A reindeer in a pink bobble hat, a sage green tree and a snowman in a lilac hat, each above a wide cream coil embroidered with snowflakes, with gold beads running down the centre and a matching jingle bell at the bottom.
The coil on these is cream on the outside and pastel on the inside, which is the reverse of how I usually do a two tone band. It means the embroidered snowflakes sit on a pale ground where they actually show, and the colour only appears in the hollows of the turns. The effect is much softer than a coloured band with white trim.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in cream plus one pastel per hanging. Dusty pink for the reindeer, sage green for the tree, soft lilac for the snowman. Small amounts of caramel, brown, white and orange for the toppers.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, 6 mm black safety eyes, small gold beads, one coloured jingle bell per hanging in a matching pastel, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire per hanging, a gold jump ring or small metal ring for the top, 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 coil
In your pastel, ch 90. Keep the chain relaxed.
Row 1. Ch 2, then work 2 dc into the third chain from the hook and 2 dc into every chain across. Fasten off the pastel.
Row 2. Join cream and work sc into every stitch across the full length.
Row 3. Still in cream, turn and work sc into every stitch across again. Fasten off.
Two cream rows against one pastel row is what puts the cream on the outward face and leaves the pastel showing only inside the turns. If you work one row of each they compete and the coil looks striped rather than lined.
Thread florist wire through the base of the row 1 stitches along the pastel edge, fold both ends over and tuck them in. Set the turns about 4 cm apart.
Part 2. The snowflake embroidery
Embroider snowflakes along the cream face in the matching pastel, plus a few in a second pastel for variety. About eight per coil.
Six straight stitches radiating from a centre point, then a short cross stitch near the tip of each arm. That second step is what separates a snowflake from an asterisk and it takes ten seconds.
Hold the coil in its hanging position and mark the positions with pins before stitching. Only the outward facing turns are visible, so anything embroidered on a turn that faces the wall is wasted.
Part 3. The centre chain
Chain 34 in cream and slip stitch back along it to firm it up.
Thread small gold beads onto it at four or five points down its length, knotting above and below each so they cannot slide.
Attach the top only, so it hangs free down the middle of the coil without touching the turns.
Part 4. The bottom bobble and bell
Bobble. In your pastel, 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), then sc for three rounds (18), then sc and dec repeated six times (12), stuff firmly, dec six times and close.
For the textured surface in the photo, work those three plain rounds in bobble stitch, each bobble being four unfinished dc pulled through together. It gives the little ball a raspberry texture that catches light.
Sew the bobble to the bottom of the centre chain, then hang the jingle bell beneath it with a gold bead in between.
Match the bell colour to the pastel. A gold or silver bell under a pastel coil looks like a spare part.
Topper 1. Reindeer
Head. In caramel, 6 sc in MR, 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 decrease back down in reverse order, stuffing firmly before closing.
Muzzle. In cream, 6 sc in MR, inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18). Sew flat to the lower face, stuffed lightly. Add a red nose from 5 sc in a magic ring and a small mouth line.
Ears. Two flat ovals in caramel over a chain of 6, sewn to the sides of the head.
Antlers. In brown, ch 9, sl st in the second ch from the hook and the next 3, ch 4, sl st in the second ch from the hook and the next 2, sl st back into the stem, then sl st down the remaining chains. Make two.
Hat. In dusty pink, worked from the brim up. Ch 40, join, work four rounds of sc, then decrease evenly over the next six rounds until 8 remain, close. Add a cream pompom and a small holly sprig with red berries.
Topper 2. Christmas tree
A sage green cone with tiers. 6 sc in MR, then increase three stitches every other round, working a plain round between, until you reach 36. Stuff firmly and close the base.
Work shell tiers into the front loops of rounds 8, 12, 16 and 20. For each, skip one front loop, work 5 dc into the next, skip one, sl st into the next, repeated around.
Add a cream frill around the base by working 2 hdc into every stitch of the final round.
Scatter small pearl and pink beads over the tree, and sew a mustard star to the tip.
Topper 3. Snowman
Head. In white, worked to 30 stitches as above. Orange carrot nose from 4 sc in a magic ring worked to a point. Pink French knot cheeks, black French knot smile.
Hat. In lilac, same construction as the reindeer’s, with a white pompom and a small white flower on the brim.
Scarf. In lilac and cream stripes, ch 30, sc back along, then a second row. Fringe both ends. Tie it so one end lies flat against the coil and hides the join.
Putting it together
Sew the topper to the top of the coil, going through the same spot five or six times.
Attach a small gold ring at the top of the head, with a cream cord above it for hanging.
Hang it up and adjust the coil spacing once it is bearing its own weight.
Notes and variations
Make all three and hang them together. The shared cream is what makes three different pastels read as a set.
A cream and gold version with no pastel at all is very elegant.
For a nursery, embroider the eyes and use crocheted bobbles instead of bells.
Questions I get asked
Why does my coil look striped? You worked one cream row instead of two. The cream needs to dominate the outward face.
Why are half my snowflakes hidden? You embroidered them flat on the table. Pin the positions with the coil hanging.
How long does it take? About five hours each.