Crochet Spiral Christmas Tree Ornament: Free Pattern with a Pearl Drop

This crochet spiral Christmas tree ornament starts as a strip five rows wide. Every row has more stitches than the one before it, so the strip can’t lie flat and coils up as you work. The first row, in red, ends up in the middle of the coil and looks like a stem. The rows after it are green, and one row of white runs along the outer edge.

At the top the strip narrows to a tip, and the white edging goes around both ends, so no raw edge shows. The bottom turns get one more row with taller stitches, which makes the spiral wider toward the pearl, like a tree. You work in rows from start to finish. There is no stuffing, no wire and nothing to sew together. The whole tree takes under 30 yards of yarn, which makes it a good use for leftovers, like most small crochet Christmas ornaments.

• Size: about 6 3/4 in (17 cm) long without the bead and 2 3/8 in (6 cm) across the bottom turn, calculated from the gauge below
• Yarn: DK weight (#3) cotton: about 18 yd (16 m) of green, 8 yd (7 m) of white and 3 yd (3 m) of red
• Hook: 3.25 mm (US D/3)
• Skill: advanced beginner
• Stitches: chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet
• Time: about two hours, going by the stitch count

How a crochet spiral works

A flat crochet circle grows by about six stitches every round. This strip grows at the same rate, row by row, but it never closes into a ring. The extra length has to go somewhere, so the strip winds around its own starting chain. Each full turn of the spiral is one flat circle that was never joined, and it uses about 5 stitches of the chain.

The stitch counts below are worked out for a little over 7 turns. At the very top the strip is only the red row and the white edge. Row 2 starts one stitch in and Row 3 stops three stitches short, so the tip widens in steps and reaches five rows within half a turn. A short row then widens the four bottom turns. It adds single crochet to the upper two, half double crochet to the next and double crochet to the last, so the bottom turn is the widest.

What you need

• DK weight (#3) cotton yarn in green, about 18 yd (16 m)
• DK weight cotton yarn in white, about 8 yd (7 m)
• DK weight cotton yarn in red, about 3 yd (3 m)
• 3.25 mm (US D/3) crochet hook
• 1 pearl bead, 14 mm, and 1 small bead, 6 mm
• Strong white thread, 24 in (61 cm)
• A long needle that passes through both beads, a tapestry needle and scissors

Cotton is stiffer than acrylic, and a stiff strip keeps its turns flat. Thread the long needle and try it on the pearl before you start, because the thread has to go through the pearl twice.

Gauge

Aim for 22 sc and 24 rows to a 4-inch (10 cm) square. An ornament can come out a little bigger or smaller, but the fabric has to be firm, because tight stitches are what hold the turns flat. If your swatch feels soft, go down a hook size.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch chain, sc single crochet, hdc half double crochet, dc double crochet, sl st slip stitch, st stitch

Crochet spiral ornament pattern

Color A is the stem (red), color B is the tree (green) and color C is the edge (white). The turning chain never counts as a stitch. The number in brackets is the stitch count at the end of the row.

The strip

The strip starts to curl in Row 2, and by Row 4 it is a tight coil. Let it twist and keep the working edge in front of you. Row 5 is a short row. It begins at the end where Row 1 began, which will be the bottom of the tree, and stops partway along. The other end, with the bare red stitch, is the top.

White edging

The edging is one continuous row. It starts at the top of the stem, climbs the stepped tip, runs along the whole outer edge and comes down the bottom end back to the stem. Hold the strip with the same side facing you as when you worked Row 4. Join C with a sl st in the first chain of the foundation, at the very top of the red row.

Fasten off. The edging has 245 sc in all. Weave in every tail before you shape the spiral.

Shape the spiral

Hold the narrow end, which is the top, and let the strip hang. Work down from the top with your fingers and turn each loop the same way around the red row, until the red sits in the middle like a stem and the white edge faces out. The narrow turns belong at the top.

Add the thread and the pearl

Thread the long needle with the 24 in (61 cm) of thread. Start at the top and push the needle down through the red stem, one turn at a time, until it comes out at the bottom end.

String the pearl and then the small bead. Skip the small bead, pass the needle back up through the pearl, and work it back up the stem to the top.

Both thread ends are now at the top. Pull them until the pearl sits just below the bottom turn and the spiral measures about 6 3/4 in (17 cm). Tie the ends in a firm knot on top of the stem, then tie them again 3 in (7.5 cm) higher to make the hanging loop. Trim the ends.

A crocheted spiral stretches like a soft spring. The thread fixes its length, and the turns stay evenly spaced once the ornament hangs.

Colors and sizes

• Red tree, green stem. For the second ornament of a pair, swap A and B. The stem is green, the tree is red and the edge stays white.
• Pearl on top. Slide a second pearl over both thread ends before you tie the first knot.
• Bigger. Use worsted yarn and a 4 mm (US G/6) hook with the same counts. At 18 sc to 4 in, the spiral comes out about 8 1/4 in (21 cm) long.
• Smaller. Use sport weight cotton and a 2.75 mm (US C/2) hook with the same counts. At 26 sc to 4 in, the spiral comes out about 5 3/4 in (14.5 cm) long.

If something looks off

• The white edge ruffles. The edging is longer than the edge under it. Redo it with firmer stitches or a hook one size smaller.
• The turns cup like bowls. The edging is too tight. Pull it out and redo it with a 3.75 mm (US F/5) hook.
• One turn winds the wrong way. Flip it over the stem so it runs in the same direction as the turns next to it.
• The turns bunch up or pull apart. Retie the thread. A shorter thread packs the turns together and a longer one opens them.

A pair of these crochet Christmas tree ornaments shares its yarn. The green tree takes 18 yards of green and 3 of red, and the red tree takes the reverse. Two small balls and some white are enough for both.