A snowman in a black top hat, a snowy green Christmas tree, a second pearl-covered tree, a little red Christmas doll and a Santa, each sitting above or forming part of a long crochet spiral hanging in white, green, red and black, with snowflakes, beads and tiny bells finishing the bottom.
All five use the same basic hanging idea, but they are not identical copies. The snowman and Santa use a character topper above the spiral. The red doll uses a smaller head and body with the spiral dropping directly underneath. The two trees use the spiral as part of the tree itself, which gives them a taller, more sculptural shape.
The important part is still the structure. A long crocheted spiral looks light, but without support it gradually relaxes. The hanging cord also needs to stay centred, especially on the snowman and character versions, otherwise the ornament twists sideways.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in white, red, forest green and black.
Small amounts of orange, skin tone, brown and gold.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also need polyester fibrefill, florist wire around 0.8 mm, strong cotton cord, a tapestry needle, small pearl beads, a few coloured beads, small bells, pompom yarn if preferred, and metal or wooden hanging rings.
Finished length is approximately 40 to 50 cm depending on the design.
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 and BLO is back loops only.
Part 1. The basic spiral band
This spiral is used for the snowman, the red doll and Santa.
The tree versions use a wider variation later.
Starting in your main colour, ch 14.
Change to white and ch 14.
Continue alternating the main colour and white until you have 84 chains.
For the snowman, use white as the dominant colour with a narrow red section.
For the red doll, use red and white.
For Santa, use red and black with white edging.
Row 1. Sc in the second ch from the hook and in every chain across (83).
Rows 2 to 5. Turn, ch 1 and sc across.
Keep the colour blocks lined up above each other.
You now have a flat band about 2 cm wide.
Part 2. The decorative edge
Join white yarn along the long edge.
Work sl st into the first stitch.
Ch 3, skip one stitch, sl st into the next.
Repeat along the edge.
For the red doll, edge both sides in white.
For the snowman, use a small white or red scallop depending on which section it touches.
For Santa, use white along one edge and black along the other.
Do not pull the edging tightly.
The whole strip still needs to coil smoothly.
Part 3. Wiring and shaping
Thread florist wire through the stitches along one long edge.
Repeat along the other side.
Fold the final centimetre of wire back and hide it in the crochet.
Wrap the band around a bottle in an even spiral.
Press it gently against the bottle.
Slide it off.
Open the turns to roughly 4 cm apart.
Hold it vertically while adjusting.
The spiral should have a clear open shape rather than tight stacked rings.
Part 4. The hanging cord
Cut approximately 60 cm of strong cord.
This cord runs through the centre of the spiral and carries the bottom decorations.
For the snowman, add small coloured beads down the centre.
For the red doll, keep the centre mostly plain and hang one gold charm underneath.
For Santa, use a small white pompom and bell at the bottom.
Knot above and below any bead that needs to stay at a fixed height.
Design 1. The classic snowman
The first ornament is a white snowman with a black top hat, red scarf and a white spiral body decorated with tiny snowflake details.
Snowman head
In white.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2. Inc around (12)
Round 3. Sc, inc repeated (18)
Round 4. Sc twice, inc repeated (24)
Round 5. Sc three times, inc repeated (30)
Round 6. Sc four times, inc repeated (36)
Rounds 7 to 13. Sc around.
Place the eyes between rounds 9 and 10.
Add an orange carrot nose and a dotted black smile.
Round 14. Sc four times, dec repeated (30)
Round 15. Sc three times, dec repeated (24)
Round 16. Sc twice, dec repeated (18)
Stuff.
Round 17. Sc, dec repeated (12)
Round 18. Dec around and close.
Carrot nose
In orange.
4 sc in MR.
Sc around for two rounds.
Sc, inc repeated twice.
Sc around for two more rounds.
Stuff very lightly and sew to the centre of the face.
Top hat
In black.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR.
Increase evenly until you reach 30 stitches.
Work in BLO for one round.
Sc around for five rounds.
Fasten off.
For the brim, join into the unused front loops.
Work 2 dc in each stitch around.
Then dc, 2 dc repeated around.
Fasten off and block flat.
Add two small green holly leaves and three red berries.
Scarf
In red.
Ch 48.
Work hdc back across.
Make three or four rows.
Add short fringe to both ends.
Wrap around the lower head and tack into position.
The snowman spiral
Work the main spiral mostly in white.
Add a narrow red section along one edge so the colour ties back to the scarf.
Attach tiny embroidered black snowflakes or simple black star stitches to some of the white turns.
Do not decorate every turn.
A few scattered details look better than covering the entire spiral.
Snowman bottom finish
Thread several small red, green and gold beads onto the centre cord.
