The smallest thing in my Christmas box and the one I make most of. A white star, a short coil hanging beneath it, and a scattering of gold beads. It takes about forty minutes and uses almost no yarn, which makes it the obvious answer when you need eight identical gifts by Friday.
It is also the best possible introduction to crochet spirals. One row of stitches into a chain, and it curls up on its own.
What you’ll need
Size 3 crochet cotton or 4 ply cotton in white or cream. One 20 g ball makes about four of these.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want about eight gold beads, 4 mm, a scrap of fibrefill, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 13 cm plus the hanging cord.
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, MR is magic ring.
The star
Make two pieces.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6) Round 2. Inc six times (12) Round 3. Sc, inc, repeated six times (18)
For the points, sl st in the next stitch, then work sc, hdc, dc, ch 2, sl st in the second ch from the hook, dc, hdc, sc all into the next stitch, then sl st in the following stitch. Repeat four more times. Fasten off, leaving a long tail on the second piece.
Hold the two halves wrong sides together and sc through both layers all the way round, pushing in a wisp of stuffing before you close the last point.
Sew one gold bead to the centre of the front.
The spiral
In the same white, ch 45. Keep the chain relaxed.
Row 1. Ch 1, then work 2 hdc into the second chain from the hook and 2 hdc into every chain across. Do not fasten off.
Row 2. Turn and work sc into every stitch across the full length.
Row 3. Turn and work sc into every stitch across again. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Three rows is what gives you the wide flat band rather than a thin curled edge, and it is the difference between this looking like a ribbon wrapped round an invisible cylinder and looking like a piece of frilled trim. By row 3 the work will be coiling hard, so follow the curve with your hands instead of trying to hold it flat.
Two half doubles per chain gives the open evenly spaced coil in the photo, with the turns sitting a good centimetre apart. Three per chain gives a tighter spring with more turns if you prefer that, though on a band this wide the turns start to touch.
There is no wire in this one, so the band itself has to hold the shape. If your coil sags or the turns bunch up, wet the finished spiral, wind it gently around a marker pen or a thin candle, and let it dry there overnight. It will hold that spacing afterwards.
The bottom bobble
In white. 5 sc in MR (5), inc five times (10), sc around (10), then dec five times (5). Push in a tiny pinch of stuffing and close, leaving a long tail.
Putting it together
Sew the top end of the spiral to the back of the star, going through the same spot several times, because this join carries the whole coil.
Sew the bobble to the bottom end of the spiral. It weighs the coil down slightly, which is what stops the ornament twisting on the tree.
Sew the remaining gold beads along the outer edge of the coil, roughly one per turn, alternating sides so they do not all sit in a line. Pass your thread through each bead twice, because single pass beads work loose within a season.
Make the hanging cord by chaining 30 and slip stitching back along it, then fold it into a loop and attach it behind the star.
The beaded rope version
This is the same ornament built from a tighter, narrower coil, worked in dusty pink and covered in pearls and gold beads, with a bought rhinestone star at the top and a jingle bell at the bottom. It reads as a completely different piece and it is quicker than the white one.
The coil is the main change. Instead of a wide flat band worked over three rows, you make a narrow rope that springs.
In dusty pink, ch 40. Row 1, ch 1, then work 3 sc into the second chain from the hook and 3 sc into every chain across. Fasten off. That is the whole coil.
Three single crochet per chain, with no second or third row, is what makes it curl this tightly. The stitches are short, so the fabric has to turn a much sharper corner to fit them all in, and the result is a dense little spring with the turns almost touching. The wide band version needs half doubles and extra rows precisely because it is meant to stay open.
Do not add the extra rows here. They will fight the curl and you will end up with something halfway between the two that does not look like either.
Beading is dense rather than sparse. Sew pearls and small gold beads all over the outer face of the coil, roughly four or five per turn, mixing the two randomly. On the white version the beads are accents at one per turn. Here they are the surface texture, so keep going until it looks crowded.
Skip the crocheted star. A small rhinestone star charm sewn to the top and a gold jingle bell hung from the bottom is what gives this version its slightly antique, shop bought feel. Attach the bell on a short length of gold thread so it swings and rings.
Hang it from fine gold cord rather than a crocheted chain.
Notes and variations
Make a set in cream, white and pale grey and hang them together on one branch.
A gold thread version worked in metallic yarn looks expensive and takes exactly the same time.
Scale it up by chaining 70 instead of 45 for a much longer coil, though at that length it will need a heavier bead at the bottom to hang straight.
For a garland, make ten and string them along a length of cord with a wooden bead between each.
Questions I get asked
Which coil should I make? The wide flat band if you want an airy ornament with space between the turns, and the narrow rope if you want something dense and solid that holds a lot of beading. They use the same length of chain and take about the same time, so make one of each and decide from there.
Why is my coil floppy? You stopped at two rows, or your tension is loose. Row 3 is what gives the band its body, and the pen trick in the spiral section will rescue one that has already gone soft.
Which way should it coil? Whichever way your chain twisted. It does not matter and you cannot easily control it, so let it do what it wants.
Can I use DK yarn? Yes, and it will be quicker, but the result is chunkier and less delicate. Go up to a 3.5 mm hook.