With just over two months till Christmas I’ve been working on some new festive stock for my Etsy shop.
I really enjoyed making the crochet star ornaments and watercolour wreath cards last year and have been keen to add some new products this year as well.
So I’ve been making crochet garlands!
The perfect handmade holiday decoration or neutral nursery décor
I think these garlands would be great to wrap around your Christmas tree, string up along a mantlepiece, or hang across your walls for handmade holiday décor.
Perfect for a neutral or natural colour scheme, or for a pared back minimalist, vintage, or rustic theme. They’d also suit boho style with a beachy vibe or even a shabby chic kind of style!
The garlands were inspired by a custom order from a customer who planned to decorate her daughter’s room, and I think the simple style of this bunting would be a sweet addition to a newborn’s nursery, girl’s bedroom, or dorm.
If you’re interested in purchasing one or two you can find them in my etsy shop.
Crochet a star without magic circle
I’ve been experimenting with a slightly different design for the middle of the star, eliminating the magic ring and working straight into the centre rather than into individual stitches to start, so have included those new steps in the tutorial below.
If you prefer the previous design you can stick with the pattern outlined in my previous crochet star ornament tutorial.
Note that most of the photos in this post are of stars where I used the previous design but the picture immediately below this paragraph shows what the new style looks like. What do you think?
DIY crochet bunting pattern
If you’d like to have a go at making one of these sweet decorations for yourself, I’ve put together some basic instructions.
I haven’t included step by step pictures here but hopefully the photos of the finished piece will give you enough of an idea. Please excuse the fake Christmas tree by the way! It’s a tad too early for us to have a real tree up just yet so a table top fakey is all I’ve got to work with at the moment!
This makes a garland 2 metres long with 5 stars. Each star is 5cm in diameter and has 33cm of crocheted chain between them as well as the same length at the start and end of the garland (ie. Before the first star and after the last star).
I also added small loops at the start and end of the chain to make it easy to hang up or hook onto something – rather than having to use some of the length to tie around whatever it is that you’re attaching your bunting to.
What you’ll need:
- White cotton yarn – I’ve used 4ply and 8ply (use whichever you prefer)
- 2.75mm crochet hook
- Blunt yarn/tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Ruler or measuring tape
You won’t need the button or ribbon for these that we used for the single ornaments but you will need some way of measuring the lengths between each star (hence the ruler or measuring tape).
Stitches & abbreviations used in this pattern
NB: I’m using US crochet terminology here. If you use UK crochet, be sure to replace “single crochet” with “double” and “double crochet” with “treble” in the following instructions.
Ch = chain
Ch sp = chain space
Dc = double crochet
Sc = single crochet
Sk = skip
Ss = slip stitch
St = stitch
New Crochet Star Pattern
As I mentioned, I’ve been using a new method for starting these that does not use the magic circle. This is a great way to start a round if you’re not comfortable with the magic ring. I also think this method gives a neater finish with less fuss around the middle.
Begin by making 5 of these stars:
Round 1. Make a slip knot on your hook and ch 5. Ss into 1st ch.
This creates a small circle/loop which will replace the magic ring. We’ll call it the centre loop.
Round 2. Ch 2. Dc 1 into centre loop. Ch 3. [ Dc 3 into centre loop, Ch3 ] repeat 4x. Dc 1 into centre loop, ss into top of the ch2 that started this round.
You should now have a pentagon type shape made from 5 groups of 3 posts and a chain space (ch sp) between each group of 3 posts.
Round 3. Dc 3 into ch sp between the first and second groups of 3 posts. Ch 3. Dc 3 into the same ch sp. Sk 1, Ss into next st.
This makes the first point of your 5-point star.
Continuing round 3. [Sk the next st. Dc 3 into next ch sp, ch 3, dc 3 into same ch sp. Sk 1, ss into next st.] Repeat 3 more times.
Tie off and weave in ends.
Again, if you need some extra help with the star instructions, refer to the step by step pictures in my previous crochet star tutorial.
Making the crochet garland chain
Once you have your five stars done, you’re ready to string them together with the crochet chain.
This is where your ruler or measuring tape comes in.
You can count the number of stitches for each length between stars but I prefer to measure the length as looser stitches will create a longer chain and tighter stitches could result in the chain being too short.
I wanted to make sure the total length of my garland was as close to exactly 2m as I could get, to ensure my etsy listing was accurate. The last thing I want for my customers is for them to receive an item that is not what was described or exactly what they thought they were buying!
If you don’t mind what the final length of your garland is, or if you can chain consistently and count how many chains make the right length you could then count them each time, but I just found it easier to measure my lengths. It also meant I didn’t have to worry about losing count, which is very likely to happen with a longer chain like this! Especially as I usually crochet while doing other things like watching TV, listening to music or the radio, or chatting with family.
However, to make it easy to follow a pattern to start with, I’ve included both a stitch count and a measurement below so you can choose whichever is easiest for you.
Of course if you want a shorter garland or for the stars to be closer together then feel free to adjust the measurement of each length accordingly!
Anyhoo… if you want to add the loop at the ends of the chain it’s very simple:
Start with a loop then the first length
Firstly, Ch 10 and slip stitch into the 1st ch to create the loop.
Then continue to chain 75 or until the length not including the loop is 33cm.
That might sound like an oddly specific measurement, but if you round it down to 30cm your garland will turn out to be only 180cm long instead of the full 2metres.
I worked this out by realising there would be six chain lengths altogether (one before the first star plus one after each of the five stars), and dividing my desired length (in this case 200cm) by six. Maths fans will know that 6×33 only makes 198cm but I figure the loops on each end will provide the extra 2cm needed.
Side note tip!
If you ever have trouble working out the measurements for a piece like this, or how many stitches to increase or decrease by when writing a pattern, I find the most helpful thing to do is sketch it out. Just a quick doodle in a notebook so I can picture what it should look like and write the numbers down so they don’t get jumbled in my head. Even very easy and basic sums can get confusing when you’re staring at lots of numbers – or even just trying to remember the end result numbers becomes difficult when my brain is already jammed full with all the general life/family/work stuff that we need to remember each day!
Anyway, back to the pattern…
When your chain is 33cm long, get your first crochet star and work it into the chain by working one single crochet through the top chain space. Just 1 sc into the top point is enough.
Just make sure your star is facing the right way! You want to make sure all five stars have their ‘right’ sides at the front of your chain so it looks good when finished. To do this you just have to be mindful when stitching the star onto the chain that you’re holding it in the right position – and that your chain isn’t twisted either.
When you’ve crocheted your star onto the chain, continue chaining to make the next length of 33cm (another ch 75 for those counting).
Repeat that four times till you have all five stars attached and a finishing length of chain after the last star.
At the end of the last chain length, just repeat the instructions to make the end loop. Ie. Ch 10 and ss into the 1st chain.
Tie off and weave in the end and you’re done!
Your garland is now ready to hang up!
Will you have a go at making your own crochet star garland?
How will you use your garland? Will you use it as a Christmas or year-round decoration hung up on a wall? Or string it up along a mantlepiece? Wrap it around a tree? Will it be a festive holiday decoration, or used for a party, or on display all year round as bunting in a special room? Leave a comment below to let me know.
I’d love to see where you use it! If you make one share a picture in the comments so we can admire your handywork!