This little tree is made to hang from a rearview mirror, a window latch, or a Christmas tree branch. It has chocolate brown puff-stitch bands, soft cream stripes, a cream edge with tiny points at each tier, and a scalloped hem. A small brown trunk finishes it off.
The two colors give it a cozy, hot-cocoa feel. The puff stitches add texture, so the ornament still reads clearly from a distance. Make it in cotton and it stays crisp, flat, and washable.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished tree is about 4.2 in (10.7 cm) wide and 4.7 in (11.9 cm) tall including the trunk. The hanging loop adds about 2.4 in (6.1 cm) more.
Construction is simple. You work the tree body flat in rows from the bottom up, decreasing evenly to a point. Next you add a cream border in one round, with tier points on the sides and scallops along the bottom. Last, you make a small trunk and sew it behind the bottom edge, then add the chain loop.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.2 in (10.7 cm) wide × 4.7 in (11.9 cm) tall, not counting the loop
- Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.0 mm (US C/2 or D/3)
- Number of pieces: 1 tree body + 1 small trunk (single ornament)
- Layout: One tree; the trunk sits centered under the bottom edge
- Body size before border: 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide × 3.6 in (9.1 cm) tall
- Border depth: about 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on the sides; the bottom scallops are about 0.3 in (0.8 cm)
- Trunk: 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide × 1 in (2.5 cm) tall, with 0.6 in (1.5 cm) showing below the tree
Materials
Use a smooth, tightly plied cotton in DK weight. Mercerized cotton shows the puffs most clearly and keeps its shape on a mirror. Fuzzy acrylic will blur the stripes.
- Cream: 6 g, about 14 m (15 yd)
- Chocolate brown: 6 g, about 14 m (15 yd)
Both quantities include a margin for the gauge swatch, color-change tails, and the loop.
Tools:
– 3.0 mm crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Stitch markers (2)
– Ruler or tape measure
– Pins and a blocking surface
– Spray bottle with water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (1 stitch decreased)
- sc3tog – single crochet 3 together (2 stitches decreased)
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Puff stitch (puff): (Yarn over, insert hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop to sc height) 3 times, so you have 7 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops, then ch 1 to close. The closing ch-1 is not counted as a stitch. On the next row, work into the top of the puff and skip the ch-1.
Picot point: Ch 3, sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook. Picots are decorative and are not counted as stitches.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 10 sc and 10 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm) square, worked in cotton with a 3.0 mm hook.
This is a small piece, so the tree body works as your gauge test. Measure it at each checkpoint below. The width of the bottom row matters most, because every later row follows from it.
Checkpoints (body before border):
– After Row 1: 19 sts = 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide
– After Row 5: 15 sts wide = 3.0 in (7.6 cm); height = 1 in (2.5 cm)
– After Row 9: 11 sts wide = 2.2 in (5.6 cm); height = 1.8 in (4.6 cm)
– After Row 13: 7 sts wide = 1.4 in (3.6 cm); height = 2.6 in (6.6 cm)
– After Row 17: 3 sts wide = 0.6 in (1.5 cm); height = 3.4 in (8.6 cm)
– After Row 18: height = 3.6 in (9.1 cm)
Puff rows sit a little taller than plain sc rows. A height difference within ±0.2 in (0.5 cm) is fine.
If the piece is too big: go down to a 2.75 mm hook, or tighten your loops on the puffs.
If the piece is too small: go up to a 3.25 mm hook.
Change the hook only, never the stitch counts. The counts carry the shaping and the border math.
Tree Body
Work flat in rows, turning at the end of each row. Ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch.
Color changes: Change color on the last yarn over of the final stitch of the row before. Each color works 2 rows, then switches, so carry the unused yarn loosely up the side edge. The border will hide the carried strands.
Row 1 is a WS row, so all puff rows land on the RS.
