Crochet Elf Ornament

Three Crochet Elf Ornaments with red and white or green and white striped hats with a contrasting pointed brim sit on a wooden table in front of brown paper packages and decor.

The Crochet Elf Ornament is part of an ongoing series of delightful Christmas ornaments great for decorating your tree, adorning your home, decorating packages, and sharing as a heartfelt, handmade gift.

He is a beginner-friendly project featuring a bobble nose and a playful striped hat with a decorative pointed trim pulled down over his adorable pointed ears. Add some rosy cheeks for an additional hint of Christmas magic and joy. The smaller size makes them great for using up scrap yarn as well!

Read on to learn more about the inspiration and yarn choice for the Crochet Elf Ornament or scroll down to the bottom to find the free pattern.

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The Inspiration

Three Crochet Elf Ornaments with red and white or green and white striped hats with a contrasting pointed brim hang from pine boughs.

Growing up it was a family tradition for each of us kids (there were six of us) to get a new ornament for the tree each year. It was so fun to pick it out and to relive the ornament choices from years past.

With my own kids, we’ve made different styles of ornaments each year. Some were made from paper, others clay, and some from their drawings or free creative designs made with supplies we had on hand. Each is memorable in its own way.

For several years now, I’ve also been designing crochet ornaments but for one reason or another have not yet published them to the blog. This year, I decided that needed to change! So this year I’m going to begin by sharing some of the classic characters from the group.

Three Crochet Ornaments, an elf, reindeer, and a snowman, hang from gift bags surrounded by more brown paper packages and decor items.

Next year I’ll share even more and will then continue to design from my list of new ideas which is honestly ever-growing. The ornaments themselves will span a wide variety of themes, not just traditional Christmas. If you have an ornament (or other design) that you’d like to see in the future, let me know in the comments, I’d love to add it to my list!

Make, Collect, and Share Them All!

A crochet Santa, Elf, Reindeer, Snowman, and Mrs. Claus ornament nestled among brown paper packages, yarn, and pine cones.

Santa Ornament
Mrs. Claus Ornament
Reindeer Ornament – free version coming soon, but you can snag the PDF bundle of all 5 in my shops now!
Snowman Ornament – free version coming soon, but you can snag the PDF bundle of all 5 in my shops now!

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Collage images of the Crochet Elf Ornament. Text overlay, " Holiday Crochet Gift Collection, Elf Ornament, Free Crochet Pattern, JenHayesCreations.com."

These Patterns May Also Be of Interest!

Two Crochet Christmas Elf Gnomes dressed in red, green, and white sit on a wooden background surrounded by pinecones, yarn, and crochet and Christmas paraphernalia. — Elf Gnome

Three crocheted Nutcracker Gnomes sit together on stacks of books surrounded by yarn, mugs of crochet hooks, a basket of pinecones, and other decor items. — Elf Gnome

The Yarn

Three Crochet Elf Ornaments with red and white or green and white striped hats with a contrasting pointed trim rest on a decorative silver tray in front of skeins of red and green yarn.

The Crochet Elf Ornament was made using Brava Worsted Yarn and can be found online from WeCrochet or Knit Picks. It is a worsted, acrylic yarn that comes in a wide range of colors with variations including striped, tweeds, speckles, and recycled, and is available in sizes bulky, worsted, and sport (a full review of Brava Yarn can be found HERE).

For a slightly smaller ornament, using the Brava Sport yarn is a fantastic option. It comes in many of the same colors as the worsted too. I seriously considered going back and remaking all the ornaments I’ve designed in the sports weight so they would be slightly smaller in size but opted to stick with worsted as I have more of it on hand, thought this also might be the case for others, and I already had the work done in worsted and they looked great too.

Remember, the goal was to get these published this year, not wait yet another year. Options are fun but sometimes making all the ideas slows down the publishing process. I must force myself to stop somewhere.

Five miniature crochet snowman, Mrs. Claus, elf, reindeer, and Santa ornaments rest in a open palm.

As you’ll see in some of the images I did decide to go ahead and make a miniature version out of crochet thread which has become my new normal thing to do. It features Curio, size 10 crochet thread (also available from WeCrochet and Knit Picks), and a 1.5 mm hook. The only variation to the pattern is using size 4 mm safety eyes. And, I must say, that now I want a miniature tree to hang them on!

