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These super cute crochet gnomes are the perfect addition to your home or Christmas decor! The free crochet gnome pattern is simple, beginner-friendly, and great for yarn stash busting. Add a little button nose and a fluffy beard and you’re done!
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The festive season isn’t complete without these little crochet gnomes to watch over and join in the fun with you. Go for a traditional Scandi Christmas crochet Santa or jazz them up and make them unique for this year’s Elf on the Shelf. You could also make them in any color to match your home and display them all year round!
These cute little guys are worked in the amigurumi crochet method, in both UK and US crochet terms.
Scroll down for the free crochet gnome pattern, or purchase an ad-free, printable PDF version here:
About the Christmas Crochet Gnomes
I designed this crochet gnome pattern for Simply Crochet magazine back in 2015 and have been so overwhelmed by how popular they have been since then!
I find that there’s something so special about creating for the festive season and my approach to Christmas crochet is that more is more! I love yarn bombing our house every year with crochet that I’ve made over the years. It makes me so happy.
These fabulous crochet gnomes are the perfect addition to your crochet collection and you’ll have them made in no time at all.
My Mum recently made a set but has spent five years telling me she was worried the pattern and amigurumi method would be too hard! Turns out she found them really easy and is now planning more amigurumi crochet projects!
So if you’re new to amigurumi and want to try them then I say go for it!
Yarn
To make the Christmas crochet gnomes I used King Cole Baby Alpaca Double Knit yarn which is 100% Baby Alpaca, 50g/ 100m and so beautiful to work with.
It gives the crochet gnome and almost ‘fluffy’ look and feel which goes perfectly with the nose and beard.
You will need 1 ball each of A: Cranberry (510), B: Fawn (501) and C: Grey (502)
A great alternative is Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud Double Knit yarn which is almost the same yardage and just as beautiful and fluffy!
Tension and Sizing
23st and 25 rows = 4in x 4in (10cm x 10cm) over stitches in the round but tension isn’t critical.
The large Christmas crochet gnome: 12 x 45cm
The small Christmas crochet gnome: 10 x 39cm
Materials
- 3mm/C crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Polyester toy stuffing
- Small amount of wool roving in cream and white for the nose and beard
- Craft glue (to attach the beard if you do not want to needle felt it into place)
- 100g beans to fill the body (any dried beans will work well)
Pattern Options
Get this crochet gnome pattern free in this blog post – just scroll down! You can also purchase an ad-free, printable PDF with added extras in my pattern stores:
Don’t forget to join HanJan Crochet to receive regular discount codes (and more free patterns!) and Pin this free Christmas gnome pattern to your crochet Pinterest board!
Glossary and Abbreviations
- ch(s) – chain(s)
- ss – slip stitch st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
- tog – together
- rep – repeat
Crochet Stitches
| UK Crochet Terms | US Crochet Terms |
| dc – double crochet | sc – single crochet |
| htr – half treble | hdc – half double crochet |
| tr – treble | dc – double crochet |
Pattern Notes
- The free gnome pattern is worked using the amigurumi crochet method.
- Work in a continuous spiral without closing off the round with a ss.
- It may help to use a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round, moving it up as you work.
How Do You Crochet a Gnome?
Following is the crochet gnome pattern, written in both UK Crochet Terms and US Crochet Terms (US terms in italics).
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LARGE GNOME PATTERN
HAT
Using A, ch2
Round 1: RS: 3dc/sc in 2nd ch from hook [3]
Round 2: 2dc/sc in each st around [6]
Round 3: *dc/sc in next st, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [9]
Rounds 4-7: dc/sc in each st around
Round 8: *dc/sc in each of next 2 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [12]
Rounds 9-10: dc/sc in each st around
Round 11: *dc/sc in each of next 3 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [15]
Rounds 12-13: dc/sc in each st around
Round 14: *dc/sc in each of next 4 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [18]
Rounds 15-16: dc/sc in each st around
Round 17: *dc/sc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [21]
Rounds 18-19: dc/sc in each st around
Round 20: *dc/sc in each of next 6 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [24]
Round 21: dc/sc in each st around
Round 22: *dc/sc in each of next 7 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [27]
Round 23: dc/sc in each st around
Round 24: *dc/sc in each of next 8 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [30]
Round 25: dc/sc in each st around
Round 26: *dc/sc in each of next 9 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [33]
Round 27: *dc/sc in each of next 10 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [36]
Round 28: *dc/sc in each of next 11 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [39]
Round 29: dc/sc in each st around
Round 30: *dc/sc in each of next 12 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [42]
Round 31: dc/sc in each st around
Round 32: *dc/sc in each of next 13 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [45]
Rounds 33-40: dc/sc in each st around [45]
BODY
Using C, ch4, ss to first ch to form a ring.