Tier 1
Row 1 (cream, WS): Ch 20. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Change to brown. Turn. (19 sts)
Row 2 (brown, RS): Ch 1, sc in the first st, puff in the next st, sc in the next st; repeat from * to * across. Turn. (19 sts: 10 sc + 9 puffs)
Row 3 (brown, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 15 sts, sc2tog. Change to cream. Turn. (17 sts)
Row 4 (cream, RS): Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (17 sts)
Row 5 (cream, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 13 sts, sc2tog. Change to brown. Turn. (15 sts)
Checkpoint: 3.0 in (7.6 cm) wide at Row 5, and 1 in (2.5 cm) tall.
Tier 2
Row 6 (brown, RS): Ch 1, sc in the first st, puff, sc; repeat across. Turn. (15 sts: 8 sc + 7 puffs)
Row 7 (brown, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 11 sts, sc2tog. Change to cream. Turn. (13 sts)
Row 8 (cream, RS): Ch 1, sc across. Turn. (13 sts)
Row 9 (cream, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 9 sts, sc2tog. Change to brown. Turn. (11 sts)
Tier 3
Row 10 (brown, RS): Ch 1, sc in the first st, puff, sc; repeat across. Turn. (11 sts: 6 sc + 5 puffs)
Row 11 (brown, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 7 sts, sc2tog. Change to cream. Turn. (9 sts)
Row 12 (cream, RS): Ch 1, sc across. Turn. (9 sts)
Row 13 (cream, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 5 sts, sc2tog. Change to brown. Turn. (7 sts)
Tier 4
Row 14 (brown, RS): Ch 1, sc in the first st, puff, sc; repeat across. Turn. (7 sts: 4 sc + 3 puffs)
Row 15 (brown, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sts, sc2tog. Change to cream. Fasten off brown, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail. Turn. (5 sts)
Row 16 (cream, RS): Ch 1, sc across. Turn. (5 sts)
Row 17 (cream, WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next st, sc2tog. Turn. (3 sts)
Tip
Row 18 (cream, RS): Ch 1, sc3tog. (1 st) Do not fasten off; go straight on to the border.
Shaping logic: Each tier loses exactly 4 stitches, 2 at each edge (19 → 15 → 11 → 7 → 3), and the tip takes the last 3 down to 1. Every puff row starts and ends with sc on an odd count, so the puffs stay centered and the side edges stay straight.
Border
The border is one cream round, worked with the RS facing. It covers the carried yarn, adds the tier points on the sides, and makes the scallops along the bottom.
Border gauge: 1 sc per row-end on the sides, and 1 stitch per foundation loop along the bottom. Sc row-ends are about as tall as a stitch is wide, so 1 sc per row keeps the sides flat.
Round 1 (cream, RS): Ch 1. Rotate to work down the left slanted edge (as seen from the RS).
- Tip corner: Work 3 sc in the top of the Row 18 stitch. Place a marker in the center sc. (3 sts)
- Left side: Work 1 sc in the row-end of each of Rows 17 through 2, so 16 row-ends. At the row-ends of the puff rows (Rows 14, 10, 6, and 2), work (sc, picot point) instead of a plain sc. (16 sts + 4 picots)
- Bottom-left corner: Work 3 sc in the first foundation loop (the stitch at the Row 1 corner). (3 sts)
- Bottom edge: Work into the remaining loops of the foundation chain. Sc in the next loop, then skip 1 loop, 3 hdc in the next loop, skip 1 loop, sc in the next loop; repeat from * to * 3 more times. (17 sts: 1 sc + 4 × [3 hdc + 1 sc], making 4 scallops)
- Bottom-right corner: Work 3 sc in the last foundation loop. (3 sts)
- Right side: Work 1 sc in the row-end of each of Rows 2 through 17, with (sc, picot point) at the ends of Rows 2, 6, 10, and 14. (16 sts + 4 picots)
Sl st to the first sc of the tip corner. Fasten off.
Round total: 3 + 16 + 3 + 17 + 3 + 16 = 58 sts, plus 8 uncounted picots.
