Christmas crochet decorations: free patterns
Christmas is such a magical time… unless you’re a crafter. (Just kidding. Kind of.)
Every year I swear this will be the year I don’t crochet any gifts. No handmade pressure, no last-minute yarn panic.
Then I start making “just one exception”… which turns into two… then five…
And suddenly it’s mid-December, I’m surrounded by half-finished projects, feeling guilty about the people who won’t get something handmade, and equally guilty about the idea of buying something random at the last minute.
So this year I’m saying NO MORE.
Well… I’m trying.
Instead, I came up with the quickest Christmas decorations ever. They take me about 10–20 minutes, use very little yarn, look cute, and can be mixed and matched so they always feel new (which keeps my little creative brain very happy).
The plan? Crochet a bunch, make small sets for family and friends, and in some cases tuck one into a box of fudge or chocolates for an extra handmade touch.
Minimal stress. Maximum festive vibes.
Crochet LevelThese patterns are perfect for beginner crocheters.
Yarn
I used Rico baby classic DK (50 g ~ 165 m) in red and white, or use any leftover yarn you have in your stash!
Hooks
4 mm (or use any hook that would work for the yarn of your choice).
Notions
scissors, needle
Stitches and abbreviations (US terminology)
In the patterns here, we make use of:
chain: ch
magic ring: MR
single crochet: sc
Pattern #1: big snowflake decoration
In red..
Ch 15
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. sc in every other ch. ch1. turn
Row 2: sc in every sts. ch 1. turn.
Repeat Row 2 for a total of 12 rows.
Fasten off.
Embroidery:
To make things faster, instead of changing colour to create the decoration, we are simply going to embroider the decoration on top.
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I added my snowflake decoration using back stitch.
Thread a needle with the chosen yarn and secure it on the wrong side of the fabric.
Bring the needle to the right side of the work at the starting point of the snowflake.
Insert the needle back into the fabric a short distance ahead, creating a small stitch.
Bring the needle up again at the end of the previous stitch (moving backwards along the line you are forming).
Repeat steps 3–4, working one stitch forward and one stitch back, to build the design stitch by stitch.
Work over the crochet fabric without pulling too tightly, so the fabric stays flat and the embroidery sits neatly on top.
Final touches:
For a more polished look, you can crochet a second square and sew the two together. In this case, you can hide all the loose ends in between the two squares.
Now we can create a little hanging loop on top of the decoration for hanging it.
Cut a little piece of yarn, around 10 cm. Then create a loop putting the ends together, creating the loop shape.
Thread it in the needle and insert the needle to the top of the decoration. When you're happy with the length of the loop, use the rest of the string to secure it. Just a few in and out from the fabric will make it sturdy enough for hanging.
Hide these ends inside the two squares, or weave in your ends if you're crocheting only one side!
Alternatives: you can now change yarn colours, change the embroidery on the top, add some buttons or little beads for decorations... you can also mount it on a little wooden dowel!
Pattern #2: small present decoration
Christmas is such a magical time… unless you’re a crafter. (Just kidding. Kind of.)
Every year I swear this will be the year I don’t crochet any gifts. No handmade pressure, no last-minute yarn panic.
Then I start making “just one exception”… which turns into two… then five…
And suddenly it’s mid-December, I’m surrounded by half-finished projects, feeling guilty about the people who won’t get something handmade, and equally guilty about the idea of buying something random at the last minute.
So this year I’m saying NO MORE.
Well… I’m trying.
Instead, I came up with the quickest Christmas decorations ever. They take me about 10–20 minutes, use very little yarn, look cute, and can be mixed and matched so they always feel new (which keeps my little creative brain very happy).
The plan? Crochet a bunch, make small sets for family and friends, and in some cases tuck one into a box of fudge or chocolates for an extra handmade touch.
Minimal stress. Maximum festive vibes.
chain: ch
magic ring: MR
single crochet: sc
Ch 15
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. sc in every other ch. ch1. turn
Row 2: sc in every sts. ch 1. turn.
Repeat Row 2 for a total of 12 rows.
Fasten off.
Embroidery:
To make things faster, instead of changing colour to create the decoration, we are simply going to embroider the decoration on top.
.png)
I added my snowflake decoration using back stitch.
Thread a needle with the chosen yarn and secure it on the wrong side of the fabric.
Bring the needle to the right side of the work at the starting point of the snowflake.
