Mini Crochet Santa

In December I keep a basket of velvet yarn ends next to my chair, and the red, white and peach scraps always seem to turn into a Santa. Kringle is a mini crochet Santa about 4 in (10 cm) tall, small enough to sit in your palm, with a floppy hat, a fluffy white beard, peach mittens, round black boots and a little yellow buckle on his belt.

His head and body are one piece, worked from the top of his head down, so his belt is just one round of black. The rest are tiny bits you can finish in a few minutes each. He's a good one-evening make, and a nice way to use up the ends of bigger projects.

Kringle's supplies: velvet yarn, small eyes and a scrap of yellow

• Velvet yarn: a bulky #5 chenille "velvet" yarn, such as Himalaya Dolphin Baby (100 g, 120 m / 131 yd). Working from the stitch count, with sewing tails: about 17 yd of red, 15 yd of peach, 11 yd of white, 9 yd of black and 1 yd of yellow. That's a little more than he needs, so the ends of bigger projects usually cover him.
• Seaming yarn: a few yards of red or peach worsted. Velvet yarn frays when you sew long seams with it, and a smooth strand hides in the pile.
• Hook: 4 mm (G/6), small for this yarn so the fabric stays tight.
• Eyes: two 10 mm black safety eyes with their washers.
• Small things: a handful of fiberfill, 2 stitch markers, sewing pins, a tapestry needle with a large eye and scissors.

Tension. I crochet Kringle at about 3 sc per inch (2.5 cm), snug enough that the stuffing doesn't peek through. At that tension he comes out about 4 in (10 cm) tall to the top of his hat, with a body about 2 in (5 cm) across. Velvet yarn varies from brand to brand, so yours may come out a little bigger or smaller.

Stitches (US terms): magic ring (MR), chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), increase (inc, 2 sc in the same st), decrease (dec, sc 2 together; with velvet yarn I use the invisible decrease, through the front loops only). R stands for round, st for stitch. Every piece in the round is a continuous spiral: don't join, and move your marker up at the start of each round. The number in parentheses is the stitch count.

Tip. Velvet yarn can snap if you yank a magic ring shut. Pull it closed slowly, a little at a time. If it starts to fray, stop, run a strand of matching worsted through the first 6 sts and draw that closed instead.

Making the head and body in one piece

Make 1, starting in peach. The magic ring is the top of Kringle's head, under the hat, and the last round closes the base he sits on. The jog of the rounds goes at the back.

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: inc × 6. (12)
• R3: (sc, inc) × 6. (18)
• R4–R7: sc around. (18) 4 rounds: the face. Change to red in the last st.
• R8–R9: sc around. (18) 2 rounds: the chest. Change to black in the last st.
• R10: sc around. (18) The belt. Change to red in the last st.
• R11: sc around. (18)

Changing color. Work the last sc of the round until 2 loops are left on the hook, then finish it with the new color. Cut the old color, leaving a 4 in (10 cm) tail, and tie the two tails together loosely inside. Velvet yarn makes a little step where the colors meet. It lands at the back, where nobody looks.

Setting the eyes while he's still open

The opening is still wide, so this is the moment for the eyes.

1. Find center front. Count 9 sts along R6 from the first st of the round and put a pin in the 9th st. It sits right across from the jog. Everything on his front lines up with this pin.
2. Eyes. Push one safety eye in between R5 and R6, 1 st to the left of the pin, and the other 1 st to the right of the pin, so there's one stitch between the two posts. Hold him at arm's length: the eyes should sit level, close together, high on the face. Then push the washers on from the inside until they click.

Safety eyes can't come out once they're locked, so check the pins twice first.

Closing the base

• R12: (sc, dec) × 6. (12)

Stuff him now, firmly, so his head is round and his tummy doesn't dent when you squeeze it. Press the bottom gently on the table so he sits flat.

• R13: dec × 6. (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. Pass it through the front loop of each of the 6 sts, pull the hole closed and hide the end inside.

A fluffy white beard and a round button nose

Beard (white velvet, Make 1). Worked flat in two rows. The second row has more stitches than the first, so the strip curls into a crescent, like a smile. Leave a 12 in (30 cm) starting tail before you chain: that tail sits at the top edge, the one you'll sew.

• Row 1: ch 10, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (9)
• Row 2: ch 1, turn, (sc 2, inc) × 3. (12)

Fasten off and weave the short end into the back of the beard. The chain edge, with 9 sts, is the top of the beard. The wavy 12-st edge hangs down over his chest.

Nose (peach velvet, Make 1). The magic ring is the tip of the nose.

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: sc around. (6)

Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20 cm) tail. Pull the ring closed tight. The little cup puffs into a round nose once it's sewn on.

Little black boots and peach mittens

Boots (black velvet, Make 2). The magic ring is the toe, and the open end is sewn under his tummy.

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: (sc, inc) × 3. (9)
• R3: sc around. (9)
• R4: (sc, dec) × 3. (6)

Push a small pinch of stuffing into the toe. Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20 cm) tail. Leave the end open.