Why the math works:
– Bottom edge: The foundation chain gives 19 loops. The 2 end loops each take a 3-sc corner group, which leaves 17 loops between them. One sc uses 1 loop, and each scallop repeat uses 4 loops (skip, shell, skip, sc): 1 + 16 = 17 loops, so the edge fills exactly.
– Sides: Rows 2 to 17 give 16 row-ends per side. Row 1’s row-end is covered by the corner group and Row 18 by the tip group, so nothing is counted twice.
– Tier points: The picots sit at the puff rows, where each brown band starts and the tree is widest for that tier. That gives the stepped outline.
Hanging loop: Join cream in the marked center sc of the tip. Ch 30, then sl st in the same stitch. Fasten off and weave the tail back through the chain. The loop is about 2.4 in (6.1 cm) tall. Add or remove chains in pairs to adjust it.
Trunk
Row 1 (brown): Ch 5. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (4 sts)
Rows 2–5: Ch 1, sc across. Turn. (4 sts)
Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail for sewing. The trunk measures 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide × 1 in (2.5 cm) tall.
Attaching: Center the trunk behind the bottom edge so its top 2 rows, 0.4 in (1.0 cm), overlap the back of the tree. Line its center up with the middle scallop gap. That leaves 0.6 in (1.5 cm) showing below the scallops. Whipstitch the trunk’s top edge and both sides to the back of Rows 1–2, sewing through back loops only so nothing shows on the front.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along the matching color stripes on the WS. Pull the carried strands snug, but don’t let them cinch the edge.
- Mist the ornament lightly until it is damp but not soaked.
- Lay it RS up on the blocking surface.
- Pin the bottom corners 4.2 in (10.7 cm) apart.
- Pin the tip so the tree measures 4.1 in (10.4 cm) from the scallop tips to the top of the border.
- Pull each picot point outward and pin it, so the tiers step evenly on both sides.
- Pin the trunk straight down from the center.
- Gently press each puff from the back so it bulges forward.
- Let it dry completely, at least 4 hours, before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Body before border: 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide × 3.6 in (9.1 cm) tall
- Four brown puff bands with 9, 7, 5, and 3 puffs, from bottom to top
- Cream bands of 2 rows each, plus the cream tip
- Border round of 58 sts; 4 picot points on each side, lined up across from each other
- 4 even scallops along the bottom
- Trunk centered, 0.6 in (1.5 cm) showing
- Finished size: 4.2 in (10.7 cm) × 4.7 in (11.9 cm)
- Loop secure, with the tail hidden in the chain
- No carried strands visible on the RS
Troubleshooting
The puffs look flat or sit on the back. Make sure the puff rows are RS rows: Row 1 must be the WS. Also pull each loop up to full sc height before closing.
The stitch count is off after a puff row. You probably worked into the closing ch-1. Skip it and work only into the top of the puff.
The side edges pucker under the border. The carried yarn is too tight. Loosen it and re-block, or use 1 sc per row-end consistently with no skips.
The side edges ruffle. You added extra sc at the row-ends. Use exactly 16 per side.
The tree leans. The decreases weren’t symmetrical. Count sts after each WS row against the counts given.
The scallops are crowded or uneven. Recount the foundation loops: you need 17 between the two corner loops.
The trunk twists when hung. Sew both trunk sides down, not just the top edge.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat. Keep it out of long, direct summer sun on the dashboard to stop the brown fading.
Final Notes
Each measurement in this pattern builds on the one before it:
- Gauge: 5 sts and 5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm).
- Body: The 19-st base sets a 3.8 in (9.7 cm) width. Eighteen rows taper it evenly to a 3.6 in (9.1 cm) tall point.
- Border: One round of 58 sts adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on the sides and about 0.3 in (0.8 cm) of scallops at the bottom, giving 4.2 in (10.7 cm) across.
- Trunk: The 0.6 in (1.5 cm) of trunk below the tree brings the total height to 4.7 in (11.9 cm).
If your bottom row measures correctly, the rest of the ornament should come out to size. Make one for your car, then a few more for gifts.
Happy crocheting!