Week 2 - The Crochet Nativity Scene - Crochet-A-Long - Headwear

 Welcome to Week 2 of the Crochet-A-Long Nativity Scene, and this first week we will be making all of the headwear - headdresses, crowns and halos.

If you have just landed and would like to know more about this, the material list and the weekly schedule, then please visit my earlier blog post....https://soozintheshed.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-crochet-nativity-scene-crochet-long.html

A reminder of the weekly schedule..

1. Body Shape.

2. Headdress, Crowns and Halos.

3. Angel Wings, Noses and Ears.

4. Camel.

5. Wise Men Gifts.

6. Baby Jesus & The Manger.

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You will need:

1 x Mary Headdress in White

1 x Joseph Headdress in Light Brown + Rope

3 x Shepherds Headdress in Dull Colours + Rope

3 x Kings Crowns in Gold.

1 x Angel Halo in Gold.

You can find the video here....

And if you prefer the written instruction, you can find that here....

Stitches explained:

CH  = Chain Stitch - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Double Crochet (DC) - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through (2 loops on hook) yarn around hook (from the back) draw yarn through the 2 loops on the hook.

Half Treble Crochet (HTR) - Yarn around hook, put hook through work, draw yarn back through (3 loops on hook) yarn around hook (from the back) draw yarn through the 3 loops on the hook.

SS  = Slip Stitch - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through both loops on your hook

Headdress  (For Mary, Joseph and 3 x Shepherds)

Round 1. CH 2, then work 6 x DC's into the 2nd CH from your hook. (6)

Pull up a length of scrap yarn into the last stitch (to use as a stitch marker) do this at the end of each round.

Round 2. Work 2 x DC's into EACH of the 6 stitches  (12)

Round 3. (DC 1 into next stitch, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (18)

Round 4. (DC 1 into next 2 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (24)

Round 5. (DC 1 into next 3 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (30)

Round 6. (DC 1 into next 4 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (36)

Round 7. (DC 1 into next 5 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (42)

Round 8. Work 1 straight round (42)

Rows 9-15. Ch1, TURN, DC in first and the next 33 stitches (34)

 

Headdress Rope (For Joseph and 3 x Shepherds)

Ch 60, Join with a SS and sew around the headdress.

 

Crowns  (For 3 x Kings)

Row 1. CH 31, work a DC into the 2nd CH from the hook then into each CH following. (30)

Row 2. CH 1, *** SK1 (HTRx3, CHx2, SS into the 2nd CH from the hook, HTR x3) in the next st, SK1, SSx2. Repeat from *** another 5 times. (30)

 

Angel Halo

Ch 30, Join with a SS and sew around the top of the head

Hope you enjoy this week, bookmark this blog and I will see you next week for Part 3.

Until then... Happy Hooking!

Week 1 - The Crochet Nativity Scene - Crochet-A-Long - Bodies

Welcome to Week 1 of the Crochet-A-Long Nativity Scene, and in this first week we will be starting on the bodies of the people.

If you have just landed and would like to know more about this, the material list and the weekly schedule, then please visit my earlier blog post....https://soozintheshed.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-crochet-nativity-scene-crochet-long.html

A reminder of the weekly schedule..

1. Body Shape.

2. Headdress, Crowns and Halos.

3. Angel Wings, Noses and Ears.

4. Camel.

5. Wise Men Gifts.

6. Baby Jesus & The Manger.

You are going to need 11 bodies in total, we start with the big task so you have plenty of time to compete the bodies over the next 6 weeks as the rest of the task are significantly smaller  :)

When I mention 'skin colour' it means you can choose whatever shade you like for the skin - they can be all the same, or all different, totally up to you. 

The people with the 'robes' are worked in two colours, skin first followed by robe colour. The animals are solid colours.  You will notice that the Camel is missing, that's because he is made slightly differently which we will do in lesson 4.

You will need:

1 x Mary in Skin and Pale Blue

1 x Joseph in Skin and Dark Brown

1 x Angel in Skin and White

3 x Kings in Skin and Rich Colours

3 x Shepherds in Skin and Dull Colours

1 x Sheep in White

1 x Donkey in Grey

You can find the video here....

And if you prefer the written instruction, you can find that here....

