The best handmade gifts are the ones that feel chosen for the person: a tree on a ring, a scarf with elf feet, a wine bottle in its own Christmas bag. These nine are a little different from the usual hats and dishcloths, and most can be finished in an evening or a weekend.
All nine are free, and each one links straight to the designer’s own page. I ordered them roughly from the smallest to the largest, so you can fill a few stockings first. If you want more ideas, see our one skein Christmas gift patterns and our Christmas decor patterns.
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Items you’ll need:
- Crochet hooks
- Worsted weight yarn
- Cotton yarn
- Tapestry needles and stitch markers
- Embroidery scissors
- Gift wrap and ribbon
Unique Christmas gifts to explore
1. Christmas Tree Ring
Designer Natasja King at Crochetime. A tiny tree worked flat in rows of single crochet and beaded single crochet, using green crochet thread (Anchor Freccia no. 6) on a 1.5 mm hook, with 5 red seed beads for baubles. You glue it onto a ring blank to make a piece of jewelry. The full pattern is free on the page, and it is from 2014.
2. Snowman Brooch
Designer Lucy Rozonova on Ravelry. A snowman brooch of about 6 to 7 cm with a black hat, an orange nose and button eyes, worked in the round with a photo tutorial. It calls for thin cotton yarn on a 1.5 mm hook (the sample used Vita Soft Cotton and YarnArt Jeans). Free Ravelry download.
3. Reindeer Keychain
Designer Thao Nguyen on Ravelry, from the Lennutas blog. A small Rudolph style reindeer about 6 cm tall, worked as amigurumi in sport weight yarn (YarnArt Jeans) on a 2.25 mm hook, with a photo tutorial and a written pattern. Free Ravelry download.
4. Holiday Wreath Ornament
Designer Savla at Savlabot. A small wreath crocheted around a 1 inch wooden ring in two colors of worsted weight yarn with a 5 mm hook, finished with a bow. There is also an applique version worked on a chain ring. The written pattern is free on the blog, and a PDF is sold separately.
5. Santa and Snowman Ornaments
Designer Weronika Miechowicz at Your Crochet. Two amigurumi ornaments with hanging loops: a snowman 4.3 inches tall and a Santa 6.7 inches tall, worked in rounds in fine and super fine yarn with 2.5 and 3 mm hooks. The free pattern is on the page, with an ad free PDF sold separately.
6. Christmas Tree Coasters
Designer Kimberly Arenas at The Caffeinated Snail. A beginner friendly coaster worked in rows, with a green tree, a brown trunk and a small star on top. It uses Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton in sage green, warm brown and yellow on a 5 mm hook. The full pattern is free on the page.
7. Christmas Mug Rugs
Designer BebaBlanket on Ravelry. A set of six mosaic crochet mug rugs, each 5.5 by 4 inches, with a different Christmas tree design in white and cypress green Stylecraft Special DK on a 4 mm hook. The pattern comes with charts and written instructions, and it is a free Ravelry download. The designer asks that you do not share the file.
8. Jingle Bells Elf Scarf
Designer Chelsea Roberts, published on The Crafter Life and listed on Ravelry. An adult size scarf, about 3.5 inches wide and 41 inches long, worked in a chevron stripe with elf legs and shoes at each end. It uses worsted weight yarn in white, red and green, with a bulky fuzzy white yarn, on 4 mm and 5.5 mm hooks. The pattern is free.
9. Ya Filthy Animal
Designer Abi McIntyre at Get Yer Hook On, on Ravelry. A Christmas themed overlay mosaic piece of about 50 by 50 cm, a wall hanging or cushion cover with a holiday quote from a Christmas film, in DK yarn on a 4 mm hook with a 3 mm hook for the border. It has charts and written instructions, and the designer released it free as a Christmas present. This one is for a friend with a sense of humor.
