A purple evil eye disc at the top, a short three tone coil below it, and a sleeping flower fairy at the bottom with beaded strands hanging from her skirt. It is a protection charm and a nursery decoration at the same time, which is a combination people seem to like.
Everything on it is small, so it is a good project for using up the ends of purple balls that are too short for anything else.
What you’ll need
Size 3 crochet cotton or 4 ply cotton in deep purple, mid purple and lilac, plus white, mid blue and black for the eye and a cream skin tone for the fairy.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, purple glass beads in a few sizes, a few small silver beads, a scrap of card for backing the eye, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 45 cm.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, inc is two stitches in one, dec is an invisible decrease, MR is magic ring.
Part 1. The eye
Worked as one flat disc from the pupil outwards, changing colour as you go.
In black. Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6) Round 2. Inc six times (12)
Change to mid blue. Round 3. Sc, inc, repeated six times (18) Round 4. Sc twice, inc, repeated six times (24)
Change to white. Round 5. Sc three times, inc, repeated six times (30) Round 6. Sc four times, inc, repeated six times (36)
Change to lilac. Round 7. Sc five times, inc, repeated six times (42) Round 8. Sc six times, inc, repeated six times (48)
Change to deep purple. Round 9. Sc seven times, inc, repeated six times (54) Round 10. Sc eight times, inc, repeated six times (60) Round 11. Sc around with no increases (60), which turns the edge up slightly. Fasten off.
Add a small white highlight to the top left of the black pupil with two or three straight stitches. That single detail is what makes it look like an eye rather than a target.
Back. In deep purple, work rounds 1 to 10 of a plain circle in one colour, ending at 60 stitches.
Cut a card circle slightly smaller than the disc and sandwich it between the two pieces, then sc them together around the edge. The card keeps the eye flat, which matters because a rippling evil eye looks wrong.
Part 2. The spiral
In deep purple, ch 40.
Row 1. Ch 2, then work 2 dc into the third chain from the hook and 2 dc into every chain across.
Change to mid purple.
Row 2. Turn and sc into every stitch across.
Change to lilac.
Row 3. Turn and sc into every stitch across. Fasten off.
Because each row is a different purple, the coil shades from dark on the inner edge to pale on the outer, which is the effect in the photo.
This coil is short and light enough that it holds without wire, but if yours relaxes over time, thread a length of florist wire through the inner edge.
Part 3. The fairy
Head. In cream, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), then sc for four rounds (18), then sc and dec repeated six times (12), stuff, dec six times and close.
Face. Two closed sleeping eyes worked as small curved lines in dark brown, a tiny smile beneath, and pink French knot cheeks. Sleeping eyes are the whole character of this piece, so keep the curves shallow and even.
Bonnet. In mid purple, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), then sc for two rounds. Fasten off and sew onto the back and top of the head. Add a small purple bobble at the crown.
Dress. In deep purple, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), sc twice and inc repeated six times (24), then sc for five rounds (24). Fasten off, stuffing lightly. The dress is a cone, wider at the bottom.
Sew the head to the top of the dress.
Petal wings, make five. In lilac, ch 7, then work along the chain: sl st, sc, hdc, 3 dc in the last chain, then hdc, sc, sl st back along the other side. Fasten off.
Sew the petals around the back of the head so they fan out like a flower behind her, three at the top and one at each side.
Flower. In lilac, 5 sc in MR, then into each stitch work sl st, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st for five small petals. Sew it to the front of the dress with a silver bead in the centre.
Part 4. Beaded strands
Make three. Cut lengths of mid purple cotton about 12 cm long. Thread a purple glass bead and a silver bead onto each, knotting beneath so they cannot slide off, and vary the lengths so the three hang at different heights.
Sew them to the bottom edge of the fairy’s dress, spaced evenly.
Putting it together
Make the hanging loop first. In lilac, chain 40 and slip stitch back along it, then fold into a loop and stitch to the top of the eye disc, with two purple beads threaded on just above the disc.
Sew the top of the coil to the bottom of the eye disc, with a purple glass bead in between.
Sew the top of the fairy’s bonnet to the bottom of the coil, again with a bead between them.
Check the whole thing hangs straight. If the fairy swings forward, she is attached slightly too far forward on the coil, so move the join back a stitch or two.
Notes and variations
Blues and white make the traditional Turkish nazar colourway.
Skip the fairy and hang a tassel instead for a simpler charm.
Make the eye on its own as a coaster or a wall piece by working two more rounds and skipping the card.
Questions I get asked
Why does my eye ripple? Too many increases in the outer rounds. Round 11 with no increases at all is what flattens it, so do not skip it, and use the card backing.
Can I skip the card? Yes if you use stiff cotton thread and block it hard, but the card is quicker and more reliable.
Is it safe for a nursery? Not with glass beads. Use crocheted bobbles instead and hang it out of reach.