For the ornaments in Brava Worsted, the colors Cream (skin tone), Red, Dublin (Green), and White were used, for a classic Christmas look, but this design would look amazing in a variety of color combinations. For the miniature version, the thread colors Bare, Serrano, Jalapeno, and White were used. Again a variety of color options would work here as well.

Substitutions

Any brand of worsted weight acrylic (or cotton) yarn should work well for making the Crochet Elf Ornament but note that due to variations among brands, the finished size may vary slightly. Also note, if mixing yarn brands, that it’s important to ensure that the thickness of the yarns are the same to ensure consistency in stitching. The same is true for making sport or thread weight variations too.

As always, I’d love to see/hear about your experiences with making the design and the products you chose to use. Tag me on social media @jenhayescreations and use the hashtag #jenhayescreations to share!

The Pattern

Regular and miniature sized Crochet Elf Ornaments sitting on a wooden table.

Difficulty

Advanced Beginner

Materials

Crochet Hook, Size E/4 (3.5 mm) (I use Clover Amour hooks)
Stitch Marker(s)
Scissors
Stuffing
Pins
Tapestry Needle
Safety eyes, 8 mm
Jingle Bell, 0.5 inches (optional)
Sewing Thread and Needle (if adding the bell)
Dritz Disc Needle Pullers (optional)
Something to color cheeks (blush, crayon, pastels, etc.) (optional)
Ornament Hanger (ribbon, baker’s twine, yarn, metal, etc.) (optional)
Chopstick, dowel, or something similar to help with stuffing small parts
Brava (worsted 4-Medium, 100% Premium Acrylic, 218 yds/199 m, 3.5 oz/100 g), Color (A) Cream (skin tone), used approx. 30 yds/27 m, Color (B) Red, used approx. 18 yds/16.5 m, Color (C) Dublin (Green), used approx. 18 yds/16.5 m, Color (D) White, used approx. 18 yds/16.5 m

Gauge

Using hook size E/4 (3.5 mm) the first 6 Rnds of the head measure approx. 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter.
Using hook size 1.50 mm and size 10 crochet thread the first 6 Rnds of the head measure approx. 13/16 inch (2.06 cm) in diameter.

Finished Measurements

Using hook size E/4 (3.5 mm) and worsted yarn the Crochet Elf Ornament measures approx. 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) tall with the tip of the hat standing straight up.
Using hook size 1.50 mm and size 10 crochet thread the Crochet Elf Ornament measures approx. 2 inches (5.1 cm) tall with the tip of the hat standing straight up. The same pattern is used with a minor change: use 4mm safety eyes.

Design Notes

The pattern is written in English using US crochet terminology.
The pattern is written primarily in continuous rounds, it will be helpful to place a stitch marker at the beginning stitch of the round and move it up at the start of each additional round.
At the end of each round, the number of stitches for completion is noted in parentheses.
Further design notes, tips, and options will be provided throughout the pattern to help aid in construction.
Color changes in the pattern should be made during the last step of the stitch prior to the noted color change throughout the pattern.
The yarn under method was used when designing this piece, the yarn over method can also be used and will potentially create a slightly larger character.
Caution! If using safety eyes, take into consideration who will be using the item. The use of safety eyes is not recommended for children under the age of three or for those prone to putting things in their mouths as they may cause a choking hazard. Crocheted or hand-embroidered eyes are a great alternative!

Abbreviations/Stitches Used

approx. – approximately
back bar of the ch/back ridge – horizontal bar on the backside of a ch
BLO – work in the back loops only
bo – bobble (described below under special stitches)
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
FLO – work in the front loop only
hdc – half double crochet
MR – magic ring (AKA magic circle, adjustable ring)
picot – picot (see special stitches)
rep – repeat
Rnd(s) – round(s)
sc – single crochet
sc2tog – single crochet 2 stitches together (invisible decrease)
sl st – slip stitch
st(s) – stitch(es)
tr – treble crochet
[ ] / ( ) – work instructions between brackets/parenthesis as many times as directed
* * – repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed or repeat at specified locations

Special Stitches

Bobble (bo): A 5dcbo (five double crochet bobble) is used in this pattern.

