13 Free Crochet Christmas Patterns to Make Before December (Ornaments, Decor and Gifts)
These are my 13 free crochet Christmas patterns, grouped by where they'll end up: on the tree, on the mantel, in a blanket, or wrapped under it. The quickest takes about an hour and uses 15 yards of yarn. The biggest is a three-piece baby set for a first Christmas. Each one links to its full pattern on Wavode, with every round, stitch count and photo.
Key Takeaways
- Five of the 13 finish in about two hours or less: the granny stitch tree, the spiral tree, the mini gnomes, the Christmas granny square and the snowman keychain.
- Start with the big pieces in November (stocking, wall gnome, baby set) and keep the ornaments for December evenings.
- Most of them use DK or worsted cotton, so one shopping trip covers almost the whole list.
Every year I make the same mistake. I start with the tiny ornaments because they're fun, and on December 20 the stocking is still half a leg. So this list is in the order I'd actually plan a crochet Christmas, with the time and yarn for each project right under its name.
The 13 Christmas patterns at a glance
| # | Pattern | Skill | Time | Yarn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Granny stitch tree ornament | easy | about 1 hour | DK cotton, 15 yd |
| 2 | Spiral looped tree | easy | about 1.5 hours | worsted cotton, 22 yd |
| 3 | Swirl tree with a star | easy | 2.5 to 3 hours | worsted cotton, 60 yd |
| 4 | Puff stitch snowflake | confident beginner | 3 rounds | DK cotton, leftovers |
| 5 | Scalloped tabletop tree | easy | 4 to 5 hours (mini: 1.5) | DK cotton, 75 yd |
| 6 | Chenille Christmas stocking | easy | 5 to 6 hours | super bulky chenille, 195 yd |
| 7 | Wall-hanging Christmas gnome | advanced beginner | the biggest decor piece | chunky + worsted |
| 8 | Three mini gnomes | absolute beginner | 45 to 90 min each | DK cotton, about 30 g each |
| 9 | Christmas granny square | easy | 1.5 to 2 hours | worsted, 33 yd |
| 10 | Santa Claus granny square | easy-intermediate | 3 to 4 hours | worsted, 77 yd |
| 11 | Snowman keychain | easy | about 2 hours | worsted scraps, 55 yd |
| 12 | Winter white rose headband | easy | 2.5 to 3.5 hours | worsted, 75 to 100 yd |
| 13 | Snow Princess baby dress set | intermediate | 12 to 16 hours | DK cotton, two colors |
Ornaments for the tree, from one hour to one evening
Tree ornaments are where I'd send a beginner first. They're small, they forgive uneven tension, and you can make three of the same one and call it a set. Four very different constructions here: flat granny clusters, a looped cord, a wired swirl and a lacy motif.
1. Granny Stitch Christmas Tree Ornament
Easy · about 1 hour · green DK cotton, 3 mm hook · about 3¾ in (9.5 cm) tall
This is the fastest project on the list: 8 short rows of granny clusters, worked from the top down. The tiers come from one small trick. A "step-in" row skips the two edge clusters, so the next tier starts narrower and the tree gets its stepped outline.
I like it because the hanging hole is built in. The starting ring stays open at the top, and the border wraps around it. Tie a red ribbon under the ring and it's done. At about 15 yards each, one ball of DK cotton turns into a whole branch of them.
Get the free granny stitch tree pattern →
2. Spiral Christmas Tree with Wooden Beads
Easy · about 1.5 hours · worsted cotton, 4 mm hook · 22 yd per tree, plus jute and 5 beads
There are no rounds in this one. You make a single long cord (sc on one side, slip stitch on the other), then fold it into five loops. Each loop uses a set number of stitches, from 8 at the top to 20 at the bottom, and the tree shape appears by itself.
A jute string runs down the center with a wooden bead above each tier. In moss green and natural cream, it looks calm and a little Scandinavian. It's also my favorite "watch a film and crochet" project, since the cord needs no counting at all.
Get the free spiral tree pattern →
3. Swirl Tree Ornament with a Star
Easy · 2.5 to 3 hours · worsted cotton in two colors, 4 mm hook · about 60 yd
It looks fancy, but it's only four rows of single crochet along a long chain. A craft wire hidden in the last row is the secret. You crochet right over it, then wrap the strip around a paper cone and slide the cone out. The swirl keeps its shape on the branch.