Insert the needle back into the fabric a short distance ahead, creating a small stitch.
Bring the needle up again at the end of the previous stitch (moving backwards along the line you are forming).
Repeat steps 3–4, working one stitch forward and one stitch back, to build the design stitch by stitch.
Work over the crochet fabric without pulling too tightly, so the fabric stays flat and the embroidery sits neatly on top.
Final touches:
For a more polished look, you can crochet a second square and sew the two together. In this case, you can hide all the loose ends in between the two squares.
Now we can create a little hanging loop on top of the decoration for hanging it.
Cut a little piece of yarn, around 10 cm. Then create a loop putting the ends together, creating the loop shape.
Thread it in the needle and insert the needle to the top of the decoration. When you're happy with the length of the loop, use the rest of the string to secure it. Just a few in and out from the fabric will make it sturdy enough for hanging.
Alternatives: you can now change yarn colours, change the embroidery on the top, add some buttons or little beads for decorations... you can also mount it on a little wooden dowel!
In red..
Ch 9
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. sc in every other ch. ch1. turn
Row 2: sc in every sts. ch 1. turn.
Repeat Row 2 for a total of 10 rows.
Fasten off.
Follow the steps in embroidery and final touches as in Pattern #1. Here I used some leftover yarn to add a little bow at the top. It is tied around the hanging loop.
Ch 9
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. sc in every other ch. ch1. turn
Row 2: sc in every sts. ch 1. turn.
Repeat Row 2 for a total of 10 rows.
Fasten off. Follow the steps in embroidery and final touches as in Pattern #1. Here I used some leftover yarn to add a little bow at the top. It is tied around the hanging loop.
In red..
MRRound 1: sc 6 in MR [6]Round 2: now 2 sc in each st [12]Note: 2 sc in the same st is an increase, so now...Round 3: *1 sc, 1 increase* [18]
Round 4: *2 sc, 1 increase* [24]
Follow the steps in embroidery and final touches as in Pattern #1.
In white..
Ch 2
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. ch 1, turn
Row 2: place 3 sc in the same st. ch 1, turn [3]
Row 3: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [3]
Row 4: increase in the first st. sc. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [5]
Row 5: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [5]
Row 6: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [7]
Row 7: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [7]
Row 8: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [9]
Row 9: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [9]
Row 10: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [11]
Row 11: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [11]
Fasten off.
For the stump of the tree..
In red...
attach the yarn at the bottom of the Christmas tree skipping 3 sts in each side, and sc in the central 5 sts. ch 1, turn, sc in each st. Fasten off
Follow the steps in embroidery and final touches as in Pattern #1. Here I used some leftover yarn to add tinsel to the tree. I simply threaded a needle with the chosen yarn and insert it at the top, then wrapped the yarn around the tree, and secure it at the bottom of the tree. Again, I just hide the ends in between the two pieces of fabric.
Well, I hope these patterns can help you out with the Christmas creative frenzy... Have a merry (and creative) one! <3
© This pattern is for personal use only and cannot be redistributed in any of its parts. You may sell physical products created with this pattern but in small quantities.Check out the other patterns that are in my shop and follow me on instagram at @o_layarn to keep updated with my new patterns!Go and look around this nook, because many things are already up and many others are coming!
Ch 2
Row 1: sc in the second ch from the hook. ch 1, turn
Row 2: place 3 sc in the same st. ch 1, turn [3]
Row 3: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [3]
Row 4: increase in the first st. sc. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [5]
Row 5: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [5]
Row 6: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [7]
Row 7: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [7]
Row 8: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [9]
Row 9: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [9]
Row 10: increase in the first st. sc until the second to last st. increase in the last st. ch 1, turn [11]
Row 11: sc in each st. ch 1, turn [11]
Fasten off.
For the stump of the tree..
In red...
attach the yarn at the bottom of the Christmas tree skipping 3 sts in each side, and sc in the central 5 sts. ch 1, turn, sc in each st. Fasten off
Follow the steps in embroidery and final touches as in Pattern #1. Here I used some leftover yarn to add tinsel to the tree. I simply threaded a needle with the chosen yarn and insert it at the top, then wrapped the yarn around the tree, and secure it at the bottom of the tree. Again, I just hide the ends in between the two pieces of fabric.
Well, I hope these patterns can help you out with the Christmas creative frenzy... Have a merry (and creative) one! <3
