Ding Dong Merrily...

As the inevitable roll (stagger?!) towards Christmas starts again, my mind turns to all things crochet-crafty-festive. Thought I'd share this cute decoration pattern with you; I hang these jingly decs up all over the place, windows, over the fireplace, even a few together as a garland look sweet and twinkly, merry and bright (see, I am trying really really hard to muster up the spirit even in November).

So, without further ado, here's my pattern. Hope you enjoy it!

You will need
Any cotton yarn you fancy (pic shows Scheepjes Catona 'Royal Orange')
A 3.5mm crochet hook
A cheap thin metal bangle
A bell decoration, or anything to hang in the centre
Some twine/ribbon

It's easy to crochet around something like a bangle, just take it slow to keep your stitches even.

Round 1: Attach yarn around bangle, then make 59dc around, ss to first dc to join.

Round 2: *skip 3 dc, (3tr, ch2, 3tr) in next dc, skip 3 dc, ss in next dc: rep from * 6 more times, ss into final 2 dc. Fasten off, weave in ends.

...and there you have it! Just tie your bell to the twine or ribbon, and attach the twine/ribbon around the bangle at the top where you made the final 2 ss. If you want, you can starch these, or paint on a thin layer of 50% water/50% PVA glue to the back to give them a bit more structure.

Enjoy, have fun, try different yarns (maybe some glittery yarn oooh there's my next make right there!), experiment with colours, more stitches, y'know, just enjoy the playing around. It's too early for me to even... urh... say happy Christmas, but for now, happy calm-before-the-festive-storm. xxx