When you think Christmas, you think of a good knit: a cheerful Christmas jumper, a cosy pair of knitted socks, and a snugly winter blanket to keep you warm on the sofa.
This year, bring those lovely knits to your tree, too: a knitted Christmas bauble is the perfect handmade decoration to help get your tree looking gorgeously festive. Bonus points if you make your own!
"Like many traditional crafts, knitting has seen a resurgence in popularity, with more and more people creating knitted garments and gifts," explains Vanessa Bowerman, haberdashery buyer at John Lewis.
"Knitted Christmas decorations are particularly popular and are the perfect activity to enjoy with children. From pom-poms to stockings, a hand-knitted decoration is sure to remain a firm favourite for years to come."
Homewares designer Catherine Tough specialises in all kinds of "knitted goodness," from lambswool socks to lavender hearts and felted woodland creatures at her Hackney, London design studio.
"We knit and felt all the fabrics we use to make our animals and decorations but a nice idea would be to use favourite Christmas sweaters that your children or you have grown out of or accidentally shrunk," she advises.
"If a fabric has a high wool content you can felt it by washing it at 40 degrees with lots of powder, the result is that you can cut the fabric without it fraying."
Get your DIY on with these tips from Tough on how to make a Christmas scented heart - "These would make fun gifts and are a nice reminder of past Christmases," she says.
Christmas scented heart step-by-step:
1. Take two squares of felted fabric (roughly 15x15 cm) and draw a heart onto one side.
2. Pin these pieces together. If you want to add a hanging loop, use a ribbon and place this between the two layers so it can be sewn in.
3. Sew around the heart shape, leaving a 2-3cm gap on one of the sides.
4. Trim around the heart, turn inside out and fill with a mix of cloves, allspice star anise or any other smell that reminds you of Christmas.
5. If you want to give extra shape to the heart, use a bit of toy stuffing.
6. Hand-sew the gap closed. You can experiment with shapes, or could do a square with a shape appliqued on to it.