A handmade advent calendar becomes part of your family’s Christmas for years. This one is made from 24 little drawstring pouches, each big enough for a chocolate coin, a tiny toy or a folded note, hung along a length of twine. Each pouch takes about 20 minutes, so it is a lovely project to start in early November. The pattern is written in UK crochet terms and uses only chains and double crochet.
What you will make
- 24 drawstring pouches, each about 5cm wide and 6cm tall with DK yarn.
- A hanging line about 1.5 to 2m long.
- Time: about 20 minutes per pouch, or 8 to 9 hours for the full set.
Materials
- Yarn: DK yarn in three or four Christmas colours, for example red, green, cream and white. Each pouch uses about 10m, so the set needs about 250m in total. Two or three 100g balls shared across your colours is plenty. Cotton gives neat, firm pouches; acrylic is soft and budget friendly.
- Hook: 4mm (UK 8 / US G-6).
- Tapestry needle, scissors and a stitch marker.
- Twine, ribbon or a crochet chain for hanging, plus 24 mini pegs (optional).
- For the numbers: felt and fabric glue, card tags, or a contrast yarn for embroidery.
Abbreviations (UK terms)
- ch: chain
- ss: slip stitch
- dc: double crochet (US single crochet)
- ch-sp: chain space
- st(s): stitch(es)
The pouch pattern (make 24)
The pouch starts with an oval base worked around both sides of a short chain, so the bottom is flat and the pouch can stand up when it is filled.
Make 9 ch.
Round 1: 1 dc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 dc in each of the next 6 ch, 3 dc in the last ch. Rotate your work so you can crochet along the other side of the chain. 1 dc in each of the next 6 ch, 2 dc in the last ch (the same ch as your very first dc). Join with a ss to the first dc. (18 sts)
Rounds 2 to 10: 1 ch (does not count as a st), 1 dc in each st around. Join with a ss to the first dc. (18 sts)
Round 11 (eyelets): 1 ch, *1 dc in next st, 1 ch, skip next st*. Repeat from * to * eight more times. Join with a ss to the first dc. (9 dc and 9 ch-sps)
Round 12: 1 ch, 1 dc in each dc and 1 dc in each ch-sp around. Join with a ss to the first dc. (18 sts) Fasten off and weave in the ends.
The drawstring
With a contrast colour, make a chain about 30cm long (roughly 60 ch). Fasten off. Thread it in and out of the eyelets in Round 11, starting and finishing at the front, and tie the ends in a bow. To hang the pouch, either loop one end of the bow over your line or peg the top of the pouch on.
Tip: make the pouches in batches. Crochet all 24 bodies first, then all the drawstrings. You get into a rhythm and the counting becomes automatic.
Adding the numbers
- Felt numbers: cut numbers 1 to 24 from felt and glue or stitch them to the front of each pouch. This is the quickest option.
- Embroidered numbers: use a contrast yarn and chain stitch or backstitch to “draw” each number on the front.
- Tags: write the numbers on small card or wooden tags and tie them to the drawstrings. You can reuse the pouches for something else after Christmas.
Putting the calendar together
- Decide on a colour order. Alternating three colours (red, green, cream) is easy and looks balanced.
- Cut a length of twine or ribbon 1.5 to 2m long, or crochet a long chain in your main colour.
- Hang the pouches in number order, spacing them about 6cm apart, using mini pegs or by tying the drawstrings around the line.
- For a shorter display, hang two or three lines one above the other, or tie the pouches to a branch in a vase.
Filling ideas
- Chocolate coins, wrapped sweets or a single truffle.
- A folded note with a festive activity: “make paper snowflakes”, “watch a Christmas film”, “go and look at the lights”.
- Tiny toys, hair clips, stickers or Lego minifigures for children.
- Stitch markers or mini skeins for a crochet-loving friend.
- A small crochet decoration for each day, such as the tree ornaments or snowflakes from our other patterns, so by Christmas Eve the tree is fully decorated.
Variations
- Bigger pouches: start with 13 ch for 26 sts per round, and work 14 rounds before the eyelet round. Work the eyelet round as (1 dc, 1 ch, skip 1) 13 times.
- Striped pouches: change colour every two rounds for a candy-cane look.
- Mini stockings: sew a small crochet heel shape to one side of the base of each pouch for a stocking silhouette.
Planning your time
If you make one pouch a day from 1 November, you will finish with a week to spare. If you are short of time, make 12 pouches and fill each with two treats, or start a “12 days of Christmas” calendar from 13 December instead.