Stitches explained:

CH  = Chain Stitch - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Double Crochet (DC) - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through (2 loops on hook) yarn around hook (from the back) draw yarn through the 2 loops on the hook.

SS  = Slip Stitch - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through both loops on your hook

Round 1. Skin Colour CH 2, then work 6 x DC's into the 2nd CH from your hook. (6)

Pull up a length of scrap yarn into the last stitch (to use as a stitch marker) do this at the end of each round.

Round 2. Work 2 x DC's into EACH of the 6 stitches  (12)

Round 3. (DC 1 into next stitch, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (18)

Round 4. (DC 1 into next 2 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (24)

Round 5. (DC 1 into next 3 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (30)

Round 6. (DC 1 into next 4 stitches, then work 2 x DC's into the next) Repeat all the way around (36)

Rounds 7-12. Work 6 straight rounds (36)

Rounds 13-18. Robe Colour  Work 6 straight rounds (36)

Round 19. (DC 1 into next 4 stitches, then DC2tog) Repeat all the way around (30)

Hope you enjoy this week, bookmark this blog and I will see you next week for Part 2.

Until then... Happy Hooking!

The Crochet Nativity Scene - Crochet-A-Long - tutorials and videos

 Hello happy hookers....

I hope this blog post finds you well.

This set of tutorials is for you to create a crochet Nativity Scene... but one with a difference, using chocolate oranges and other sweeties to create the fillings.  This means you can eat all the chocolate after Christmas, fold away the crochet covers and store them neatly away until the following year.  It also means you have an excuse to buy chocolate every year too!

Each of the figures is filled with a chocolate orange, there are also three Quality Street chocolates as 'gifts', the Manger is a Turkish Delight and Baby Jesus and the Camels hump are Ferrero Rochers.

Of course, you could stuff the figures with something else. Over the years I have seen people use styrofoam balls, bath bombs, and just regular toy stuffing..... but what an excuse to eat chocolate I say!

You will need Double Knit (DK) yarn scraps and a 4.00mm hook if you are a regular crocheter.... if you tend to crochet tighter or looser you might need to adapt your hook size but you can work this out when you do the first cover.

The yarns needed are:

50g - "Skin tones" - whether all the same or different skin colours for different characters.

25g - White

10g - Pale Blue

10g - Camel Brown

10g - Pale Beige

10g - Pale Pink

15g - 3 x Rich 'Royal' colours - Green, Blue, Purple or Burgundy shades

15g - 3 x Muted Colours - Rose Pink, Petrol Blue, Sage Green, Mushroom Shades

5g  -  Yellow or Gold

10g - Grey or Silver

5g  -  Dark Brown

Tiny scraps of red.

 

Small amount of stuffing - matchbox size.

24 x 6mm black beads      

 

Also

4.00mm hook  (or 3.5mm if you are a loose hooker)

Sewing thread and needle to go through the bead holes.

Yarn Needle            

 

And the chocolate....

12 x Chocolate Oranges

2 x Ferrero Rocher

1 x Turkish Delight bar

Box of Quality Street (3 to use, the rest to eat while you work  :) )

The whole Nativity Scene consists of 6 lessons as follows....

1. Body Shape.

2. Headdress, Crowns and Halos.

3. Angel Wings, Noses and Ears.

4. Camel.

5. Wise Men Gifts.

6. Baby Jesus & The Manger.

Each lesson will be posted up on this blog and my Facebook, every Monday for the next 6 weeks - which gives you just enough time to get it finished for displaying in December  :)

So gather your materials, get your hook polished and will see you soon for the first instalment!  

(PS.... Even though you do need 12 Choc Oranges for the display, you will only need one to start with to measure your cover... maybe best not to buy 12 at once and be staring at the temptation for the next few weeks!)

Oh, and just for transparency, if you buy anything from Amazon using the links I provided I get a small commission. just pennies if I remember rightly, but it doesn't cost you a bean  :)

The mighty Prism Blanket - crochet tutorial

 Hello happy hookers, hope this blog post finds you all well and happily hooking away.

This is a blanket pattern that I have returned to over the years, you know those times where you just want something to work on in front of the TV which doesn't take up too much brain space?   Yeah, that!

