Nicky used one 10 ½"-high vase (from Crate Barrel), one skein of “Beaded Silk & Sequins” from Artyarns in color #272 silver, and a size 8 (5mm) circular needle. Simply knit a stockinette-stitch tube to the height of the vase (plus a few extra inches), then follow the how-tos below for the finishing.

No holiday décor could be more dazzling—or easier to whip up—than Nicky’s newest creation, a glitzy wrapped centerpiece to mark the silver anniversary of her sparkling career.

Sharing this idea on my twenty-fifth anniversary as a designer and author makes me brim with excitement. It’s hard to come up with a unique gift idea for the knitter who has everything, but this may do the trick. It’s simply a stockinette tube, stitched in a beautiful yarn, that is fitted over a glass vase, then gathered at every curve, creating the most elegant vessel for flowers or holiday ornaments. You can knit the tube to fit a vase of any height and circumference. Your choice of yarn is important. Here I’ve used a silver (traditional for this anniversary) metallic that has silver sequins and beads strung into it for extra oomph. Maybe for my golden anniversary, someone will knit me one of these in gold!

Here are a few ideas for variations:
• Fiftieth anniversary: Use shiny gold yarn and fill the vase with mixed roses.
• Birthday: Knit in the recipient’s favorite color and fill with his/her preferred flowers.
• Christmas: Make it red and fill with poinsettias.
• Valentine’s Day: Pink with pink and white roses.
• St. Patrick’s Day: Green, of course, filled with green-tipped carnations.
• Halloween: Orange and black with harvest-colored blooms.

Here, we casted on 64 sts and worked in rounds of stockinette stitch to the height of the vase, plus a few extra inches. 1) Using a tapestry needle, loop through the cast-on stitches, as shown, leaving a long yarn end on each side. 2) Pull each end in opposite directions, as shown, gathering the stitches around so that the knitted fabric covers approximately 1 inch of the base. Tie the ends together in a knot to secure. Weave in the loose ends. 3) At each curve of the vase, weave a strand of yarn through every other stitch, as shown. For easier weaving, remove the beads and sequins from a strand of yarn. Gather tightly to fit the curve snugly, and knot to secure. Wrap another strand of plain yarn around this gathered section to enhance the curve.

Get this pattern and more in Vogue Knitting HOLIDAY 2008. Click here to buy.