Christmas Bauble Covers

As I promised myself, I would reward my efforts today with a bit of craft. I used Pip Lincoln’s tutorial as a guide, but I’ve made a few modifications.

Firstly, I’m using about a 2 inch sized bauble (measuring about 6 inches in circumference), I’m using baby merino wool and a 3.5mm hook.

I did everything up to the end of Round 2 exactly as she has done but perhaps it is easier for me to describe my rounds in terms of clusters and chains:

Round 1 - just as Pip’s first round i.e. no clusters, just 15 treble crochet stitches and an initial stitch consisting of 3 chains up from the base chain.

Round 2 – just as Pip’s 2^nd round i.e. 8 clusters with no chains in between each cluster.

Round 3 – this is where I change the pattern a bit – I do 8 clusters with a single chain stitch in between.

Round 4 – I do 8 clusters with 2 chain stitches between each cluster

Round 5 – I do 8 clusters with 3 chain stitches between each cluster

Round 6 – is the same as my Round 5 (3 chains between clusters)

Round 7 – is the same as my Round 4 (2 chains between clusters)

Round 8 – is the same as my Round 3 (1 chain between clusters)

(At this point, I slip the cover over the bauble and I’ve realised that the last time I used this modified pattern, I was using a 3mm hook, so this is a bit looser than I’ve usually done. That’s OK – it just calls for another modification. So with the cover sitting snug(ish) over the bauble, I just work:

Round 9 – I did 8 clusters with no chains between any of them.

I should point out though that when joining the last cluster of a round to the first cluster of that same round, thereby closing the round, I do one less chain than I have been doing between clusters in that same Round. For example on my version of Round 3, where I do a single chain between each cluster, as I’m about to close the round, after my final cluster, instead of chaining 1 and then closing with a slip stitch, I don’t do a single chain at all and simply join the last cluster to the first cluster of the round with a slip stitch. At the end of my Round 4 (where there are 2 chain stitches between clusters) I join the last cluster to the first cluster with a single chain followed by a slip stitch into the initial cluster. And so on... I just find that this allows for a more even spacing of clusters, but that’s just my personal preference and it might be due to the way I crochet. I am starting to discover that there is no absolute right or wrong way to crochet, just do what works best for you.

And voila:

I then just cut off the string that was already on the bauble and thread the end of the wool I was crocheting with through the loop on top to make the bauble’s own coloured loop to hang the bauble on the tree. I might try modifying this pattern a little more as I’m unhappy that there isn’t as much bauble covered at the top. I might work on some more of those over the week and keep you posted.

Since shops are probably trying to shift Christmas decorations right now is a great time to stock up on cheap baubles so you can start crafting for Christmas 2012. I think that they make great, personalised Christmas gifts. Play around with colours and wool types. I like the randomness of using variegated yarn, but you might like to get red baubles and use green yarn over the top. The possibilities are endless.

Pip has loads more fantastic tutorials to try and here are some other great homemade Christmas gift craft ideas that she has compiled. She is such an inspiration!