This little Christmas tree is a single flat piece made to hang from a rear-view mirror. The tree is a solid triangle of oatmeal-beige single crochet with three rows of round, puffy bobbles: five across the bottom, three in the middle and two near the tip. A small square brown trunk sits at the center of the base. A cream single crochet border runs around the whole outline, trunk included, and ends in a cream chain loop at the tip.
The colors are soft and neutral, with a Scandinavian, farmhouse feel. It looks just as good in a car as it does on a tree branch, a doorknob or a gift bag.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished charm measures about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide and 6.5 in (16.5 cm) tall without the loop. The loop adds about 2.5 in (6.4 cm).
You work the tree in flat rows from the base up to the tip. The bobbles go on wrong-side rows so they pop out on the right side. Next you work the trunk down from the free loops of the foundation chain. Last, you add one round of border and the hanging loop.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide x 6.5 in (16.5 cm) tall, plus a loop of about 2.5 in (6.4 cm)
- Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted weight (#4)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 (single flat piece, no joining)
- Layout: One triangle tree with a trunk at the bottom center
- Piece size before border: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide at the base x 6.0 in (15.2 cm) tall from trunk bottom to tip
- Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge
Materials
Use a smooth worsted weight yarn so the bobbles stay round and the stitches stay crisp. A cotton-acrylic blend works well: it holds its shape when hanging and resists fading in a sunny car. Avoid fuzzy yarns, which blur the bobbles.
Yarn:
- Oatmeal beige (tree): about 12 g, roughly 24 m
- Cream (border and loop): about 5 g, roughly 10 m
- Brown (trunk): about 2 g, roughly 4 m
All quantities include a margin for a gauge swatch and for weaving in ends. Scraps work perfectly.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- 2 stitch markers
- Rust-proof pins and a foam mat
- Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (decreases 1 st)
- sc3tog – single crochet 3 together (decreases 2 sts)
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- yo – yarn over
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
- bob – bobble
Special stitch – Bobble (bob): Yo, insert hook in the indicated st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops. Repeat from * to * 4 more times in the same st (6 loops on hook), then yo and draw through all 6 loops. Each bobble counts as 1 st. Bobbles are always worked on WS rows, so they push out toward the RS.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc rows.
Test first. Ch 9, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across (8 sc), then work 8 more rows of sc, for 9 rows total. The swatch should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) square. Work one bobble on a WS row to check that it pops cleanly.
Checkpoints:
- After Row 1: 17 sc = 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across.
- After Row 10: tree is about 2.2 in (5.6 cm) tall.
- After Row 22: tree is about 4.9 in (12.4 cm) tall.
- After the trunk: total height is about 6.0 in (15.2 cm).
- After the border: about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) x 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
Too big: go down to a 3.75 mm (US F-5) hook. Too small: go up to a 4.5 mm (US 7) hook. Width matters most, because the border is based on stitch counts. A small difference in height only changes the proportions slightly.
Tree
With oatmeal beige, ch 18.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (17 sc) Place a marker on this side to mark the RS.
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (17 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (17 sc)
Row 4 (WS, bobble row): Ch 1, turn, sc in the next 2 sts, [bob in the next st, sc in the next 2 sts] 5 times. (17 sts: 12 sc + 5 bobbles) The bobbles sit on sts 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15.
Row 5: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across, working into the top of each bobble as a normal st. (17 sc)
Row 6: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 13 sts, sc2tog. (15 sc)
Row 7: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (15 sc)
Row 8: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 11 sts, sc2tog. (13 sc)
Row 9: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 9 sts, sc2tog. (11 sc)
Row 10 (WS, bobble row): Ch 1, turn, sc in the next 2 sts, [bob in the next st, sc in the next 2 sts] 3 times. (11 sts: 8 sc + 3 bobbles) The bobbles sit on sts 3, 6 and 9.
Row 11: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (11 sc)
Row 12: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 7 sts, sc2tog. (9 sc)
Row 13: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (9 sc)
Row 14: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 5 sts, sc2tog. (7 sc)
Row 15: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (7 sc)
Row 16 (WS, bobble row): Ch 1, turn, sc in the next 2 sts, bob in the next st, sc in the next st, bob in the next st, sc in the next 2 sts. (7 sts: 5 sc + 2 bobbles) The bobbles sit on sts 3 and 5.
Row 17: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (7 sc)
Row 18: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sts, sc2tog. (5 sc)
Row 19: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (5 sc)
Row 20: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in the next st, sc2tog. (3 sc)
Row 21: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (3 sc)
Row 22: Ch 1, turn, sc3tog. (1 sc)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. The tree should measure 4.25 in (10.8 cm) at the base and about 4.9 in (12.4 cm) tall. None of the bobble rows have decreases, so the bobbles stay level.
