A gnome, a candy cane and a reindeer, each sitting above a wide striped coil in pink, mint and cream, with wooden beads running down the centre and a gift box, a bauble or a stocking hanging underneath.
All three are the same piece. The band is identical, the centre cord is identical, and only the topper and the bottom charm change. Make one and the other two take an evening each.
The wooden beads down the middle are not decoration. They sit between the turns of the coil and hold the spacing, which is why these hang so evenly. That trick is worth knowing and it appears in nothing else I make.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in dusty pink, sage mint and cream. About 50 g of each covers one hanging with plenty spare.
Small amounts of white, brown, caramel and a skin tone depending on which topper you make.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, five or six wooden beads around 15 mm with a hole big enough for doubled cord, one larger wooden bead for the top, 6 mm black safety eyes, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire, strong cotton cord, 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, BLO is back loops only.
Part 1. The striped band
The foundation chain is worked in colour blocks, so the stripes run the length of the band. Change colour on the last pull through of the final chain in each block.
Starting with pink, ch 14. Change to cream and ch 14. Change to mint and ch 14. Keep rotating those three colours until you have 84 chains.
Row 1. Sc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch across, matching your yarn to the chain colour underneath (83).
Rows 2 to 5. Turn, ch 1, sc across, keeping the colour blocks lined up above each other.
You now have a flat band about 2 cm wide. Weave in the colour changes as you go rather than saving them all for the end.
Part 2. Wiring and coiling
Thread a length of florist wire through the stitches along one long edge, weaving in and out every few stitches. Do the same along the other long edge. Fold about a centimetre over at all four ends and tuck them back into the stitches.
Wrap the band around a wine bottle in an even spiral, press it against the glass so the wire takes the curve, then slide it off.
Set the turns about 4 cm apart, which is roughly the width of a wooden bead plus a little air. The beads have to sit in those gaps, so if the spacing is tighter than the beads you will have to redo it later.
Part 3. Embroidery
Flat on the table before assembly is the time to do this.
For the candy cane version, embroider white snowflakes along the band, six short straight stitches radiating from a centre point, spaced about every 6 cm.
For the gnome and reindeer versions, embroider small flowers instead, three or four lazy daisy petals with a French knot centre, in white or the contrast pastel.
Do not decorate every stripe. Two thirds covered and one third plain looks considered, and fully covered looks busy.
Part 4. The centre cord
Cut a length of strong cord about 60 cm. Knot one end.
Thread on your wooden beads, spacing them so that when the cord hangs down the middle of the coil, each bead sits level with a gap between two turns. Knot the cord above and below each bead to hold it in position.
Five beads for a coil with five turns. Count your turns first and match.
The toppers
Make whichever one you want. All three sit on top of the coil.
Topper 1. The gnome
Hat. In pink, from the tip down. 4 sc in MR (4), sc for three rounds, then increase two stitches every round until you reach 30, with a plain round in between whenever it pulls. Fasten off. Stuff it lightly so the point stands up.
Nose. In a skin tone, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc for three rounds (12), then dec six times (6), stuff firmly and close.
Beard. In cream, 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 work back and forth in rows over 16 stitches for six rows, decreasing one stitch at each end of the last two rows to taper it. Edge the whole beard with sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch repeated across, which gives the soft bumpy outline.
Body. In mint, 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). Stuff and fasten off.
Arms, make two. In pink, 5 sc in MR (5), sc for five rounds, flatten and fasten off. Sew to the sides of the body.
Assemble by sewing the beard to the front of the body, the nose over the top of the beard, and the hat over both so it comes down almost to the nose. Add a small white flower and a pink berry to one side of the hat.
Topper 2. The candy cane
In pink, mint and cream, worked as a tube with the stripes running around it.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2. Inc six times (12)
Rounds 3 onwards. Sc around (12), changing colour every three rounds and rotating through the three pastels.
Work about 30 rounds in total, stuffing lightly as you go and pushing a length of florist wire down the centre.
Fasten off, then bend the top third over into the hook of a cane. The wire holds it.
