A penguin, a fox, a polar bear, a snowman, a reindeer, a gingerbread man and a small tree, each with its own coloured scarf and its own coil below, meant to hang together along one branch or rail so the whole row reads as a little winter village suspended in the air.
Every head uses the same base ball. What changes each time is the ears, the muzzle treatment and the scarf colour, so once you have made one you are really just varying four small things for the rest. That is what makes seven of these achievable in a way seven completely different patterns would not be.
Finished length is about 24 cm each.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in black and white for the penguin, grey and white for the fox, white for the bear, white for the snowman, caramel and brown for the reindeer, caramel for the gingerbread man, and green for the tree, plus scarf colours in blue, purple, sage, mid blue, tan and pink.
A 2.5 mm hook, polyester fibrefill, 5 mm black safety eyes, small orange and pink details, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire per coil, and a tapestry needle.
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.
The shared head
Work this base for the penguin, fox, bear, snowman and reindeer.
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)
Place eyes between rounds 6 and 7, about six stitches apart.
Round 10. Sc twice, dec, repeated six times. (18)
Round 11. Sc, dec, repeated six times. (12). Stuff firmly.
Round 12. Dec six times. (6). Close.
Character 1. Penguin
Work the head in black. Crochet a white face patch separately: 6 sc in MR, increase to 12, then 18, and sew it over the lower two-thirds of the face. Place the safety eyes through the patch before sewing firmly.
Make a tiny orange beak with 4 sc in a magic ring or embroider a short triangular beak. Add a blue scarf with white stripes and small white snowflake embroidery.
Character 2. Fox
Work the head in grey. Make two pointed ears in grey with pale inner pieces and sew them high on the head. Add a small white muzzle patch with a black embroidered nose.
Use purple and pink for the scarf. Add short fringe to the ends.
Character 3. Polar bear
Work the head in white. Make two small round ears and sew them low on the sides. Add a black nose and a simple embroidered smile.
Scarf: sage green.
Optional hat: work a small red cap from the tip downward, increasing gradually to fit the crown, then add a pompom.
Character 4. Snowman
Use the shared white head. Add an orange carrot nose and a simple black embroidered smile.
For a winter cap, work from the top down in blue, increasing until it fits the crown, then make a white brim and blue pompom. Scarf: blue and white.
Character 5. Reindeer
Work the head in caramel. Add a cream muzzle, dark or red nose, two folded ears and small brown antlers made from chains stiffened with a little fabric glue or fine wire.
Scarf: tan with cream stripes.
Character 6. Gingerbread man
Make a flatter cookie-shaped topper.
Front and back: 6 sc in MR, inc around to 12, then increase to 18 and 24. Work two plain rounds at 24 and fasten off.
Join the two circles with a thin layer of stuffing. Embroider white icing around the edge, black eyes, pink cheeks, two white buttons and a pink bow.
Character 7. Small tree
Work two flat green triangles, increasing at both ends every second row from 3 stitches to about 17 stitches.
Join the triangles with a very light layer of stuffing. Add a small brown trunk, white and pastel bobble ornaments and a yellow star.
The spiral coil
Make seven.
Ch 60 loosely.
Row 1. Ch 2. Work 2 dc into the third chain from the hook and 2 dc into every chain across.
Row 2. Turn and sc into every stitch across. Fasten off.
Thread florist wire along the inner edge of the first row. Fold the wire ends safely inward. Shape into an even spiral with turns roughly 3.5 cm apart.
Add two or three small snowflakes, flowers or pompom details to the outward-facing turns.
Assembly
Sew each topper securely to one end of a coil. Tie or sew the scarf so it partly hides the join.
Make a hanging loop by chaining 18 to 22 and slip stitching back, or use doubled yarn for a simple loop. Attach behind the head.
Hang the ornaments along one branch or rail with slightly varied loop lengths so the row feels handmade rather than rigidly level.
Notes and variations
Make only three or four for a smaller display. Swap the reindeer for a husky or seal for an arctic theme. For a nursery mobile, embroider every facial detail and hang the set from a covered ring.
Questions I get asked
Do I need all seven? No. A penguin, bear and snowman make an excellent starter trio.
Why does the gingerbread or tree look thinner? Those two are intentionally flatter. Keep their stuffing light.
How long does the full set take? Roughly two to three hours per ornament once you know the construction, so it is best treated as a multi-session project.