5 Days of Stocking Stuffers: Large Gift Card Holders

Here is the last idea I have to share with you in this series: 5 Days of Stocking Stuffers! We're getting close to the big day now, but there is still time to crochet these gift card holders. I bought gift cards from the grocery store on those stands that have gift cards from several restaurants, stores, and more. They are packaged differently than your typical gift card, and so they are much bigger. The gift cards for Xbox points that I bought are 3.5 inches x 5.5 inches in size. I first used this really cute pattern by Cindy Kromminga to make the Crochet Reindeer Gift Card Holder. I had to adjust the size to fit a bigger gift card, so it doesn't look exactly like hers, but it's still cute. I had more than one gift card to give, so I decided to design my own crochet pattern for a snowman. That is the pattern I am going to share with you today. You can also download the free pdf for this pattern on Ravelry by clicking here.

Large Snowman Gift Card Holder

Materials:

White yarn 100% cotton, medium weight 4

Black yarn 100% cotton, medium weight 4

Size H hook

Tapestry needle

2 Black wooden beads (eyes)

1 carrot button

Abbreviations  

Ch - chain

SlSt - slip stitch

St - stitch

SC - single crochet

*Note: This pattern is for a gift card that is 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches, which is bigger than a typical gift card. This holder is for the variety of gift cards that can be purchased at a grocery store. You can easily adjust the pattern for any size by adjusting the size of the beginning chain to fit your gift card.

Pattern

With white, Ch 28. SlSt to beginning Ch to make a circle. Ch 1. (The Ch 1 will be the fold on the side of the gift card holder.)

*Note: Check to see if your gift card will slide inside this circle. If you have a regular sized gift card, this circle will be too big. Adjust the number of Ch to fit your gift card.

Row 2-14: Working in continuous rounds, SC in each St around.  At the end of round 14, Ch 1, skip a stitch, SlSt to next stitch. Cut the white yarn and weave in ends.

*Note: If making a smaller gift card, SC in white about ¾ the size of the gift card.

Rows 15: With black yarn, SC onto the side of the gift card holder where it folds. Ch 4. Turn. SC in second Ch from hook and in each Ch across (3). This forms the brim of the hat on the right side. Continue to SC in the next 14 Sts that are part of the circle. Ch 4. Turn. SC in second Ch from hook and in each Ch across (3). This forms the brim of the hat on the left side. Continue to SC in next 14 Sts that are part of the circle. (The 14th St is on top of the first SC made in black yarn.)

Rows 16: SC in the 3 Sts that make the brim of the hat on the right side. Ch 1. Turn. SC in the 3 Sts that make the brim of the hat and the next 14 Sts that are part of the circle. SC in each of the 3 Sts that make the brim of the hat on the left side. Ch 1. Turn. SC in the 3 Sts that make the brim of the hat and the next 13 Sts that are part of the circle.

Rows 16 - 18: SC in each St that is part of the circle only (28 in each round). DO NOT include the brim of the hat. At the end of row 18, Ch 1, skip the next St, and SlSt into the next St. Cut off. Weave in ends.

Finishing: Using white yarn, SlSt the bottom of the gift card holder together. Cut off. Weave in ends. Attach the wooden bead eyes and the carrot button nose with black yarn. Stitch a smile with black yarn and a tapestry needle.

I hope you enjoyed 5 Days of Stocking Stuffers! Have a Merry Christmas!

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Let it Snow: Snowman Kit

With help from Marilyn at Fork in the Road Concepts and this blog post from Whimsy-Love, DIY: Build Your Own Snowman Kit, we made my son his own snowman kit for Christmas. We've been waiting for snow that wasn't too powdery so we could build a snowman, and it finally came!

The Snowman Kit was easy to make, and so much fun to use! We'll be able to use it over and over. The hat and nose are made out of felt (directions for making them are linked above), the scarf is fleece, which means it doesn't require any sewing, and the eyes and mouth are beads from an old necklace that we hot glued onto skewer sticks. I added some crochet holly berries to the hat based on a modified version of this pattern, Jolly Holly, from Attic 24. The leaves in this pattern were quite large, and the pattern uses UK terms, which is a little confusing if you use US crochet terms. Here is the pattern I modified for smaller holly leaves:

Holly Leaf & Berry Pattern

Modified from this pattern

Size F Hook

100% cotton, green & red

CH= chain

ST= stitch

SL ST= slip stitch

SC= single crochet

HDC= half double crochet

DC= double crochet

Holly Leaves (make 2)

With green, CH 7.

Round 1:

SC in 2nd chain from hook. HDC, DC, DC, HDC, SC. This is the end of the row. (6)

Round 2:

CH 1, and working on the other side of the leaf, SC in first CH. HDC, DC, DC, HDC, SC. (6)

SL ST to the other side of the leaf. You will continue to work all the way around the leaf.

Round 3:

(making the points on the holly leaves)

CH 1, *SC in 2 STs, CH 2. SL ST in 2nd CH from hook. SC back in the same ST as the 2nd SC.* This makes the first point on the holly leaf. Repeat from * to the top of the leaf. You should have 3 points on one side of your holly leaf.

Round 4:

SC 1, (on top of the leaf) CH2. SL ST in 2nd CH from hook. SC back in the same ST as SC. Working on the other side of the leaf, *SC in 2 STs, CH 2. SL ST in 2nd CH from hook. SC back in the same ST as the 2nd SC.* Repeat from * to the bottom of the leaf. You should have 3 points on the other side of your holly leaf, and another on top.

Round 5:

.

SL ST to the bottom of the leaf. CH 4. SL ST in 2nd chain from hook and back to the first SL ST. Continue to SL ST down the center of the leaf to create a vein in the center of the leaf. Cut off and weave in the ends.

The berries can be made of felt or crocheted. This cute holly and berries are great embellishments for presents, on hats, and more, and the snowman kit makes a great stocking stuffer. Enjoy!

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