Position one between each lower turn.
Attach a white crochet snowflake beneath the final turn.
Finish with two small white pompoms.
Design 2. The snowy spiral Christmas tree
This tree is built differently.
There is no separate character topper.
The spiral itself becomes the tree.
Work a long band in dark green and white.
Make the strip wider than the character spirals.
Ch 96.
Work 7 rows of sc instead of 5.
Use mostly dark green with a white band running along one side.
Wire both edges.
Now coil the strip into a cone rather than a straight cylindrical spring.
The top turns should be narrow.
Each turn becomes gradually wider as you move toward the bottom.
This creates the Christmas tree silhouette.
White snow band
The white edge should appear to wrap diagonally around the tree.
If the white stripe disappears behind the tree for too long, rotate the coil before fixing the final shape.
You want the stripe visible on most turns.
Tree decoration
Sew small white pearl beads across the green sections.
Space them irregularly.
Do not place a pearl at every stitch or the tree becomes too busy.
Add a few small white crochet bobbles if you want larger snow details.
Tree topper
Make a small white pointed cap or star.
For a simple cone:
4 sc in MR.
Sc for two rounds.
Increase slowly until the base reaches roughly 12 stitches.
Stuff lightly.
Sew to the narrow upper end of the tree.
Tree bottom
Attach a tiny gold or pearl bead beneath the final turn.
Leave a short length of cord visible between the tree and bead.
Design 3. The pearl Christmas tree
The centre tree uses the same cone construction as the snowy tree but without the wide white spiral stripe.
Work the entire main band in forest green.
Ch 96.
Work 7 rows.
Wire both sides.
Shape it into a cone with narrow turns at the top and wider turns at the base.
Pearl garland
Thread small white pearl beads onto strong sewing thread.
Sew them across the front of the tree in a loose diagonal path.
Do not pull the thread tightly.
The pearls should sit on the surface of the crochet rather than disappear into the stitches.
Add a few larger pearls at irregular intervals.
Gold star topper
In gold or mustard yarn.
6 sc in MR.
For each point work sl st, ch 5, sl st into the second chain, sc, hdc, dc, then sl st into the next stitch of the centre.
Repeat five times.
Make a second star.
Join both pieces.
Stuff very lightly.
Attach to the top of the tree.
Design 4. The little red Christmas doll
This one sits between the snowman and Santa in scale.
The head is smaller and the body is very short.
The red and white spiral hangs directly beneath the body.
Head
In skin tone.
6 sc in MR.
Increase to 12, then 18, then 24 stitches.
Work five plain rounds.
Add small black eyes and rosy cheeks.
Decrease back to 18, then 12.
Stuff and close.
Hair
In light brown.
Make a small cap using the same increase sequence as the head.
Add several short curled chains around the sides.
For each curl, ch 8 and work 3 sc in each chain back.
Red hood
In red.
6 sc in MR.
Increase gradually until it fits around the head.
Work several plain rounds.
Change to white.
Work one round of sc and finish with a small scalloped edge.
The hood should frame the face closely.
Body
In red.
6 sc in MR.
Inc around.
Sc, inc repeated.
Work four plain rounds.
Stuff lightly.
Finish with a narrow white edge.
Red and white spiral
Work the basic spiral band in alternating red and white.
Use a narrower band than the snowman if you want the more delicate shape shown here.
Four rows instead of five is enough.
Coil around a narrow bottle.
The turns can sit slightly closer together than on the snowman.
Gold bottom charm
Make a tiny gold star or gingerbread-style figure.
For a simple star use the same construction as the tree topper but make only one flat layer.
Hang it beneath the final spiral turn.
Design 5. Santa spiral hanging
Santa uses the strongest contrast of the set.
The head is white and skin tone, the hat is red, and the spiral alternates red and black with white trim.
Santa head
In skin tone.
6 sc in MR.
Increase to 36 stitches.
Work six plain rounds.
Add small black eyes and a round red nose.
Begin decreasing.
Before closing, stuff firmly.
Santa beard
In white.
6 sc in MR.
Increase to 12.
Then 18.
Then 24.
Work back and forth over approximately 16 stitches for six rows.
Decrease at both ends of the final two rows to taper the lower part.
For the textured edge work sl st, ch 3, sl st into the same stitch repeated around.
Sew the beard across the lower half of the face.
Moustache
Make two.
Ch 7.
Sl st in the second chain.
Sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc.
Fasten off.
Sew one on each side of the nose.
Santa hat
In red.
4 sc in MR.
Sc around for three rounds.
Increase gradually every second round until the hat fits the head.
Work one plain round.
Change to white.
Work two rounds.
