Santa, a Christmas tree and a snowman, each with a chunky two tone coil hanging beneath, made to hang in a window on invisible thread so they look like they are floating in the snow outside.
The three share one construction and take an evening each. What makes them different from the spiral hangings I have written before is that the toppers are flat and padded rather than fully round. Two matching pieces sewn back to back with a thin layer of stuffing between, so they sit almost against the glass instead of turning sideways.
The coils are also tighter and chunkier than my usual ones, which suits a small ornament and means no wire.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in red, white, dark green, black, cream and mustard, plus a little orange and gold.
A 2.5 mm hook, worked tight.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, 6 mm black safety eyes or black beads, a few small gold beads, clear nylon thread for hanging, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 30 cm each.
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, FLO is front loops only.
The coil, made three times
One in red and white for Santa, one in green and white for the tree, one in white and green for the snowman.
The two tone effect comes from the foundation chain, worked in colour blocks. Change colour on the last pull through of the final chain in each block.
Starting with your main colour, ch 8. Change to the second colour and ch 8. Keep alternating until you have 48 chains, six blocks in total.
Row 1. Ch 1, then work 3 sc into the second chain from the hook and 3 sc into every chain across, matching your yarn to the chain colour underneath as you go. Fasten off.
Three single crochet per chain gives the tight dense spring in the photo. The stitches are short, so the fabric has to turn a sharp corner to fit them all in, and it curls hard on its own. There is no wire in these and none is needed at this length.
Do not add a second row. It fights the curl and you will lose the tightness that makes these look chunky rather than flimsy.
Decorate each coil differently. Small holly leaves and red berries on the Santa one, small gold beads on the tree one, and green embroidered snowflakes on the snowman one. Six or seven per coil, spaced along the turns.
Making a flat padded topper
All three toppers use the same method, so read this once.
Work two identical front and back pieces. Hold them wrong sides together and join them by working sc through both layers all the way around the outline. Before you close the last few centimetres, push in a thin, even layer of stuffing.
Thin is the important word. These are meant to be about a centimetre thick, not round. Overstuffed toppers bulge, turn sideways on the thread and stop facing the room.
Add all surface details, faces, hats, beards, to the front piece before joining the two halves. Sewing them on afterwards means stitching through both layers and the back looks a mess.
Topper 1. Santa
Face. 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). Fasten off. Make a second in red for the back.
Eyes into the cream piece, seven stitches apart. Add a red nose from 4 sc in a magic ring, and pink French knot cheeks.
Beard. In white, worked flat. Ch 15, sc across (14). Next row, sc 3, hdc 3, dc 2, hdc 3, sc 3. Final row, edge the curved side with sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch, repeated across for bobbles. Sew across the lower face, under the nose.
Hat. In red, worked flat. Ch 18, sc across (17), then decrease one stitch at each end of every row until 3 remain, and fasten off. Sew it across the top of the face with the point flopping to one side. Add a white brim by working two rows of sc along the lower edge, and a white pom pom from 5 sc in a magic ring, increased to 10, then closed.
Belt. In black, ch 20, sc back along the chain. Sew across the bottom of the joined ornament with a mustard buckle made from a ch 6 ring worked with 10 sc around it.
Topper 2. Christmas tree
The tree is a cone with tiers, worked flat rather than in the round.
Front. In dark green, ch 4, sc across (3). Work rows of sc, increasing one stitch at each end of every second row, until you have 21 stitches. Fasten off. Make a second the same for the back.
Snow tiers. On the front piece only, work three horizontal lines of white across the triangle at even spacing. Along each line, work sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch, repeated across, which gives raised bumpy snow ridges sitting on the green.
Sew small gold and red beads between the tiers.
Star. In mustard, 5 sc in MR (5), inc five times (10), then for the points sl st in the next stitch, work sc, hdc, dc, ch 2, sl st in the second ch from the hook, dc, hdc, sc into the next stitch, sl st in the next, repeated four more times. Sew to the top point.
Topper 3. Snowman
Head. In white, 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). Fasten off. Make two.
Eyes into the front piece, six stitches apart. Carrot nose in orange from 4 sc in a magic ring, sc twice, closed to a point. A curved row of tiny black French knots for the smile and two more below the scarf for buttons. Orange French knot cheeks.
Top hat. In black, worked flat. Brim, ch 16 and sc across (15), work two rows. Crown, ch 11 and sc across (10), work five rows. Sew the crown above the brim, then sew the whole hat to the top of the head. Add a green band across the base of the crown with three holly leaves and two red berries.
Scarf. In dark green, ch 30, sc back along the chain, then work a second row. Tie it around the neck of the joined ornament so the ends hang down one side, and embroider a white snowflake on the visible end.
Putting it together
Sew the top of each coil to the underside of its topper, going through the same spot four or five times. This one join carries the whole coil.
Attach clear nylon thread through the very top of each topper, in one stitch and out the next so it sits centred. Knot it into a loop.
Hang all three at different heights in the window. Two at the same height and one lower looks better than three in a level row, and it stops them reading as a shop display.
Check each one hangs facing forward. If a topper turns sideways, it is overstuffed or the thread is off centre, and both are quick to fix now.
Notes and variations
Make a fourth with a gingerbread man or a penguin topper, both of which work at this scale.
A pastel version in dusty pink, mint and cream is a nice alternative if red and green is not your palette.
Lengthen the coils to 70 chains for a longer drop, though at that length they will need a small weight at the bottom to hang straight.
For a nursery, embroider the eyes and skip the beads.
Questions I get asked
Why does my topper turn sideways? Too much stuffing. They should be about a centimetre thick and slightly floppy rather than plump.
Why is my coil loose? You worked 2 stitches per chain instead of 3, or added a second row. Both open the curl out.
Can I hang them on a tree instead? Yes, though they were designed for a window where the light comes through behind them.
Can I use acrylic? Yes, and it is softer, though cotton holds the coil tighter.
How long does it take? About three hours each, so a set of three is a long evening or two short ones.