A crochet garland is a row of small flat crocheted pieces joined on one cord. This guide covers five you can make: a Christmas bunting garland, a star, holly and bell garland, a Christmas tree garland, a lace snowflake garland and an autumn leaf garland. Each piece takes between 5 and 45 minutes, in DK or worsted cotton or cotton thread, so a whole garland is a small project.
The sections that follow compare all five side by side, give each one its own card, and end with how to string and hang the finished garland.
Which crochet garland should you make?
The right crochet garland depends on where it will hang and how long it needs to be. Start with your space. The table sets the five garlands side by side.
| Garland | Pieces | Length | Yarn | Hook | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas bunting | 9 flags, 3 designs | about 1.5 m / 5 ft | 3, light (DK) | 3.5 mm (US E-4) | Easy |
| Star, holly and bell (Christmas Mix) | 15 pieces, one of each | about 2 m / 6.5 ft | 3, light (DK) | 3.5 mm (US E-4) | Easy |
| Christmas tree garland | 25 pieces | about 3 m / 10 ft | 3, light (DK) | 3.5 mm (US E-4) | Easy |
| Lace snowflake | your choice of 20 designs | your length | size 3 cotton crochet thread | 2.5 mm | Easy to Intermediate |
| Autumn leaf | 9 to 18 leaves | about 1.8 m / 6 ft for 9 leaves | 4, medium (worsted) | 4 mm (US G-6) | Easy |
Read the table by the space you have: a shelf edge suits the short bunting, a doorway the mix, and a full tree the 3 m garland.
The three Christmas garlands share one yarn and one hook, so the pieces match in size along the cord. You can mix them freely. Swap a flag for a star. The snowflake and leaf garlands stand apart, each with its own yarn.
What crochet Christmas garlands can you make?
The Christmas garland pattern holds 15 flat pieces, such as a Five Point Star, a Holly Sprig and a Christmas Bell, and three garland plans that say exactly how many chains go between them. Every piece is worked in a few rows or rounds of DK cotton with a 3.5 mm (E-4) hook, in scarlet red, ecru, sage green and dove grey. You need one hook for all of it.
Christmas bunting garland
- Yarn
- 3, light (DK) cotton
- Hook
- 3.5 mm (US E-4)
- Skill level
- Easy
- Time
- 15 to 20 minutes a flag
- Best for
- a mantel, a shelf edge or a headboard
This Christmas garland is three flag designs, the Classic Bunting Flag, the Striped Pennant and the Scallop Flag, three of each, with 13 chains between them. It measures 149 cm, about 1.5 m / 5 ft, including a 20 cm tie at each end.
The flags are worked into the cord with single crochet across their top edge, so they hang flat and face the same way. Pin them along a table edge before you join them, to check the order and the colours.
Star, holly and bell garland
- Yarn
- 3, light (DK) cotton
- Hook
- 3.5 mm (US E-4)
- Skill level
- Easy
- Time
- 5 to 30 minutes a piece
- Best for
- a mantel, a doorway or a window
This Christmas garland uses one of every piece in the pattern: the star, the holly sprig, the bell, the poinsettia and the little Nordic house among them, 15 pieces with 19 chains between each. It measures 198 cm, about 2 m / 6.5 ft.
Every piece is different, so this is the one to make if you want to try them all before you settle on favourites for a longer garland, and it looks best hung in a soft swag with the two ties fixed and the middle dropping about 10 cm.
Christmas tree garland
- Yarn
- 3, light (DK) cotton
- Hook
- 3.5 mm (US E-4)
- Skill level
- Easy
- Time
- 5 to 25 minutes a piece
- Best for
- a Christmas tree, wound round from the top
This Christmas garland repeats a short run of 5 stars, 8 ball spacers, 4 snowflakes, 4 bells and 4 ring spacers, 25 pieces with 21 chains between each. It measures 304.5 cm, about 3 m / 10 ft.
The spacers are the quickest pieces, a ring in 5 minutes and a ball in 10, so the long garland grows fast. Wind it round the tree from the top, with the stars facing out.
How do you make a crochet snowflake garland?
A crochet snowflake garland is a set of lace snowflakes, blocked and stiffened, hung along a cord. You make each snowflake on its own first. Then you string them.
Lace snowflake garland
- Yarn
- size 3 cotton crochet thread
- Hook
- 2.5 mm
- Skill level
- Easy to Intermediate
- Time
- 20 to 45 minutes a snowflake
- Best for
- a window, a mantel or a tree
The snowflake pattern holds 20 designs, each worked flat in three to six rounds with six identical repeats. They measure 4.5 to 15.5 cm / 1.75 to 6.25 in across, and all twenty take about 90 m / 100 yd of thread. Hang them on thread or ribbon.
Every lace snowflake needs blocking, because stiffening and pinning turn a curly piece of crochet into a crisp snowflake. Skip it and the arms curl.
The photo shows one lace snowflake pinned flat to dry, the step every flake on a snowflake garland needs.
The snowflake pattern does not give a garland plan. You set the length. So you choose how many snowflakes go on the cord and how far apart. A DK snowflake works too: the Christmas garland pattern has a Nordic Snowflake, 8 x 8 cm, about 20 minutes, with optional fabric stiffener, and the tree garland already uses four of them.
For single snowflakes to hang as ornaments, see Crochet Snowflake Patterns: Lace Snowflakes and Snowflake Decor.
