20 to Crochet: Mini Christmas Crochet

Val Pierce

Sujets

• Christmas

Informations

• Publié par: Search Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 0001
• Nombre de lectures: 18
• EAN13: 9781781260432
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Val Pierce’s passion for knitting began when her father taught her to knit at the age of five. Later in life she began home knitting for yarn manufacturers, and since then she has made a huge range of items, from evening dresses to teddy bears. She later began designing items of her own, and before long Val’s designs were appearing regularly in national knitting and crochet magazines. She also teaches knitting, as well as a range of other needlecrafts, to both adults and children. Val lives and works in Shropshire.



First published in Great Britain 2011
Search Press Limited Wellwood, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR
Reprinted 2012
Text copyright © Val Pierce 2011
Photographs by Paul Bricknell at Search Press Studios
Photographs and design copyright © Search Press Ltd 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this book, text, photographs or illustrations may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, photocopier, internet or in any way known or as yet unknown, or stored in a retrieval system, without written permission obtained beforehand from Search Press.
Print ISBN: 978 1 84448 740 0
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 78126 043 2
Kindle ISBN: 978 1 78126 098 2
PDF ISBN: 978 1 78126 152 1
The Publishers and author can accept no responsibility for any consequences arising from the information, advice or instructions given in this publication.
Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the items in this book for their personal use, or for the purpose of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. Any use of the items for commercial purposes is not permitted without the prior permission of the Publishers.
Suppliers
If you have difficulty in obtaining any of the materials and equipment mentioned in this book, then please visit the Search Press website for details of suppliers: www.searchpress.com

Dedication
I dedicate this book to Abi, Ellie, Oliver, Ryan and Aimee. You all add extra sparkle to every Christmas by being the special little people you are!

Contents
Introduction
Hints and Tips
Pine Cones
Festive Wreath
Dove of Peace
Glimmering Snowflake
Christmas Stocking
Rudolf the Reindeer
Good Fairy
Baby Penguin
Cool Snowman
Little Angel
Christmas Cracker
Wishing Star
Christmas Bell
Snowy Fridge Magnet
Christmas Pudding
Tabletop Tree
Yuletide Coaster
Festive Napkin Ring
Christmas Bear
Poinsettia Gift Topper



Introduction
‘Christmas comes but once a year and when it does it brings good cheer’, so why not bring your very own cheer to this magical time of year by creating some or all of the delightful little crocheted decorations I have designed for this book.
There is nothing quite like making your own tree hangings, either for yourself or to give as a special gift to a close friend or relative. They can be packed away and used year after year and even handed down through the generations, giving you and your family pleasure for many years to come. Some of the pieces are free-standing, but there is no reason why you shouldn’t add hanging loops and use them to adorn your Christmas tree too.
My favourite colours are reds, golds and greens, but all the items can be crocheted in whatever yarns or colours you want to match your particular Christmas theme, whether it be traditional, cool and trendy, or simple and childlike.
All of the designs can be made quickly and easily using scraps and oddments of yarn, so even those new to crochet will be able to make an impressive collection of novelty knits for the festive season. Add a tiny gift inside the cracker, or use it instead of a place card at the Christmas dinner table; use sparkly yarns, beads and sequins, or even embroider on a name to make these novelty knits truly your very own creation. Whatever you decide to do I am sure that you will have as much fun making them as I did designing them. Happy Christmas crocheting!



Here is a selection of the mini crocheted Christmas decorations you can make using the patterns in this book. In a range of colours and styles that can easily be adapted to suit your personal taste, they make perfect little projects for the festive season.



Hints and Tips

American and British crochet terminology
In all the patterns, US terms are given first, followed by the UK terms afterwards in brackets. So US single crochet would be written as sc ( UKdc ) and US double crochet as dc ( UKtr ).