Tie a mint and pink bow around the base of the hook, made from a 20 chain length pinched in the middle and bound.
Topper 3. The reindeer
Head. In cream, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), sc twice and inc repeated six times (24), sc three times and inc repeated six times (30), then sc for seven rounds (30). Eyes between rounds 8 and 9, seven stitches apart. Then sc three times and dec repeated six times (24), sc twice and dec (18), sc and dec (12), stuff firmly, dec six times and close.
Muzzle. In cream, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18). Fasten off, stuff lightly and sew flat to the lower front of the face. Add a pink nose from 5 sc in a magic ring, a small mouth line beneath it, and pink French knot cheeks.
Ears, make two. Ch 6, sc in the second ch from the hook, hdc in the next 3, sc in the last. Fold the base and sew to the sides of the head.
Antlers, make two. In brown, ch 9. Sl st in the second ch from the hook and in the next 3. Ch 4, sl st in the second ch from the hook and in the next 2, then sl st back into the stem. Ch 3, sl st in the second ch from the hook and the next, sl st back into the stem. Sl st down the remaining chains. Fasten off and sew to the top of the head just inside the ears.
Add a small cluster of pink flowers and green leaves at the base of one antler.
The bottom charms
Charm 1. Gift box
In pink. 8 sc in MR (8), inc eight times (16), sc and inc repeated eight times (24), then sc in BLO around (24), sc for five rounds (24), then sc and dec repeated eight times (16), dec eight times (8), stuff firmly and close.
Wrap it with mint by chaining two lengths of 24, crossing them over the box and stitching them down at the sides. Add a mint bow on top.
Charm 2. Bauble
In pink and mint, worked in vertical panels rather than stripes. 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), sc twice and inc repeated six times (24), sc for six rounds (24), then sc twice and dec repeated six times (18), sc and dec (12), stuff, dec six times and close.
For the panels, change colour every four stitches as you work round, carrying the unused colour behind. Alternating blocks like this rather than horizontal stripes is what gives it the segmented look.
Charm 3. Stocking
In cream, starting at the sole. Ch 8. Work 2 sc into the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 5, 4 sc into the last ch, then along the other side sc in the next 5 and 2 sc into the last, join (18).
Rounds 2 and 3. Sc around (18)
Round 4. Sc 5, dec three times, sc 7 (15), shaping the instep.
Round 5. Sc 4, dec, sc 9 (14)
Change to pink. Rounds 6 to 11. Sc around (14) for the leg.
Change to cream. Rounds 12 and 13. Sc around (14) for the cuff. Fasten off.
Stuff lightly and embroider a white snowflake on the side of the leg.
Putting it together
Sew the top of the coil to the underside of your topper, going through the same spot several times.
Drop the centre cord down through the middle of the coil, checking that each wooden bead lands in a gap between two turns. Attach the top of the cord to the underside of the topper, and adjust the knots until the beads sit level with the gaps.
If a bead is fouling a coil turn, move the knot rather than the coil. The knots are easy to redo and the wire spacing is not.
Attach your bottom charm to the end of the centre cord, below the last turn of the coil.
At the top, thread the large wooden bead onto a doubled cord, stitch it into the topper, and knot a hanging loop above it.
Notes and variations
Traditional red, green and cream works from exactly the same instructions if pastels are not your thing.
Make all three and hang them together in a window. They are designed as a set and they look better as one.
Swap the topper for a snowman, a penguin or a gingerbread man, all of which sit at the same scale.
For a car mirror version, shorten the foundation chain to 56.
Questions I get asked
Why do my beads not sit in the gaps? Your coil spacing is tighter than your beads. Either open the turns out or use smaller beads. Check this before you knot the cord.
Do I need the wire? On a band this wide, yes. Without it the coil relaxes into a floppy tube within days.
Which topper is easiest? The candy cane by a long way. The gnome is next and the reindeer is the longest.
Can I use acrylic? Yes, and it suits the pastels. The wire is doing the structural work.
How long does it take? About five hours for the candy cane version and seven for the reindeer.
Crochet Pastel Christmas Spiral Hanging Pattern in Three Designs