If it gets squashed in the ornament box in January, you just bend it back. That's why I'd pick this one over a stuffed ornament for anyone with small kids or a cat who climbs the tree.
Get the free swirl tree pattern →
4. Puff Stitch Snowflake
Confident beginner · three joined rounds · DK cotton, 3.5 mm hook · uses leftovers
Three rounds, six points, no sewing and no stuffing. Round 2 is a ring of 12 puff stitches, and Round 3 builds six tall points, each with three picots. Most of that last round goes into chain spaces, so you never hunt for the top of a stitch.
Blocking makes all the difference here, so pin it flat before you hang it. In cream it's classic winter. In blush or dusty blue, the same snowflake can stay up long after the tree comes down.
Get the free snowflake pattern →
Tabletop trees, stockings and gnomes for the mantel
These are the November projects. They take longer, and they're the pieces people notice when they walk into the room. If you only start one big thing this year, make it the stocking: it comes back out every December.
5. Scalloped Tabletop Christmas Tree (2 Sizes)
Easy · 4 to 5 hours (mini: about 1.5) · green DK cotton, 3.5 mm hook · 7 in or 3.5 in tall
Six small rings, one recipe. Every tier uses the same three rounds of double crochet, and only the starting chain changes: 48, 40, 32, 24, 16 and 8. The rings slide over a paper cone and space themselves out, with no stuffing and no wire.
The scallops overlap like real branches, and the little pom-pom baubles make it look finished in seconds. The mini version uses only the three smallest tiers, so it doubles as an ornament or a place-card holder for the Christmas table.
Get the free tabletop tree pattern →
6. Chenille Christmas Stocking with Candy Stripes
Easy · 5 to 6 hours · super bulky chenille, 6 mm hook · 16 in long · about 195 yd
Chenille turns plain single crochet into something that looks like velvet. The stocking is one piece, worked from the cuff down in joined rounds so the stripes stay straight: 3 rounds red, 2 rounds white, all the way to the toe.
The heel is the clever part. You leave a slot of chains on the way down and add a round heel at the very end, so there's no heel flap and no gusset. I make one for every new baby in the family, with their initial stitched on the folded cuff.
Get the free Christmas stocking pattern →
7. Wall-Hanging Christmas Gnome
Advanced beginner · chunky + worsted yarn, 6.5, 5 and 4 mm hooks · about 20 in (50 cm) tall
This is the biggest decoration on the list, and it hangs flat on a door or a wall. The beard is worked flat in chunky yarn with big staggered bobbles. The hat is a long striped cone, worked from the tip down, with the tip curled over.
There's no face to embroider and almost nothing to stuff. The poinsettia, holly, berries and snowflakes are small trims, so you can make them one evening at a time and assemble everything on a weekend.
Get the free wall gnome pattern →
8. Three Mini Gnomes in Under 90 Minutes
Absolute beginner · 45 to 90 minutes each · DK cotton, 3.5 mm hook · about 16 cm tall
If someone asks me for a first amigurumi, I send them here. Four pieces: a round body, a tall cone hat, a wooden bead nose and a fringe beard. Only magic ring and single crochet, with no arms to attach and no face to embroider.
In mustard, teal and blush they're not strictly "Christmas" colors, which I like. Make them in red, green and cream for December, then switch to pastels and they stay on the shelf all year.
Get the free mini gnome pattern →
Two Christmas granny squares for a blanket or a pillow
Granny squares are the most flexible project on this list. One square is a pot holder or a card insert. Nine make a pillow front. A few dozen make a holiday throw you'll keep for years.
9. Christmas Granny Square with Pine Sprigs
Easy · 1.5 to 2 hours · worsted, 5 mm hook · 5.5 in (14 cm) square · about 33 yd
A classic five-round granny with a single crochet border, then four pine sprigs stitched on top. The sprigs are plain straight stitches that run from the center to each corner, following the corner chains of the granny rounds. No measuring and no color changes.
It's calm and quiet, not loud red and green. By your fourth or fifth square you'll make one in about an hour, which makes a full blanket very doable.
Get the free Christmas granny square pattern →
10. Santa Claus Granny Square
Easy-intermediate · 3 to 4 hours · worsted, 4 mm hook · 6 in square · about 77 yd
This is the square that makes people say "oh!" The base is a white circle that turns into a square, framed by three red rounds. Santa is sewn on top in small pieces: face, nose, mustache, hat and pompom.
