A Santa figure in a red glitter hat and a green scarf, with a red coil beneath him and five small charms hanging on plain threads either side, a stocking, a snowflake, a star, a bauble and a candy cane, finishing with a gold bell at the bottom.
This one is simpler in its assembly than most of my spirals, and that is deliberate. The charms hang on plain cord rather than being threaded onto a decorated centre cord, and they sit at two different lengths either side of the coil rather than dropping through the middle of it. It is a good pattern if you want the full Santa figure without the more fiddly double cord or beaded centre work.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in deep red, cream, dark green, white, mustard, and a skin tone for the face, plus black for details.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, 5 mm black safety eyes, a small gold bell, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire, cream cord for hanging, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 38 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.
Part 1. Head
In your skin tone.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6) Round 2. Inc six times (12) Round 3. Sc, inc, repeated six times (18) Round 4. Sc twice, inc, repeated six times (24) Rounds 5 to 10. Sc around (24)
Eyes between rounds 7 and 8, six stitches apart.
Round 11. Sc twice, dec, repeated six times (18) Round 12. Sc, dec, repeated six times (12). Stuff firmly. Round 13. Dec six times (6). Close.
Nose. 4 sc in MR, sc around once, close, sewn between the eyes.
Part 2. Beard
In white, worked flat.
Ch 13. Row 1, sc in the second ch from the hook and across (12). Row 2, turn, ch 1, sc 2, hdc 2, dc 4, hdc 2, sc 2. Row 3, turn, edge the curved side with sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch, repeated across for bobbles. Fasten off with a long tail.
Sew it under the nose along the straight top edge only, leaving the bobbled curve loose.
Part 3. Hat
In deep red, from the tip down.
Round 1. 4 sc in MR (4) Rounds 2 to 4. Sc around (4) Round 5. Inc, sc, repeated twice (6) Continue increasing two stitches every other round, with a plain round between, until you reach 26.
Change to white for two rounds (26). Fasten off with a long tail.
Sew a red pompom to the tip, made from 6 sc in a magic ring increased to 12, then decreased and closed with a pinch of stuffing.
Add three small holly leaves and two red French knot berries to the front of the hat before sewing it on, then sew the hat over the head with the tip flopping to one side.
For the glittery look in the photo, hold a fine strand of clear or gold metallic thread together with the red yarn for the hat rounds only. It is optional and it adds very little time.
Part 4. Body
In red.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6) Round 2. Inc six times (12) Round 3. Sc, inc, repeated six times (18) Round 4. Sc twice, inc, repeated six times (24) Rounds 5 to 9. Sc around (24)
Change to cream for the cuff. Rounds 10 and 11. Sc around (24).
Change back to red. Round 12. Sc around (24).
Round 13. Sc twice, dec, repeated six times (18) Round 14. Sc, dec, repeated six times (12). Stuff firmly. Round 15. Dec six times (6). Close.
Add two black French knot buttons down the front.
Part 5. Arms
Make two. In red, 5 sc in MR (5), sc for four rounds (5). Change to white for one round. Change to black for the mitten, sc for two rounds, then dec five times and close.
Sew to the sides of the body, angled forward.
Part 6. Scarf
In dark green, ch 24, sc back along the chain, then work a second row. Fasten off, leaving a long tail at one end.
Tie it around the neck so it crosses at the front, with the tail end tucked to hang down over the coil. Embroider a small white snowflake near the tip.
Sew the head to the body.
Part 7. The coil
In deep red, ch 90.
Row 1. Ch 2, then work 2 dc into the third chain from the hook and 2 dc into every chain across. Do not fasten off.
Row 2. Turn and work sc into every stitch across the full length. Fasten off.
Thread florist wire through the base of the row 1 stitches along the inner edge, fold both ends over and tuck them in, then set the turns about 5 cm apart.
Sew the top of the coil to the underside of the body, going through the same spot several times.
Part 8. The charms
Stocking. In red, starting at the sole, ch 6, 2 sc into the second ch from the hook, sc 3, 4 sc into the last, then along the other side sc 3, 2 sc into the last, join. Work three rounds, shape the ankle, work the leg in red for four rounds and the cuff in white for two, then fasten off, stuffed lightly. Add a green holly leaf.
Snowflake. In dark green, MR, ch 1, 12 sc into the ring, join. Ch 3, skip one, sl st in the next, repeated around for six loops. For each arm, ch 5, sl st back down it, sl st into the ring, repeated six times.
Star. In mustard, 5 sc in MR, inc five times (10), then for the points sl st in the next stitch, sc, hdc, dc, ch 2, sl st in the second ch, dc, hdc, sc into the next stitch, sl st in the next, repeated four more times.
Bauble. In dark green, 6 sc in MR, inc six times (12), sc for two rounds, dec six times, stuff and close.
Candy cane. In red and white, 4 sc in MR, sc around for 14 rounds changing colour every two rounds, with a short length of wire down the middle, then bend the top into a hook.
Putting it together
Cut five lengths of cream cord, two short at about 8 cm and three longer at about 14 to 18 cm.
Attach the stocking and the snowflake to the two short cords, and hang them from the coil near the top, one on each side.
Attach the star, the bauble and the candy cane to the three longer cords, and hang them lower down, alternating sides so they do not bunch on one side of the coil.
Attach each cord to the coil at the point where a turn meets the body of the band, not dangling loose in the open space, so they sit close against the spiral rather than swinging wide.
Hang the gold bell from the very bottom of the coil on a short cord.
Make a hanging loop in cream by chaining 40 and slip stitching back along it, then sew it to the top of the hat.
Notes and variations
Swap the charms for a snowman, reindeer and gift box set for variety within a group of these.
A cream and gold version with the same construction reads as elegant rather than traditional.
For a nursery, embroider the eyes and use crocheted bobbles instead of the bell.
Questions I get asked
Why do my charms swing into the coil? They are hung too far from the band. Attach each cord where a turn meets the spiral rather than from a random point in open air.
Can I use fewer charms? Yes, three works well spaced the same way.
How long does it take? About six hours.