As you may know I love to design and crochet quick and pretty projects! Many of my days are very full with homeschooling and teaching and the little fast projects fit my lifestyle very well.
This blog is full of quick and pretty projects. As I was looking over the “Free Patterns” page, I realized that several of the designs could work as Christmas-themed projects with just a few small changes or adjustments.
So, here are 5 FREE patterns (originally posted on this blog) re-made with a Christmas twist!
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OK – on to Christmas projects!
Textured Sparkle Cowl
This cowl version of the Textured Sparkle Scarf works up in no time at all. It has great texture but gets it without using any of those confusing post stitches – phew!
All you need to know is double crochets and treble crochets. Not sure the difference? No need to worry – this scarf comes with a video stitch tutorial.
For the Christmas version I simply made the cowl length (as stated in the original pattern here) and used Red Heart’s Metallic With Love yarn in Red. Once my cowl was complete I attached a beautiful and sparkly metal Christmas tree that I found in the jewelry section at my local Michael’s craft store.
Bonus Gift Idea: Include a few different pendants or pins when you gift your cowl and then the recipient can wear it all year long by swapping out the Christmas pendant for another.
Mug Cozies
Who doesn’t like sipping on a cup of hot cocoa near the fire? And isn’t it so much more enjoyable when you AND your mug are snuggled in crochet? 🙂
Mug cozies are a great beginner project and with my embellishment idea you can make so many different kinds for each person on your gift list.
The “Super Simple Cup Cozy” (the cup cozy on the right in photo above) is just that – super simple! All you need to know is the single crochet stitch. To get the texture you just work into a certain loop of each stitch – it’s easy and I show you with photos inside the pattern here.
To add the Christmas flair I changed colors every 6 rows. When I started a new color I first fastened off the current color. Then I put a slip knot on my hook with the new color and did a single crochet right into the first stitch of the next row. After that I continued as before for 6 rows and then repeated the color changing.
Yarn I used: Sinfonia by Omega in Variegated Green and Mimosa by Omega in Red
For the Basket Weave Mug Cozy (mug cozy on the left in photo above) I crocheted it exactly like the original instructions that you can find here. Then I just added a Christmas-themed sequined patch of a stocking to give it that Christmas touch.
This project does use post-stitches but they really aren’t that bad. Plus, I include a bunch of clear photos to help you figure them out and be successful with this pattern.
Bonus Gift Idea: Like the cowl above, you could include more than one embellishment with your cozy gift. Perhaps attach a small circle of felt to the back of the embellishment so that you can sew on a snap. This way it would be interchangeable and could be enjoyed all year long.
Petaled Pan Protector
This is a relatively new project here on the blog and also uses post stitches to get the center flower to pop out. I love how you can create dimension like this with crochet and in the round!
I think this is a great gift for everyone and anyone because everyone has pans! But even if they didn’t use them between their pans in the cabinet, this can also be used as a decoration on a table or even to protect the surface of a table from scratches.
For the Christmas version I crocheted the pattern as originally written but used these colors for these rounds:
Rounds 1 – 8: Red
Rounds 9-11: White
(To start White for Round 9 I joined with a hdc in any FPdc2tog and then continued on as pattern states from the first *)
Rounds 12-13: Green
(To start the Green for Round 12 I joined with a dc in the space between any 2 petals)
Bonus Gift Idea: Include a new pan with your pan protector!
Easy Shimmer Mandala
This is my favorite ‘Christmas-ized’ pattern! I created this design originally to be a part of a special Yarn Bomb project I implemented for the 25th anniversary of the Crochet Guild of America (you can read about it here – many photos of the fun). About a year ago I shared how to make the project and created a video tutorial for it. You can find the pattern here.
Now I’d like to share my Christmas versions – yay! They were so much fun to make and look great next to Christmas lights.
For the Red and White mandala I did the color changes as follows:
Rounds 1: Red
Rounds 2-3: White
Round 4: Red
Rounds 5-6: White
Rounds 7-8: Red
I followed the same idea for the bead embellishments as for the original but used some silver glitter beads and red seed (6/0) beads along with the clear acrylic beads.
All the supplies and know-how you need to add the beads is included in the video tutorial here.
For this version I used a thin gold metallic thread that also has tiny shimmery sequins in it. It is sold by Hobby Lobby and you can get it here. It’s called “Bejeweled Sequin Yarn” by Yarn Bee.
I crocheted extra rounds to make it the same size as the CD’s inside just by repeating Rounds 2, 3 & 4 an extra time.
Work Rounds 1, 2, 3 & 4 as original pattern states (see Note below for Round 4)
(Note: When I worked Round 4, I only worked in the ch-5 sps and did not add a dc in the scs around. This way by Round 8 I had 20 ch-10 sps to match the back green circle which made joining easy.)
Round 5: Repeat Round 2
Round 6: Repeat Round 3
Round 7: Repeat Round 4 using note above
Round 8: Work as for Round 2 but ch 10 (instead of ch-5)
Then I cut a circle of red felt the same diameter as the CD and hot glued it to the CD before I joined the back circle (green) with the gold. I also used the gold thread to work a slip stitch border around the last Round of the green side.
I had a bunch of little brass bells leftover from my Stacked Flower Ornament project (in Dec. 2020 issue of Crochet World here) so I thought it would be fun to add those to the bottom of each beaded dangle instead of the acrylic teardrops.
Bonus Gift Idea: Make an extra Easy Shimmer Mandala in colors that match your loved one’s bedroom, living room or porch so they can have it hanging up all year long to remember you and your kindness.
Mini-Mandala Necklace and Earrings
This is one of the quickest projects to make and you can find the pattern here. It does use Size 10 crochet thread but I also provide a complete video tutorial to help you create this jewelry.
To make the Christmas version I simply crocheted the mini-mandala in a red metallic thread – easy!
Since this mandala is so mini, it can also make lightweight and delicate earrings. For these I used a deep red Size 10 thread and attached 2 jump rings to the top of one of the cluster stitches. Then I joined an earring wire to the top jump ring and glued on a Swarovski gem to the center – tada!
If you would like you can stiffen these (with white glue or fabric stiffener) but I found that they are holding their shape just fine without it.
Bonus Gift Idea: Make 2 pairs of earrings for a friend – one in Christmassy colors and one in their favorite color (or a color to go with their favorite outfit).
So, there you have it – 5 patterns (really there are 7!) re-made with a Christmas touch – perfect for gifts and home especially since they are so quick and pretty!
I love Christmas and I hope you enjoy making these. If you think of it, I would love to see a photo of your projects – just send it along to: jennifer@celticknotcrochet.com or tag me on Instagram.
If you are looking for more Christmas project ideas, scroll down to see more photos from our FREE pattern list and Etsy shop.
Here’s an image for your Pinterest board:
Thank you for visiting!
Jennifer
More Christmas Projects:
Copyright 2020 – Jennifer E Ryan, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher but please do link to this page to share this pattern with others.
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