So this is the Prism Blanket, so called because it radiates out from the centre, messing with you eyes a little bit.  I have always made it previously in scrap colours to use up stash that collects from other projects, but I thought this time I would consciously use a monochromatic colour range to make it blend and pop.

All yarn is Stylecraft Special DK - because it is my favourite yarn to work with and provides such a fabulous colour range.... the shades I have used here are White, Silver, Grey, Charcoal and Black - and I used just short of 2 x 100g balls of each, and 3 of the black as I used that for the edging too.

As always, I have used my trusty Clover Amour crochet hook - 4.00mm. 

If you can crochet a Granny Square you should easily be able to make this as it is just clusters of Treble Crochets (UK Terminology).

As I mentioned I usually make smaller ones of these as stash-busters, here is an example.

As long as you follow the same rules you can make them any size you like!  All you have to do is work out what measurement you want (rectangle) half the short size and make your first square to match that.  Follow the video for the rest of the instructions.

As I was making it my Mum decided she fancied doing one too, she's great at pattern testing for me, and she asked me to choose her colours.  I thought, let's go bright and beautiful and chose shades of yellow and orange for her. 

She still has the border to finish, but looking mighty bright and cheerful so far!

So, you can find the video here if you fancy having a go yourself....

I really hope you enjoy making this funky blanket, and please do tag me on Instagram or Facebook @soozintheshed

Unitl  next time then... HAPPY HOOKING!

Oh, and just for transparency, if you buy anything from Amazon using the links I provided I get a small commission. just pennies if I remember rightly, but it doesn't cost you a bean  :)

Crochet stitches for blankets - Treble Cluster

Last week I started a Playlist on my YouTube Channel for some simple stitches to create easy crochet blankets.   

Netting which you can find by clicking HERE.

The V Stitch which you can find by clicking HERE.

Today's sample is 'Treble Clusters' which is another lovely stitch, not quite as repetitive as the previous two samples, but easy to get your head around.

For this piece I used a Clover Amour 4.50mm hook and DK yarn, the pattern is in multiples of 4 and my sample piece is based on 21 chain stitches and measures 12cm (5")  

It's a nice lightweight piece of crochet, but beware of little fingers getting stuck in the holes.  It might be better to go on top of a sheet, or as a pram topper.

You can find the step-by-step video tutorial here....

If you prefer a written pattern you can find it here...

1.   Make a sliding loop and CH 21 stitches, but not too tight or you will have one tight edge on your square.

2.   ROW ONE: TR into the 4th chain from your hook. Work a Treble into the next stitch - you now have a cluster of three trebles.  *** CH 1, SK 1 and work a TR into the next 3 stitches.  Repeat from *** all the way across.  You will have five clusters of 3 TR's with a hole in-between each cluster.

3.   ROW TWO: Turn your work and CH 4  (this counts as 1 TR and 1 CH)  *** SK 1 and work a TR into the next stitch - this is the stitch before the hole on the row below.  Now work a TR into the HOLE and then a TR into the stitch after.  Repeat from *** ending with a single TR in the last stitch.

4.   ROW THREE: Turn your work and CH 3  (this counts as 1 TR)  *** TR into the next 2 stitches.  *** CH 1, SK 1 and work a TR into the next 3 stitches.  Repeat from *** all the way across.

5.   Rows TWO and THREE  form the pattern and need to be repeated. for a total of 10 rows.

 

Stitches explained:

Chain Stitch (CH) - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Treble Crochet (TR) - Yarn around hook (from the back) put hook through work and draw yarn back through (3 loops on hook) yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook, yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook.

Slip Stitch (SS)- Put hook through work and pull yarn through both work and stitch on your hook.

Oh, and just for transparency, if you buy anything from Amazon using the links I provided I get a small commission. just pennies if I remember rightly, but it doesn't cost you a bean  :)

Crochet stitches for blankets - the V Stitch

Last week I started a Playlist on my YouTube Channel for some simple stitches to create easy crochet blankets.   The first one was Netting which you can find by clicking HERE.

Today's sample is 'V Stitch' which is another lovely repetitive stitch that works up quickly and without too much fuss.

For this piece I used a Clover Amour 4.50mm hook and DK yarn, the pattern is in multiples of 3 and my sample piece is based on 25 chain stitches and measures 15cm (6")  

It's a nice lightweight piece of crochet, but beware of little fingers getting stuck in the holes.  It might be better to go on top of a sheet, or as a pram topper.

