the ring rather than at the tip of the cord. Once three or more fibers are free, the rest will unravel more easily.

Add extra white cords to thicken the fringe and fill in gaps by sliding them under portions of the Crown knots near the bottom of the Holiday Candle.

Brush all the unraveled fibers individually until soft and fluffy.

Trim the fringe to make a circle around the evergreen wreath.

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