To create a 5dcbo

With the working loop on the hook:

Yarn over, insert hook into the next stitch,
Yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops on the hook),
Yarn over and pull through two loops (one leg made, two loops on the hook),
Yarn over, insert hook into the same stitch,
Yarn over and pull up a loop (four loops on the hook)
Yarn over and pull through two loops (two legs made, three loops on the hook),
Yarn over, insert hook into the same stitch,
Yarn over and pull up a loop (five loops on the hook)
Yarn over and pull through two loops (three legs made, four loops on the hook),
Yarn over, insert hook into the same stitch,
Yarn over and pull up a loop (six loops on the hook),
Yarn over and pull through two loops (four legs made, five loops on the hook),
Yarn over, insert hook into the same stitch,
Yarn over and pull up a loop (seven loops on the hook),
Yarn over and pull through two loops (five legs made, six loops on the hook),
Yarn over and pull through all six loops. (5dcbo completed)

Picot

To create a picot

Ch2,
Sl st in the back bar of the 2nd ch from the hook. (picot complete)

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Let’s Make Our Crochet Elf Ornament!

Two Crochet Elf Ornaments with red and white or green and white striped hats with a contrasting pointed trim sit on a wooden table in front of brown paper packages and decor.

Head

>Design Note: The head is made from the bottom up.

Using Color (A) – Cream (skin tone)

Rnd 1: 6sc in MR. (6sts)
Rnd 1 alternative: If preferred, ch 2 and then 6sc in 2nd chain from hook. (6sts)
Rnd 2: 2sc in each st around. (12sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc in the next st, 2sc in next st] 6 times. (18sts)
Rnd 4: Sc in the next st, 2sc in the next st, [sc in the next 2sts, 2sc in the next st] 5 times, sc in the next st. (24sts)
Rnd 5: [Sc in the next 3sts, 2sc in the next st] 6 times. (30sts)
Rnd 6: Sc in the next 2sts, 2sc in the next st, [sc in the next 4sts, 2sc in the next st] 5 times, sc in the next 2sts. (36sts)
Rnd 7: [Sc in the next 5sts, 2sc in the next st] 6 times. (42sts)
Rnds 8-10: Sc in each st around. (42sts for 3 Rnds)
Rnd 11: Sc in the next 20sts, bo in the next st, sc in the next 21sts. (42sts)
Rnds 12-14: Sc in each st around. (42sts for 3 Rnds)
Rnd 15: [Sc in the next 5sts, sc2tog] 6 times. (36sts)
Rnd 16: Sc in the next 2sts, sc2tog, [sc in the next 4sts, sc2tog] 5 times, sc in the next 2sts. (30sts)

Insert the safety eyes. The suggested placement is between Rnds 13 and 14, centered over the nose, approx. 7sts apart.

Firmly stuff and shape the head and continue to do so as the pattern progresses.

Rnd 17: [Sc in the next 3sts, sc2tog] 6 times. (24sts)
Rnd 18: Sc in the next st, sc2tog, [sc in the next 2sts, sc2tog] 5 times, sc in the next st. (18sts)
Rnd 19: [Sc in the next st, sc2tog] 6 times. (12sts)
Rnd 20: [Sc in the next st, sc2tog] 4 times. (8sts)
Fasten off leaving a long tail to close up the hole. Close the hole with a tapestry needle stitching only through the front loops until the hole pulls nicely closed, secure, and weave in the end.

Ears

Make 2

Using Color (A) – Cream (skin tone)

Rnd 1: In MR: [2sc, hdc, dc, tr, picot, tr, dc, hdc, 2sc] in MR, close the ring, sl st to the first st to join (7sts)
Rnd 1 alternative: If preferred, ch 2 and then [2sc, hdc, picot, hdc, 2sc] in 2nd chain from hook, sl st to the first st to join. (7sts)
Fasten off leaving a long tail to stitch the ear to the head. Weave in the starting tail.

Hat

Striped red and white elf hat with a green pointed brim.

>Design Note: The pattern is written with a red and white stripe with a green brim. Swap Color (B) – Red and Color (C) – Green to create the hat with green and white stripes and a red brim as shown in some of the images.

>Design Tip: There is no need to cut the yarn at the end of each Rnd. Drop and pick up colors as needed to make the color changes.

Using Color (B) – Red

Rnd 1: Sc in each st around. (5sts)
Rnd 2: 2sc in the next st, sc in the next 4sts. (6sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc in the next 2sts, 2sc in next st] 2 times. (8sts)

Switch to Color (D) – White

Rnds 4-5: Sc in each st around. (8sts for 2 Rnds)