Arms (peach, white and red velvet, Make 2). The magic ring is the mitten, and the open end goes against his side.

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: sc around. (6) Change to white in the last st.
• R3: sc around. (6) The fluffy cuff. Change to red in the last st.
• R4: sc around. (6) The sleeve.

Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20 cm) tail. Push a tiny bit of stuffing into the mitten only, then flatten the open end so its 6 sts lie in two layers of 3.

Buckle (yellow velvet, Make 1). Leave a 6 in (15 cm) starting tail, ch 8 and sl st in the first ch to close it into a little ring. Fasten off, leaving a second 6 in (15 cm) tail. Once it's on the belt, you'll pull this ring into a square frame, like a real buckle.

The Santa hat with its floppy pompom

Hat (red and white velvet, Make 1). Worked from the tip down. The magic ring is the tip, and the white brim is the last two rounds, the edge you sew to his head.

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: (sc, inc) × 3. (9)
• R3: sc around. (9)
• R4: (sc 2, inc) × 3. (12)
• R5: (sc 3, inc) × 3. (15)
• R6: (sc 4, inc) × 3. (18)
• R7: sc around. (18) Change to white in the last st.
• R8–R9: sc around. (18) 2 rounds: the thick white brim.

Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving a 16 in (40 cm) tail. The hat has 18 sts, the same as R4 of his head, so it fits snugly over the top.

Pompom (white velvet, Make 1).

• R1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• R2: sc around. (6)

Push a pinch of stuffing in and fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20 cm) tail. Pass it through the front loop of each of the 6 sts and pull tight to close. Sew the pompom on the tip of the hat with the same tail, 4 small stitches around it.

Putting Kringle together

I sew Kringle together with the worsted strand. The velvet tails work too if you pull gently, but they fray faster. To hide each end, knot it against the body, push the needle in next to the knot and out somewhere else, pull until the knot pops inside, and trim.

1. Beard. Hold the beard with its straight chain edge on top and the wavy edge hanging down. Pin the middle of that top edge on R7, right under the pin, and curve the two ends up along the cheeks to R6, 4 sts to the left and right of the pin, just outside the eyes. Sew along the top edge with the white starting tail, one stitch in each of the 9 sts. Leave the wavy edge loose over his chest so it looks fluffy.
2. Nose. Pin the nose right on the pin, over R6 and R7, so it sits between the eyes and a little lower, overlapping the top of the beard like a mustache. Sew around its open edge with the peach tail, one stitch in each of the 6 sts. Before the last stitch, poke the tail end inside to plump it up.
3. Arms. Pin each arm on R8, 5 sts to the left and right of the pin, flat top against his side, mitten pointing forward and down onto his tummy, just below the corners of the beard. Sew through both layers of the flattened top, 3 stitches, then back along the same line, 3 more.
4. Boots. Turn him over. Pin the open end of each boot on R11, 2 sts to the left and right of the pin, toes poking forward past his tummy. Sew around each opening, one stitch in each of the 6 sts. Sit him up: the boots should peek out in front, and he should sit steady on his base.
5. Buckle. Lay the yellow ring on the black belt, R10, centered under the pin, and pull it into a little square, 2 ch on each side. Tack each corner down with the yellow tails, one small stitch per corner. The black belt shows through the middle, just like a real buckle.
6. Hat. Set the hat on his head with the color change at the back, and pin the last white round onto R4, all the way around. The brim covers the top of his forehead and stops just above the eyes. Whipstitch it on with the white tail, one stitch in each of the 18 sts. Leave the red cone empty, fold the tip over to one side so the pompom hangs beside his face, about level with his eyes, and tack it to the brim with one stitch so it stays put.

Take out the pin. Turn him around: that's Kringle, ready for the mantel.

Tip. If the hat sits too high and his forehead looks huge, pull the brim down a little as you sew, so it hugs R4 and the top of R5.

A row of mini Santas on the mantel

One Kringle is cute. Three of them in a row on a shelf look like a little Christmas parade. I like to make the second one with a green hat and the third with a burgundy coat, all with the same white beard and black boots, so they look like a family.

He also makes a lovely tree ornament. Thread a 6 in (15 cm) length of thin ribbon through the top of the hat, right above the middle of his head, catching a stitch of R1 underneath so the hat seam doesn't carry his weight. Knot the ends and hang him from a sturdy branch: he hangs straight, face forward. And because he fits in a palm, he slips into a stocking or onto a gift bow without squashing.

Safety. Kringle has plastic safety eyes and a stuffed pompom, so he isn't a toy for children under 3. For a little one, embroider the eyes instead with a few short stitches of black worsted, and sew the pompom, boots and mittens down extra firmly.

If you'd like company for him on the shelf, Nutmeg the gingerbread man wears a Santa hat too, and my list of free crochet Christmas patterns has a few more friends.

UK terms: sc = UK double crochet (dc), sl st = slip stitch, inc = 2 dc in the same st, dec = dc 2 together.

Made your own Kringle? Tag #wavodecrochet on Pinterest so I can see him.

Pattern by Clara Hartwell for Wavode. Questions? Email me at support@wavode.com.