Melange Collection

An ornament gets handled at child height, by children, every December, and then spends the rest of the year packed away. A knitted ornament survives both, which is the argument for buying the kind that comes out again every year.

Melange Collection has been making knit goods with women artisans for more than 20 years and is a Fair Trade Federation verified brand. Every piece stocked here is knitted by hand and fairly traded in Peru. The ornaments are knit from 35 percent alpaca and 15 percent wool with acrylic: a set of three otters at 4.25 inches wide, a gingerbread bear boy and girl pair at 5 inches tall, and a 4 inch angel mouse sold on its own. The two soft toys, a 10 inch penguin and an 8 inch bat, are 100 percent cotton on the outside.

This is a small collection, five pieces in all. For a first ornament tradition, start with the otter or gingerbread bear set; both are spot clean only. The penguin and the bat hand wash and air dry, so they can be played with rather than only displayed.