The most frequently used terms are:
American
British
slip stitch (sl st)
slip stitch (sl st)
chain stitch (ch)
chain stitch (ch)
single crochet (sc)
double crochet (dc)
half double crochet (hdc)
half treble crochet (htr)
double crochet (dc)
treble crochet (tr)
treble crochet (tr)
double treble crochet (dtr)
double treble crochet (dtr)
triple treble crochet (trtr)
skip
miss

Materials
All the decorations are made using a size 2.00mm (US B-1, UK 14) crochet hook, though for the Christmas Bear you will also need a 4.00mm (US G-6, UK 8) crochet hook. Either a no. 5 or no. 3 crochet cotton is used throughout, though if you prefer a fine 4-ply yarn can be used instead. Most of the items use only small amounts of yarn, making them ideal for using up scraps and oddments.
You will also need various embellishments, including bows, stars, ribbons, buttons and beads; a sewing needle and thread; craft glue; and toy stuffing.

Measurements
Approximate measurements of all the pieces are provided, but remember that if you use different yarns from those specified, the finished sizes may vary.

Techniques
Some of the decorations are worked in the round, which is sometimes a little difficult to master, so always place a marker at the beginning of the round so that you know where you started; it is very easy to end up with either too many or too few stitches if you don’t know where the row began.
One or two of the designs are stuffed as you make them, and again this is a technique that you will need to get used to. It does make it a little difficult to crochet sometimes, especially when the opening is quite small. The secret is to add only tiny bits of stuffing at a time.



This magical little tree is perfect for adorning the Christmas dinner table (see the pattern on the Tabletop Tree page). Make one for every guest at your festive gathering – a wonderful little keepsake for them to take home and treasure!



Pine Cones

Materials and equipment:
Crochet hook size 2.00mm (US B-1, UK 14)
Gold metallic yarn – 1 ball
Holly berry embellishment
0.5m (20in) of narrow gold ribbon
Toy stuffing
Craft glue
Sewing needle and gold thread (optional)
Measurements:
The pine cone is approximately 5cm (2in) high.

Special abbreviations:
3dc (UKtr) cluster – draw up loop, yrh, hook into space, draw up loop, repeat 3 times, yrh, draw through all loops, 1 ch to secure.
4dc (UKtr) cluster – as above but repeat 4 times.

Instructions:
Using gold metallic yarn, make 6 ch then join with sl st into a ring.
Round 1: work 12 sc (UKdc) into the ring then join with a sl st.
Round 2: work a 3dc (UKtr) cluster into each sc (UKdc) , join with a sl st to top of first 3dc (UKtr) cluster [12 3dc ( UKtr) clusters].
Round 3: sl st into first space between clusters, work 3dc (UKtr) cluster, 1 ch into each space, join with a sl st to top of first 3dc (UKtr) cluster.
Round 4: sl st into next 2 ch sp, work *4dc (UKtr) cluster, 1 ch* into each 2 ch sp, join with a sl st to top of first 4dc (UKtr) cluster.
Round 5: repeat round 4.
Round 6: sl st into next 2 ch sp, *3dc (UKtr) cluster, 1 sc (UKdc) * into each 2 ch sp, join with a sl st to top of 3dc (UKtr) cluster.
Round 7: sl st into next 2 ch sp, 3dc (UKtr) cluster into each 1 ch sp, but omit the 1 ch to secure, join as previous round.
To make up
Carefully push tiny pieces of stuffing inside the pine cone using the crochet hook to help you. Do not overstuff – just get a pleasing shape.
Using a small amount of craft glue, attach the holly berry embellishment to the top of the pine cone. Thread ribbon through the last row of clusters. Decide how long you want the ribbon loop to be and trim the ribbon as necessary. Either tie the ends of the ribbon together in a knot or stitch them to form a loop.





Festive Wreath

Materials and equipment:
Crochet hook size 2.00mm (US B-1, UK 14)
No. 5 crochet cotton – 1 ball of dark green, 1 ball of light green
3 small holly berry embellishments
0.5m (20in) of narrow green satin ribbon
Gold ribbon bow or a short length of gold ribbon to tie in a bow
Gold bell
Craft glue
Sewing needle and green thr