You can find the step-by-step video tutorial here....

If you prefer a written pattern you can find it here...

1.   Make a sliding loop and CH 25 stitches, but not too tight or you will have one tight edge on your square.

2.   ROW ONE - TR into the 5th chain from your hook. Chain 2, then work another Treble into the SAME STITCH.  This is called a "V" stitch.

3.   Now you are going to SKIP two stitches on the foundation chain and work into the 3rd.

4.   Work a Treble into this stitch then chain 2 and work another Treble into the SAME stitch  (V Stitch)

5.   Work all the way across your foundation chain, skipping two stitches then working a V stitch.  When you get to the end you will find you have one stitch left on your foundation chain.  Work a single Treble into this stitch.

6.   You should have 7 x V stitches with a single treble at the beginning and end.

7.   ROW TWO - Turn then CH 3.   For this row we will be working into the spaces left by the V stitches.  Make sure you do not work into the spaces inbetween the V stitches too, as this can sometimes happen in error.

8.   Work a Treble, 2 chain and another Treble, all into the first 'V' space.

9.   Jump to the next chain space, and again work a Treble, 2 chain and a Treble into that space.

10.    Work all the way across pausing when you have done the last V stitch.  Now,  work a Treble in the turning chain of the row below to give you your last single Treble stitch.

11.    Repeat ROW TWO for eleven rows in total, or until square.  CH 1, cut your yarn and pull of through the loop to form a knot.

 

Stitches explained:

Chain Stitch (CH) - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Treble Crochet (TR) - Yarn around hook (from the back) put hook through work and draw yarn back through (3 loops on hook) yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook, yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook.

Slip Stitch (SS)- Put hook through work and pull yarn through both work and stitch on your hook.

Oh, and just for transparency, if you buy anything from Amazon using the links I provided I get a small commission. just pennies if I remember rightly, but it doesn't cost you a bean  :)

Crochet stitches for blankets - the Netting Stitch

 I often get asked for some simple stitches to make nice baby blankets, often in a hurry.... so something that works up quickly without too much concentration is ideal.

I have decided to start a Playlist on my YouTube Channel for these simple stitches, starting with this one - Netting.

For this sample I used a Clover Amour 4.50mm hook and DK yarn, the pattern is in multiples of 2 and my sample piece is based on 26 chain stitches (11 pattern holes) and measures 14cm (5.5")  

It's a nice lightweight piece of crochet, but beware of little fingers getting stuck in the holes.  It might be better to go on top of a sheet, or as a pram topper.

You can find the step-by-step video tutorial here....

If you prefer a written pattern you can find it here...

1.   Make a sliding loop and pop in your hook before tightening  (do not pull too tight or you will find it hard to get a stitch into it later on).

2.   CH 26 stitches, but not too tight or you will have one tight edge on your square.

3.   TR into the 6th chain from your hook. (this counts as a CH, a TR and a CH)

4.   *** CH 1, Skip (SK) a stitch and TR into the next.  Repeat from *** ending with a TR in the very last stitch.  You should have eleven holes.

5.   CH 4  (this counts as a TR stitch (3) and a CH 1 on the start of your next row) and turn.

6.   Skip the next stitch and TR into the next, which is the top of the TR post from the row below.

7.   *** CH 1,SK a stitch and TR into the next (top of TR from previous row).  Repeat from *** until you get to the last stitch. 

8.   CH 1 then work a TR into the 3rd CH of the turning CH from the row below.

9.   This is your pattern for this square.  Repeat the rows until you have 11 rows in total  (11 holes up and 11 holes across), or until square.  CH 1, cut your yarn and pull of through the loop to form a knot.

 

Stitches explained:

Chain Stitch (CH) - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Treble Crochet (TR) - Yarn around hook (from the back) put hook through work and draw yarn back through (3 loops on hook) yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook, yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook.

Slip Stitch (SS)- Put hook through work and pull yarn through both work and stitch on your hook.

Oh, and just for transparency, if you buy anything from Amazon using the links I provided I get a small commission. just pennies if I remember rightly, but it doesn't cost you a bean  :)