Round 1: RS: 6dc/sc into ring [6]
Round 2: 2dc/sc in each st around [12]
Round 3: *dc/sc in next st, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [18]
Round 4: *dc/sc in each of next 2 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [24]
Round 5: *dc/sc in each of next 3 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [30]
Round 6: *dc/sc in each of next 4 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [36]
Round 7: *dc/sc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [42]
Round 8: *dc/sc in each of next 6 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [48]
Round 9: *dc/sc in each of next 7 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [54]
Round 10: *dc/sc in each of next 8 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [60]
Round 11: *dc/sc in each of next 9 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [66]
Round 12: *dc/sc in each of next 10 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [72]
Continue working in back loops only now.
Rounds 13-16: dc/sc in each st around
Round 17: *dc/sc in each of next 10 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [66]
Rounds 18-20: dc/sc in each st around
Round 21: *dc/sc in each of next 9 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [60]
Rounds 22-24: dc/sc in each st around
Round 25: *dc/sc in each of next 8 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [54]
Rounds 26-28: dc/sc in each st around
Round 29: *dc/sc in each of next 7 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [48]
Round 30: dc/sc in each st around
Round 31: *dc/sc in each of next 6 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [42]
Round 32: dc/sc in each st around
Round 33: *dc/sc in each of next 5 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [36]
Stuff with two thirds beans and one third stuffing, then continue.
Round 34: dc2tog/sc2tog around [18]
Round 35: dc2tog/sc2tog around [9]
Fasten off. Sew top together and weave in ends.
LEGS (MAKE 2)
Using A, ch2
Round 1: RS: 3dc/sc in 2nd ch from hook [3]
Round 2: 2dc/sc in each st around [6]
Round 3: *dc/sc in next st, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [9]
Round 4: *dc/sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [12]
Rounds 5-7: dc/sc in each st around
Now shape heel as follows:
Rounds 8-9: htr/hdc in each of next 6 sts, dc/sc in each of next 6 sts [12]
Round 10: tr/dc in each of next 6 sts, dc/sc in each of next 6 sts
Continue working leg:
Rounds 11-12: dc/sc in each st around
Rounds 13-15: change to yarn B, dc/sc in each st around
Rounds 16-18: change to yarn C, dc/sc in each st around
Repeat Rounds 13-18 five more times, ending with yarn C.
Fasten off.
Instead of stuffing the legs with toy stuffing just stuff them with the tails left over from changing colours.
Sew together the top of the Leg and sew to the base of the Body.
ARMS (MAKE 2)
Using B, ch2
Round 1: RS: 3dc/sc in 2nd ch from hook [3]
Round 2: 2dc/sc in each st around [6]
Round 3: *dc/sc in next st, 2dc/sc in next st; rep from * around [9]
Rounds 4-5: dc/sc in each st around, change to yarn C
Rounds 6-12: working in back loop only; dc/sc in each st around
Fasten off. Sew together the top of the Arm and sew in place on the Body.
SMALL GNOME PATTERN
HAT
Work as for Large Gnome in yarn C, but omit Rounds 6,7,39 and 40.
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
BODY
Work as for Large Gnome in yarn A up to Round 10 [60 sts]
Then continue as follows:
Rounds 11-14: working in the back loop only, dc/sc in each st around
Rounds 15-23: Work Rounds 25-33 of Large Elf Body [36 sts after Round 23]
Round 24: *dc/sc in each of next 4 sts, dc2tog/sc2tog; rep from * around [30]
Stuff with two thirds beans and one third toy stuffing, then continue.
Round 25: dc2tog/sc2tog around [15]
Fasten off, sew top together and weave in ends.
LEGS (MAKE 2)
Work as for Large Gnome Legs, using yarn C for the feet and yarns B and A for the stripes, but only repeat Rounds 13-18 four more times.
ARMS (MAKE 2)
Work as for Large Gnome Arms, using yarn A for the Sleeves, but stop at Round 10.
TO MAKE UP (BOTH ELVES)
Using some unworked white wool roving, create the beard and needle felt or glue onto the top of the body.
Sew the hat in place, over the top of the beard so that it looks as though it’s covered up his eyes.
Using a small amount of cream wool roving, create a ball for the nose and sew into place.
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More Christmas Crochet Patterns to Enjoy
If you’re like me and want to yarn bomb the house with Christmas crochet, here are a few more of my designs that you might enjoy.
If you're like me and want to yarn bomb the house with Christmas crochet then here are a few more of my designs that you might enjoy.
Geo Tree Cushion pattern by Hannah Cross
Bright, fun with fringe and tassels?! Yes please!
Crochet Snowflake Wreath
A free crochet pattern packed full of stunning snowflakes.
Crochet Christmas Tree
Crochet a super cute Christmas tree and add as many sequins and beads as you dare!
Stripy Crochet Stocking
A wonderul mixture of texture, colour and yarn, just the thing to catch his eye!