The beard is worked right onto the edge of the face in two layers of shells, so it curls and pops off the surface. You can crochet the faces while watching a film and sew them on later.
Get the free Santa granny square pattern →
Mixing both squares in one blanket. They aren't the same size: the pine square is 5.5 in on a 5 mm hook, and the Santa square is 6 in on a 4 mm hook. To put them side by side, add a round of single crochet to the pine square and block both. Measure them together before you join anything, because your tension decides the final half inch.
Quick gifts and stocking stuffers
The last three are for other people. A keychain for the teacher, a headband for a friend who's always cold, and one heirloom set for a baby's first Christmas.
11. Mini Snowman Keychain
Easy · about 2 hours · worsted scraps in five colors, 3.5 mm hook · 3.5 in tall · about 55 yd
The perfect stocking stuffer. The body and head are one piece, worked from the bottom up with a narrow neck, so there's no head to sew on and no wobbly neck. The top hat has a real flat brim and a red band.
The loop goes all the way through the hat, head and body, then gets knotted at the bottom, so it can't pull out on a bag zipper. It's also the best way I know to use up Christmas yarn ends.
Get the free snowman keychain pattern →
12. Winter White Rose Headband
Easy · 2.5 to 3.5 hours · worsted, 5 mm hook · 3 sizes (child to adult L) · 75 to 100 yd
A wearable gift that's ready in an afternoon. The band is single crochet in the back loops, so it looks like knit ribbing and stretches to fit. A few wraps of yarn cinch the seam into a gather at the front.
The rose is one strip of petals that you roll up like a cinnamon roll and sew. White on white feels elegant with any winter coat. A soft wool blend keeps ears warm and holds the rose's shape best.
Get the free rose headband pattern →
13. Snow Princess Baby Dress Set (0 to 12 Months)
Intermediate · 12 to 16 hours for the set · DK cotton in two colors, 4 and 3.5 mm hooks · 3 sizes
The one big gift on this list. A dusty blue dress with a white Peter Pan collar and a lacy shell stitch skirt, plus Mary Jane booties and a bow headband. Dusty blue, snowy white and a touch of silver look like a first winter.
The dress is worked top-down in one piece with a raglan yoke, so there are no shoulder or side seams. The dress itself takes most of the time (9 to 12 hours). Start it in early November if it's going under the tree.
Get the free Snow Princess dress set pattern →
One shopping list for the whole Christmas season
Most of these patterns share yarn weights, so you don't need 13 different balls. Here's how I'd group the shopping:
- DK cotton (#3): the granny stitch tree, the snowflake, the tabletop tree, the mini gnomes and the baby set. Green, cream, red and one soft pastel cover most of it.
- Worsted (#4): the spiral tree, the swirl tree, both granny squares, the snowman, the headband, and the hat and trims of the wall gnome. Red, white, cream, green and a little black and orange.
- Chunky and super bulky: chenille for the stocking, chunky cream for the gnome's bobble beard.
- Hooks: a 3.5 mm and a 4 mm cover eight of the thirteen. Add a 3 mm, a 5 mm, a 6 mm and a 6.5 mm for the rest.
Cotton is my default for ornaments because it keeps stitch definition and doesn't fuzz on the tree. For anything worn or cuddled (the headband, the stocking, the baby set), check each pattern's yarn notes first.
Frequently asked questions
What's the easiest Christmas crochet pattern here for a beginner?
The mini gnomes. They use only a magic ring and single crochet, with no color changes, no face to embroider and no arms to attach. The spiral tree is a close second: it's one cord of single crochet and slip stitch, folded into loops.
When should I start crocheting for Christmas?
Start the long projects in early November: the stocking (5 to 6 hours), the baby set (12 to 16 hours) and the wall gnome. Ornaments, keychains and squares take one to four hours each, so they fit into December evenings.
Can I make these in different colors?
Yes, all of them. The patterns don't depend on color, only on yarn weight and hook size. Keep the same weight as the original, and the stitch counts and finished sizes stay the same.
If I could only make one this year
I'd make the scalloped tabletop tree, then two minis from its smallest tiers with the leftover yarn. One for my desk, one for the kitchen windowsill, and one tied to a gift. For a very last-minute present, though, the snowman keychain wins: two hours, a handful of scraps, and nobody can open it without smiling.
