A tree, a snowflake and a Santa hat, each above a two tone coil trimmed with tiny pompoms, finishing in a bell, a bauble and a stocking.
This is the easiest set in my whole collection and I would point a beginner here first. There are no faces, no dolls, no safety eyes and nothing that has to be sewn together at a precise angle. Everything is flat pieces, small balls and one long strip.
The coil is two tone without any colour changing in the middle of a row, which surprises people. One face of the band is coloured and the other is cream, so as the ribbon twists you see colour, then cream, then colour again down its length.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in cream plus one main colour per ornament, dark green for the tree, mid blue for the snowflake and deep red for the Santa hat. Small amounts of brown, mustard, red and white for the trimmings.
A 2.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, a small pearl bead for the bell, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire per ornament, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 32 cm each.
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 two tone coil
Make one per ornament.
In your main colour, ch 80. 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 main colour.
Row 2. Join cream at the start and work sc into every stitch across the full length. The work will be coiling hard by now, so follow the curve with your hands rather than trying to flatten it. Fasten off.
That is the whole two tone effect. Row 1 makes one face of the band and row 2 makes the other, and because the band twists you see them alternating. No colour changing, no carrying yarn, no ends to weave except four.
Thread florist wire through the base of the row 1 stitches along the inner edge, fold both ends over and tuck them back inside. Set the turns about 4 cm apart.
Part 2. The pompom trim
Make about eight tiny bobbles per ornament, in a mix of the main colour, cream and a contrast.
4 sc in MR (4), inc four times (8), sc around (8), dec four times (4). Push in a pinch of stuffing and close, leaving a long tail.
Hang each one from the edge of the coil on a very short cord of two or three chains. Short is the point. These sit right against the band like berries rather than dangling like charms, and a longer cord turns them into something else entirely.
Alternate sides as you work down, one bobble on the outer edge and the next on the inner, and vary the colours. Eight per ornament is plenty. Sixteen looks like a Christmas cracker.
Topper 1. Flat tree
Worked flat as a triangle, in dark green.
Ch 4, sc across (3). Turn and work rows of sc, increasing one stitch at each end of every second row, until you have 17 stitches. Fasten off.
Make a second identical piece, hold them wrong sides together and sc through both layers around the outline, pushing in a thin layer of stuffing before you close.
Trunk. In brown, 4 sc in MR, sc for three rounds, sewn to the bottom point.
Star. In mustard, 5 sc in MR (5), inc five times (10), then for the points sl st in the next stitch, work sc, hdc, dc, ch 2, sl st in the second ch from the hook, dc, hdc, sc into the next stitch, sl st in the next, repeated four more times. Sew to the top.
Decorate with scattered red and white French knots.
Topper 2. Snowflake
In cream. MR, ch 1, work 12 sc into the ring, sl st to join.
Next round, ch 3, skip one sc, sl st in the next, repeated around for six loops.
For each arm, ch 9, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 2 ch, ch 4, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 2 ch, sl st back into the stem, sc in the next 2 ch of the stem, ch 4, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 2 ch, sl st back into the stem, sc in the remaining chains, then sl st into the next loop. Repeat for all six arms.
Stiffen it flat in fabric stiffener and pin it to dry. A floppy snowflake topper looks like a mistake.
Topper 3. Santa hat
In red, from the tip down. 4 sc in MR (4), sc for two rounds, then increase two stitches every round until you reach 28, working a plain round in between whenever the shaping pulls.
Change to cream. Work three rounds of sc (28). Fasten off.
Pompom. In cream, 6 sc in MR, inc six times (12), sc around, dec six times, stuff and close. Sew to the tip.
Stuff the hat lightly and bend the tip over to one side. The flop is what makes it read as a hat rather than a cone.
Bottom charm 1. Bell
In mustard. 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), sc twice and inc repeated six times (24), then sc in BLO around (24), then sc for four rounds (24). Fasten off without closing, so the bell is open at the bottom.
Sew a pearl bead inside on a short thread so it hangs like a clapper.
Add two green holly leaves and a red bow to the top.
Bottom charm 2. Snowflake bauble
In mid blue. 6 sc in MR (6), inc six times (12), sc and inc repeated six times (18), sc twice and inc repeated six times (24), sc for six rounds (24), then sc twice and dec repeated six times (18), sc and dec (12), stuff firmly, dec six times and close.
Embroider four or five small white snowflakes around it, six straight stitches each from a centre point.
Add a blue bow to the top, made from a 16 chain strip pinched and bound in the middle.
Bottom charm 3. Stocking
In deep red, starting at the sole. Ch 8. Work 2 sc into the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 5, 4 sc into the last ch, then along the other side sc in the next 5 and 2 sc into the last, join (18).
Rounds 2 and 3. Sc around (18) Round 4. Sc 5, dec three times, sc 7 (15) Round 5. Sc 4, dec, sc 9 (14) Rounds 6 to 11. Sc around (14) for the leg
Change to cream. Rounds 12 and 13. Sc around (14) for the cuff. Fasten off.
Stuff lightly, embroider a white snowflake on the side, and add two holly leaves and three red berries at the cuff.
Putting it together
Sew the top of the coil to the underside of the topper, going through the same spot four or five times.
Sew the bottom charm to the last stitch of the coil. Its weight keeps the coil hanging straight rather than drifting sideways.
Add the pompoms last, once the ornament is hanging, so you can see where the gaps actually are.
Make a hanging loop in the topper colour by chaining 20 and slip stitching back along it, then attach it behind the topper.
Notes and variations
Any two colours work. Mustard and cream, plum and cream, or grey and white for a version that stays up all winter.
Make all three and hang them on a rail or a branch, which is how they are meant to be seen.
Swap the toppers and charms around. A snowflake topper over a stocking works just as well as the pairings here.
For a nursery, use crocheted bobbles rather than any beads and skip the wire, shortening the coil to 55 chains so it holds itself.
Questions I get asked
Why is my coil showing only one colour? You worked both rows in the same yarn, or added a third row which covers one face. Two rows only, one colour each.
Why do my pompoms look wrong? The cords are too long. Two or three chains, no more, so they sit against the band like berries.
Do I need the wire? At 80 chains, yes. It will relax into a floppy tube within a fortnight without it.
Which one should I make first? The Santa hat. The topper is a simple cone and there is no stiffening or flat joining involved.
How long does it take? About two and a half hours each, which makes this the fastest set here and a good one for a craft fair table.