Twas the Knit Night Before Christmas

An Indie Design Gift-a-long adaptation on the classic Christmas eve story by Clement Clarke Moore (1823). Read it here or in full illustrated form on the Pinterest board here.

‘Twas the knit night before Christmas… and all through my LYS,
All the crafters were stitching Indie Design Gift-a-long patterns like Cookie the Mouse…;
The Fair Isle Christmas Stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. John’s Wood Nicke’s Hat soon would be there;
The children were nestled all Snug in their beds;
While visions of Sugar Plum… danced in their heads;
And Puddles in his Rian Cowl, and dad in his Squib Hill hat,
We’d just settled our Brains for a long Winter Haven nap,
When out on the Morning Mist lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the Grey Matter.
Away to the Leaded Windows I flew like a Hot Flash,
Tore open the Shutters and threw up the Elemental sash.
The Snow Moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster of midday to Objects Below,
When what to my wondering What Big Eyes You Have did appear,
But a miniature Dragon Sleigh Scarf and eight tiny Amigurumi Reindeer,
With a little Old Town …Driver… so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he …Must… be St. Gnomeland Security Nick.
More Rapids than Eagle Fern Set his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by Name…:
“Now, Casey! now, Jessica! now, Mary-Heather and all who keep Ravelry stitchin’!
On, Sarah! on, Christina! on, Bob and Sherbert kickin’!
To the Bells Top of the porch! to the top of the Stone Wall Throw!
Now Dash away! dash away…! Dash away all!”
As Falling Leaves… that before the wild hurricane Fly…,
When they Meet… with an obstacle, Mount… to the sky;
So up to the Tea House Teapot… the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of Cat Toy(s)…, and St. Nicholas Roo Too –
And then, in a Twinkling Tinsel Top, I heard on the Roof…
The prancing and Paw Prints of each little Hoof….
As I drew in (a) Snake on My Head, and was Turning… around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a …Bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his Santa Slouch to his foot,
And his …Cloth(e)s were all tarnished with Charcoal & Ash and soot;
A Bundle Up of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his …Pattern Pack….
His Winter Eyes Socks – how they twinkled! his Dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like Roses, his nose like a Cherry…!
His droll little Mouth of Harbour was drawn up like … A Bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the Paper Snow…;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his Crocodile Teeth,
And the Candlesmoke, it encircled his head like a Forget-Me-Not Wreath;
He had a broad face and a little Merry-Go-Round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a Dreidel Bowl full of totes Jelly….
He was …Chubby… and plump, a right jolly old Elf…,
And I laughed when I Saw… him, in spite of myself;
A Wink of his eye and a Twist ‘n Twirl of his head
Soon gave me to know I had Nothing To… dread;
He spoke not a Fightin’ Word, but went straight to his Wood Work,
And filled all the Snowflake Christmas Stocking; then Turned… with a jerk,
And laying his I Can’t Control My Fingers aside of his nose,
And Give ‘Em the Slip Hat nod, up the chimney he Rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a(n) Airstream whistle,
And away they all flew In Flight like the down of a Wee Thistle.
But I Heard… him exclaim, ere he drove Out In The Woods of sight –
“Happy Southern Christmas… to all, and to all a gift-a-long Night…!”

So join us for the gift-a-long, the fun is far from over
Through Christmas and New Years we’ve got your lover – I guess I should leave the rhyming to the pros!

Special thanks to gannet and Team Bundle without whose mega bundle this poem would have been next to impossible to write.