The Christmas Nutcracker pattern was written based on my love for the Nutcracker ballet and collecting nutcrackers as a child. It makes the perfect holiday decor piece or Christmas gift! Depending on the yarn used, the nutcracker can be made as an ornament, mounted to a stand as decoration, soft plushie to snuggle with or even as a decorative pillow! My testers were able to complete their nutcrackers in just under 2 hours. The pattern is very low-sew, just the arms are sewn on the body!

Pattern includes instructions to add a wooden base or make as a standard plushie.

Difficulty Level:
Advanced Beginner

Skills required:
Crocheting in spiral, magic circle/ring, chain, single crochet stitch, half double crochet stitch, increasing and invisible decreasing, basic sewing skills

Supplies required:

• 1 skein of each of the following colors of bulky size 6 yarn (I used Premier Parfait Chunky) for main body:
• Skin color (I used Shell)
• Pants color (I used Poppy)
• Jacket color (I used Classic Blue)
• Boot / belt / hat color (I used Black)
• Accent color (I used Mustard) Facial / head hair options- use one of the following:
• Size 6 yarn - I suggest white, gray, black or brown) OR
• Faux fur yarn (I used Lion Brand Go for Faux in the color white) AND a 4” x 1” strip of long pile faux fur (same color as fur yarn or complementing color). Measurement is taken of actual fabric, not the length of the fur itself. Final measurement will depend on the hook, tension and yarn used so you may need to adjust sizing.
• Polyester fiberfill for stuffing
• Hot glue gun and hot glue (if using faux fur fabric)
• 12mm safety eyes (or size that goes with your yarn choice)
• 5.0 mm crochet hook (you can size up or down based on yarn and tension)
• Scissors
• Darning needle
• Stitch marker or piece of yarn to mark your rounds If making with the OPTIONAL wooden base:
• 2.5”-3” wooden slice to use as base (I used a round wooden ornament slice from Amazon)
• 2-3 wooden kabob skewers to create a sturdy leg/body for mounting to wooden base (I purchased mine at Dollar Tree but they can be found at most grocery stores or Amazon)

Finished size of the nutcracker with yarn types that were tested:

• Fingering Weight (size 3) - roughly 6.5” tall
• Premier Parfait Chunky - roughly 12” tall
• Sweet Snuggles Lite / Chenille Home Slim - roughly 16” tall
• Bernat Blanket Yarn - roughly 18” tall
• Sweet Snuggles / Chenille Home - roughly 21” tall

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I do! If you have any questions or issues with the pattern, please reach out to me and I will be happy to assist.