Christmas Cracker

Christmas Cracker

Instructions

Materials

• 2.5 mm and 4 mm crochet hooks;
• Double–knitting yarn in red;
• Twilley’s ‘Goldfingering’ for embellishment and hanging loop. (This is a widely available 3–ply gold coloured thread);
• Fiberfil;
• Two round British penny sized pieces of thin card.

Stitch Guide

Half–treble decrease: Yarn over. Insert hook into next stitch. Yarn over and pull loop through stitch (3 loops on hook). Insert hook into next stitch. Yarn over and pull loop through stitch (4 loops on hook). Yarn over and draw through all 4 loops.

Star motif

Foundation chain

With 2.5 mm hook and 3 ply gold thread chain 2. The second chain from hook is the ‘centre chain’.

Round 1

(1 double–crochet in centre chain. Chain 3. Slip–stitch into 3rd chain from hook) 5 times. Slip–stitch into first double–crochet, and draw thread through. Cut thread leaving 8″ tail with which to sew star to cracker.

Cracker

Foundation chain

With 4 mm hook and red yarn, chain 12. Join with a slip–stitch to last chain from hook to form ring.

Rounds 1–4

Chain 1. 1 double–crochet in each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first double–crochet. (12 stitches)

Round 5

Chain 1. (Half–treble decrease in back loops) 6 times. Join with a slip–stitch to first half–treble decrease. (6 stitches)

Round 6

Chain 1. 2 half–trebles in each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first half–treble. (12 stitches)

Rounds 7–14

Chain 1. 1 double–crochet in back loop of each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first double-crochet.

Embellishment

Sew star motif to cracker so that centre of star lies between rounds 10 and 11.

Fill cracker

Cut two circular pieces of cardboard to fit circumference of cracker. (Use a small coin, eg a penny, as a guide.) Tie a length of gold thread tightly around cracker between rounds 5 and 6. Place one cardboard circle in the cracker, fill with fibrefil, fit other piece of cardboard and recommence crochet.

Round 15

Chain 1. (Half–treble decrease in back loops) 6 times. Join with a slip–stitch to first decrease. (6 stitches)

Round 16

Chain 1. 2 half–trebles in each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first half–treble. (12 stitches)

Round 17

Chain 1. 1 double–crochet in back loop of each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first double–crochet.

Round 18–20

Chain 1. 1 double–crochet in each stitch around. Join with a slip–stitch to first double–crochet. Fasten off. Tie the other end of gold thread tightly around cracker between rounds 15 and 16.

Embellishment

With 2.5 mm hook and gold thread, surface crochet (or embroider) zigzags three rows deep around each end of cracker.