Trunk
The trunk is worked into the free loops on the underside of the foundation chain. Of the 17 base sts, the trunk uses the center 5 (sts 7 to 11), which leaves 6 free sts on each side.
Turn the tree upside down with the RS facing you.
Row 1 (RS): Skip the first 6 free loops. Join brown with a sl st in the 7th free loop, ch 1, sc in the same loop and in the next 4 loops. (5 sc)
Rows 2–5: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (5 sc)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. The trunk should be 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide and about 1.1 in (2.8 cm) tall.
Border
Border gauge: The border uses the same 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gauge. One round of sc adds about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) to every edge.
With the RS facing, join cream with a sl st in the single st at the top of Row 22.
Border round: Ch 1, then work these sections in order:
- Tip: 3 sc in the Row 22 st.
- First long side: 1 sc in the end of each row from Row 21 down to Row 1. (21 sc)
- First base corner: 3 sc in base st 1.
- First base ledge: 1 sc in each free loop of sts 2 to 6. (5 sc)
- First trunk side: 1 sc in the end of each trunk row. (5 sc)
- Trunk bottom: 3 sc in the first st of trunk Row 5, sc in the next 3 sts, 3 sc in the last st. (9 sc)
- Second trunk side: 1 sc in the end of each trunk row. (5 sc)
- Second base ledge: 1 sc in each free loop of sts 12 to 16. (5 sc)
- Second base corner: 3 sc in base st 17.
- Second long side: 1 sc in the end of each row from Row 1 up to Row 21. (21 sc)
Sl st in the first sc to join. (80 sc)
Count check: 3 + 21 + 3 + 5 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 21 = 80 sc.
Don’t add extra sts at the two inside corners, where the trunk meets the base. One sc on each side of the corner keeps it square.
Hanging loop: Sl st in the next sc, which is the center sc of the tip. Ch 20, then sl st in the same center sc. Fasten off. The chain is about 5 in (12.7 cm) long and folds into a loop about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long.
Why the math works: Each long side is a slant that rises 4.9 in (12.4 cm) over a half-width of about 2.1 in (5.3 cm). That makes it about 5.3 in (13.5 cm) long. At 16 sc per 4 in, 21 sc cover 5.25 in (13.3 cm), so one sc per row end lies flat. The ledges and trunk bottom get one sc per existing st. The 3-sc groups at the five outer corners add just enough to turn sharply without curling.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the WS through stitches of the same color.
- Mist the charm with cool water, or dampen it and press it in a towel.
- Lay it RS up on a foam mat.
- Pin the base corners 4.75 in (12.1 cm) apart.
- Pin the tip so the total height is 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
- Pin the long sides straight and the trunk corners square.
- Don’t flatten the bobbles. If they get squashed, pinch them back into shape.
- Let it dry completely before you unpin it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The tree has 22 rows and ends in 1 st.
- The bobble rows have 5, 3 and 2 bobbles, all on the RS.
- Each bobble row is centered, with 2 sc at each edge.
- The trunk is 5 sts x 5 rows, with 6 free base sts on each side.
- The border has 80 sc, with 3 sc at the tip and at each outer corner.
- The long sides are straight, not wavy.
- The loop is anchored securely at the center of the tip.
- The finished size is about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) x 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
Troubleshooting
Bobbles pop out on the back: You worked them on a RS row. Bobbles go on Rows 4, 10 and 16, which are all WS rows.
Bobbles look flat: Work all 5 partial dc into the same st and pull the closing loop snug.
Uneven edges: The first st after the turning ch is easy to miss. Count every row, especially the decrease rows.
Border ruffles: You added extra sc along a side. Work exactly 21 sc per long side.
Border pulls in: Your border tension is too tight. Use a 4.5 mm (US 7) hook for the border round only.
Trunk is off-center: Recount the free loops. There must be exactly 6 on each side.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll it in a towel to remove the water, and lay it flat to dry. Re-block if it loses its shape after a season in the car.
Final Notes
Each measurement in this pattern builds on the one before it:
- Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Row 1: 17 sc = 4.25 in (10.8 cm).
- Tree: about 4.9 in (12.4 cm) tall.
- Trunk: 1.1 in (2.8 cm), for a total of 6.0 in (15.2 cm).
- Border: an 80-sc round that adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge, for a finished size of 4.75 in (12.1 cm) x 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
If each checkpoint matches, the finished charm will too. Make one for your own mirror, then a few more as quick gifts.
Happy crocheting!