Tartan Christmas Poster

Tartan Christmas is built from a knitting chart rather than drawn. Rows of small squares make up a repeat of fir trees, each one filled with a tartan of red, gold, green and grey that shifts from tree to tree, set against a deep burgundy ground. The letters of a greeting are placed between the trees in a pale cream serif, one or two to a row, so the word has to be gathered across the pattern as the eye moves down. The stitch grid stays visible everywhere, which gives the flat colour a texture closer to a Christmas jumper than to print, and the pattern runs off every edge.

Deep burgundy is a committed colour and it does best with warm wood. A walnut or dark oak frame keeps it in the same register; black works but makes it severe. Hang it in a living room or a bedroom where the wall is pale enough to take it, and let it sit alone rather than in a group. It pairs with wool, tartan and brass, and it holds up well in a dim room because the cream letters keep their contrast.