How do you make a crochet leaf garland for fall?
A crochet leaf garland is a row of flat crocheted leaves joined through their stems on a chain cord. It is the garland for the season before Christmas, and it uses the same cord method. Your scrap yarn is enough. One of each leaf takes about 88 m / 97 yd.
Autumn leaf garland
- Yarn
- 4, medium (worsted) cotton or cotton blend
- Hook
- 4 mm (US G-6)
- Skill level
- Easy
- Time
- 10 to 25 minutes a leaf
- Best for
- a fall mantel, a window or the Thanksgiving table
The leaf pattern holds 9 leaves of real trees: sugar maple, white oak, ginkgo, sweetgum, birch, willow, aspen, linden and elm. For the garland, make 9 to 18 leaves, chain 30 for a tie, chain 15 between leaves and join each one through its stem with a slip stitch, then chain 30 for the second tie. Nine leaves make about 1.8 m / 6 ft.
Alternate round leaves, such as maple, aspen and linden, with long ones, such as willow, oak and elm, so the line reads evenly. For a fuller garland, make the maple and the oak twice in different colours.
For leaves to scatter on a table or tie to a wreath, see Crochet Leaf Patterns: 9 Autumn Leaves and a Fall Garland.
How do you string and hang a crochet garland?
You string a crochet garland by joining every piece to one chain cord as you go, then slip stitching back along the whole cord. That last pass matters. It makes the cord firm and stops it stretching.
The photo shows a finished Christmas garland being hung by its chain tie, the end of the stringing steps.
Joining the pieces to a chain cord
The Christmas garland pattern joins its pieces in five steps:
- Lay the pieces out in order, right side up.
- Chain the tie, 40 chains for a 20 cm / 8 in tie.
- Work single crochet across the top of each flag, or one slip stitch through each hanging loop.
- Chain the gap between pieces, counting the same number every time.
- Slip stitch back along the whole cord.
Work each single crochet or slip stitch through the piece from front to back, so every flag, star and bell faces the same way once the garland is up and nothing flips round to show its wrong side. The finished cord feels firm in your hand. It does not stretch.
Making a garland longer or shorter
To change the length, add or leave out one repeat of the pieces, and because each piece and its gap of chains adds about 10 cm / 4 in, you can size a garland to your mantel before you work a single stitch of the cord. Measure the space first.
Hanging it on a mantel, a doorway or a tree
On a mantel or a doorway, hang the garland in a soft swag: fix the two ties and let the middle drop about 10 cm. On a tree, wind the garland round from the top. Stars face out. Keep the gaps equal by counting chains every time, so the pieces sit evenly along the cord.
Which crochet garlands need a different pattern?
Two garlands searched for often, the popcorn garland and the heart garland, are not made by any of our patterns. If you want one of them, you need a different pattern.
Popcorn garland
None of our patterns is a popcorn garland. You need another pattern. A popcorn is its own stitch: “pc” is the abbreviation for popcorn stitch in the Craft Yarn Council “Crochet Abbreviations Master List”. Learn the stitch first, so you can follow any popcorn garland pattern; Crochet Bobble, Puff and Popcorn Stitches Compared sets the three side by side.
Heart garland
None of our patterns is a heart garland either. Small crocheted hearts are their own project, so you need a heart pattern first. Then you string them the same way. To learn them, see How to Crochet a Heart: Small Hearts for Valentine’s Day.
Garlands are one part of the Christmas crochet patterns gathered in Christmas Crochet Patterns: Ornaments, Stockings and Decor. For tree ornament patterns, see Crochet Christmas Ornament Patterns: 15 Types to Make. Every design in the shop sits in Crochet Patterns to Make: Christmas Decor and Winter Wear, the full list of crochet patterns.
Questions makers ask
What yarn is best for a crochet garland?
It depends on the garland. The Christmas garland pattern uses DK cotton or a cotton blend, which the pattern says gives crisp edges and steams flat. The leaf garland uses worsted cotton or a cotton blend, and the lace snowflakes use size 3 cotton crochet thread. Match one yarn across a whole garland.
How long does it take to crochet a garland?
Each piece takes between 5 and 45 minutes, depending on the garland. Christmas garland pieces take 5 to 30 minutes each, leaves 10 to 25 minutes and lace snowflakes 20 to 45 minutes. Add the time to chain and slip stitch the cord, which joins every piece in one pass.
How long is a crochet Christmas garland?
The three Christmas garland plans are about 1.5 m / 5 ft, 2 m / 6.5 ft and 3 m / 10 ft long, each including a 20 cm / 8 in tie at both ends. Each extra piece and its gap of chains adds about 10 cm / 4 in, so any plan can grow or shrink.
Are crochet garlands good for beginners?
Yes, most of them. The Christmas garland and autumn leaf patterns are rated Easy on the Craft Yarn Council scale. Start with the Classic Bunting Flag, because it teaches the row shaping that the pennant, diamond, tree, bell, bauble and house all use. Leave the lace snowflakes for later.
How do you keep a crochet snowflake flat on a garland?
Block and stiffen it. Soak the snowflake in fabric stiffener or strong starch, squeeze out the extra, pin it flat on a board covered in cling film with one pin at every point, and let it dry completely. That step turns a curly piece of lace into a crisp snowflake.
