These festive spiral ornaments twist down in a ribbon of red, cream, and green, each one topped with a cheerful Christmas character. The set includes a jolly Santa with a flower spiral, a green Christmas tree spiral with a gold star, a smiling snowman with a dangling ball spiral, and a red poinsettia with a patchwork spiral. Each one hangs from a cream loop with a wooden bead and finishes with a tassel, a jingle bell, or little crochet balls. They are perfect for Christmas trees, windows, branches, and gift toppers.
Each ornament is made in four parts. First you crochet the long flat spiral strip and edge it in cream or red. Next you shape the strip into a twist and stiffen it. Then you make the character topper and the small decorations. Finally you sew everything together and add the hanging loop and bottom finish.
Materials
Worsted weight cotton or acrylic yarn in red, about 40 g
Worsted weight cotton or acrylic yarn in cream, about 40 g
Worsted weight cotton or acrylic yarn in green, about 30 g
Small amounts of black, yellow, orange, and peach yarn
Crochet hook 3.5 mm
Fiberfill stuffing
2 black beads or 6 mm safety eyes for each face
Gold beads, 4 to 6 mm
4 wooden beads, 15 mm
1 red jingle bell, 25 mm
Fabric stiffener or a mix of white glue and water
Paper or cardboard to make 4 cones, about 25 cm tall
Tapestry needle, sewing needle and thread, scissors, and stitch markers
Finished Size
Each ornament is about 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches) long from the hanging loop to the bottom finish
Stitches Used (US Terms)
ch chain
sl st slip stitch
sc single crochet
hdc half double crochet
dc double crochet
inc 2 single crochet in the same stitch
dec single crochet two together
MR magic ring
FLO front loop only
loop st wrap the yarn around your finger, insert the hook, pull up both strands, and finish as a single crochet
Part 1: The Spiral Strip (make 1 per ornament)
The strip is worked in short rows so you can make it as long as you like and change colors easily.
Chain 9.
Row 1: Single crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook and in each chain across. Turn. You have 8 stitches.
Rows 2 to 120: Chain 1 and single crochet in each stitch across. Turn.
Colors for each ornament:
Santa spiral: Work the whole strip in red.
Tree spiral: Work the whole strip in green.
Snowman spiral: Work the whole strip in cream.
Poinsettia spiral: Change colors every 10 rows, alternating red and green, to make the patchwork blocks.
Fasten off when the strip is about 75 cm long.
Part 2: The Strip Edging
Join the edging color at one corner. Use cream for the Santa, tree, and poinsettia spirals, and red for the snowman spiral.
Round 1: Chain 1 and single crochet evenly around the whole strip, with 3 single crochet in each corner. Join.
Round 2: Working in the front loop only, slip stitch in each stitch around. Join and fasten off. This gives the neat raised rim along each edge of the ribbon.
Part 3: Decorating the Strip
Santa spiral: Make about 10 small cream flowers. With cream, make a magic ring, chain 1, and work 5 single crochet. Join. In each stitch, work chain 2, a double crochet, chain 2, and slip stitch to make 5 petals. Sew a red French knot in the center. Sew the flowers along the front of the strip with 2 small green leaves beside each one. For the leaves, chain 5, then work sc, hdc, dc, and slip stitch back down the chain.
Tree spiral: Sew about 8 small red balls and 12 gold beads along the strip. For each ball, make a magic ring with 6 single crochet, work 1 round of single crochet, and pull the tail to close it.
Snowman spiral: Sew small green leaves and pairs of red French knot berries along the strip.
Poinsettia spiral: Sew a small cream flower on each red block and a few gold beads on each green block.
Part 4: Shaping the Spiral
Roll a piece of paper or cardboard into a long cone about 25 cm tall and 6 cm wide at the top. Tape it closed and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Starting at the top, wind the strip around the cone in a loose spiral, leaving a gap of about 2 cm between each turn. Pin the ends in place.
Brush the strip with fabric stiffener, front and back. Let it dry completely, then slide the cone out. The strip keeps its twist and tapers toward the bottom, as shown in the photo.
Part 5: The Character Toppers
Santa Head
Face: With peach, make a magic ring and work 6 single crochet. Increase each round until you have 30 stitches. Work 5 rounds even. Add the black bead eyes. Decrease each round until 6 stitches remain, stuffing as you go. Close the opening.
Nose: With peach, make a magic ring with 6 single crochet. Pull closed and sew it between the eyes. Add a little pink blush with yarn or a pencil.
Beard: With cream, chain 15. Work rows of loop stitch, decreasing at both ends until 3 stitches remain. Sew the beard to the lower face and add a small cream mustache.
Hat: With red, make a magic ring with 4 single crochet. Increase 2 stitches every other round until you have 30 stitches. Join cream and work 3 rounds of loop stitch for the brim. Add a cream pompom made of loop stitches to the tip and fold it to the side. Sew a small holly sprig with red berries to the brim.
Christmas Tree Top
Star: With yellow, make a magic ring and work 10 single crochet. Join. Chain 4, slip stitch in the 2nd chain from the hook, sc and hdc down the chain, skip 1 stitch, and slip stitch in the next stitch. Repeat to make 5 points. Make 2 stars, sew them together, and stuff lightly.
Tree top: With green, make a small cone of single crochet starting with 4 stitches and increasing 2 stitches every round until you have 16 stitches. Stuff lightly and sew a red ball to the front.
Snowman Head
Head: With cream, make a magic ring and work 6 single crochet. Increase each round until you have 30 stitches. Work 5 rounds even. Add the black bead eyes and embroider