7 Ways To Make A Candle Luminary

As the temperatures rise and the days grow longer, it’s time to start thinking about ways to add a festive and inviting atmosphere to our outdoor gatherings. Whether you’re planning a backyard BBQ, a pool party, or an evening of stargazing, a handmade luminary can be a lovely and affordable way to add some ambiance and warmth to the occasion.

Luminaries are essentially vessels that hold candles or lights and diffuse their glow through decorative cutouts or translucent materials. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be made from a variety of materials such as paper, glass, and even tin cans. Not only are they visually pleasing, but they can also be functional, helping to light up a walkway, patio, or other outdoor space.

If you’re looking to create your own luminaries, there are a multitude of options to choose from. Some popular materials for DIY luminaries include mason jars, paper bags, and even recycled materials such as wine bottles and tin cans. Each material offers its own unique texture and lighting effect, and can be customized to fit the occasion or your personal style.

Here are 7 ideas to get you started on your luminary-making journey:

1- Pineapple Candle Centerpiece from Smarty Had A Party

2- Patriotic Luminaries from Saved By Love Creations

3- Milk Jug Waterlily from Fab Art DIY

4- Easy Mason Jar Luminaries from Dream A Littler Bigger

5- Yarn Wrapped Painted Jars from The Forge

6- Starry Night Luminaries from The Shabby Creek Cottage

7- Star Fish Luminary from The Inpired Room

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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