Add a white pompom.
Bend the tip slightly to one side before sewing it in place.
Santa spiral
Use red and black.
The black should form a strong contrasting stripe running around the coil.
Add white scalloped edging along both sides.
When the spiral is shaped, rotate it until all three colours remain visible from the front.
Santa bottom finish
Add a large white pompom beneath the final turn.
Below that hang a small gold bell.
Keep the cord short.
If the bell hangs too low, it visually separates from the Santa ornament.
The crochet snowflake
This snowflake works for both the snowman and any tree version that needs a bottom ornament.
In white.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR.
For each arm, ch 7.
Sl st into the second chain from the hook.
Ch 3, sl st back into the same chain.
Sl st into the next chain.
Ch 3 and sl st back.
Continue down the main chain.
Sl st into the next stitch of the centre.
Repeat six times.
Fasten off.
Block firmly.
Putting the snowman together
Sew the top of the spiral securely beneath the snowman head.
The scarf should hide most of the join.
Run the centre cord through the spiral.
Add the coloured beads.
Attach the snowflake.
Add the two white pompoms beneath.
Attach a strong hanging loop through the top hat and into the stuffed head.
Do not rely on the hat alone to hold the weight.
Putting the trees together
The tree spirals do not need a separate topper attachment because the entire coil forms the body.
Run a centre cord from the top decoration to the bottom bead.
Attach the top of the cord inside the star or pointed cap.
Pass it straight through the middle of the cone.
Secure it to the bottom turn.
Add the finishing bead underneath.
The centre cord prevents the tree from stretching vertically when it hangs for long periods.
Putting the red doll together
Sew the spiral directly beneath the small body.
Run the centre cord through the body rather than attaching it only to the outer stitches.
Pass it through the middle of the coil.
Attach the gold charm below the final turn.
At the top, run a strong hanging cord through the head and hood.
Putting Santa together
Sew the spiral to the underside of the beard and head.
Use several passes of strong thread.
Drop the centre cord through the coil.
Attach the white pompom and gold bell beneath it.
The black section of the spiral is heavier visually, so hang the ornament before making the final knot.
Rotate the spiral until red, white and black all face forward.
The coordinated five-piece set
The set works because the palette is limited.
White appears in every ornament.
Red appears in the snowman, doll and Santa.
Green dominates the trees.
Black appears only on the snowman and Santa.
Gold is used sparingly at the top or bottom.
Do not introduce several extra colours.
The five shapes are already different enough.
The three-piece version
If five ornaments are too many, make the snowman, pearl tree and Santa.
These give you one white piece, one green piece and one red piece.
They also have three very different silhouettes, which makes them look balanced when hung together.
The simpler tree version
Work the tree entirely in green.
Skip the white spiral stripe.
Add only six or seven pearl beads.
Use one cream star at the top.
Skip the bottom bead.
This version takes much less time and still reads clearly as a Christmas tree.
Notes and variations
Make the spirals first and the characters afterwards. Once the coil sizes are in front of you, it is much easier to judge how large the snowman or Santa head needs to be.
For a more traditional set, use deep red, forest green, cream and black.
For a softer Scandinavian version, replace bright red with muted brick and use natural cream instead of pure white.
For a shorter tree decoration, reduce the foundation chain to 64.
For a longer window decoration, increase it to 112.
Do not make the tree band too narrow. The extra width is what gives the cone enough visual weight.
A gold metallic thread can be worked along the white edge of Santa or the trees, but keep it loose.
Block the snowflakes before hanging them.
If you use pearl beads, stitch each one individually rather than running one long exposed thread across the surface.
Questions I get asked
Why does my tree look like a cylinder instead of a cone? The turns are all the same diameter. Start with very tight upper turns and gradually widen each one toward the bottom.
Why does my snowman lean? The spiral attachment is slightly off-centre. Hang the ornament before securing the final stitches and move the attachment point until the face looks straight.
Why does my white stripe disappear behind the tree? Rotate the coil before fixing the centre cord. The stripe needs to travel diagonally around the visible front.
Do I need wire in the trees too? Yes. The cone shape depends even more on controlled turn sizes than the straight spiral ornaments do.
Can I use acrylic? Yes. Cotton gives cleaner definition, especially around the tree edges and snowflakes, but acrylic works if the wire is firm enough.
Which design is easiest? The plain pearl tree. There is no face, hat, scarf or beard to assemble.
Which takes the longest? Santa. The separate beard, moustache, hat and three-colour spiral add more finishing work.
How long does one take? The trees take roughly four to five hours. The snowman and red doll take around five hours. Santa can take six to seven hours depending on how much beard texture and finishing you add.