How To Make A Candy Cane Bookmark/Holiday Ornament

So do you like candy canes around the Christmas season? I love to decorate with candy canes and eat these too, but sometimes it is fun to make a cross stitch candy cane, which can be used either as a bookmark or an ornament. It is really easy to make this candy cane cross stitch piece and here are the supplies needed:

• A sheet of plastic canvas.
• A skein of red yarn (try to use leftovers from previous projects).
• A skein of white yarn (try to do the same as with the red yarn).
• A large tapestry needle.
• Cardstock for making the candy cane template.
• A pencil for drawing the candy cane template on the cardstock.
• A marker for tracing the candy cane template onto the plastic canvas
• Scissors for cutting the canvas, template, and yarn.

I quickly sketched out the candy cane free hand, but you can trace any object that is shaped similar to a candy cane. Just remember you want to make the candy cane at least an inch wide because this is the template for a cross stitched piece.

Cut carefully and try to keep as much of the candy cane intact as possible.

Use a marker to trace the candy cane template onto the plastic canvas. Also, you could use the marker to draw a candy cane directly onto the plastic canvas to save time.

Use scissors to cut out the candy cane shape on the plastic canvas. Use the red yarn to cross stitch the first row of red. Each row of red is made up of three or four cross stitched rows of red yarn. To begin, make diagonal stitches across the plastic canvas from left to right, and repeat on the second row above going from right to left. On the third cross stitched row you will be going from left or right again, so by now you should be getting the idea. Repeat making each red row up the plastic canvas until all the red rows have been added to the candy cane.

Once all the red yarn rows have been added to the candy cane, proceed to fill in the gaps on the plastic canvas with the white yarn. The gaps make up all of the white rows on the candy cane. Each row of red and white looks like the stripes we see on a real candy cane. Like a zebra, we must consider if a candy cane is really red, or if a candy cane is really white. An interesting question to ponder whilst cross stitching this candy cane.

The completed candy cane cross stitched piece can be used as a bookmark, a tree ornament, or even just be hung on the wall. Use your imagination and have fun decorating for Christmas with your fun handmade cross stitched candy cane. How many people can say they made a cute ornament all on their own?