Small Crocheted Table Decorations for New Year’s Eve – Fortune Cookies with Wishes & Simple Cutlery Holders with Horseshoes

New Year’s Eve with family: small rituals instead of big decorations

For many families, New Year’s Eve is not a loud celebration with parties and a packed schedule, but a calm transition from the old year into the new one.

An evening when we sit together at the table, look back – and welcome the new year with a good feeling.

Especially with children, it is often the small rituals that make this evening special: a place at the table of your own, a symbol of good luck, a moment to pause and reflect.

For this, you don’t need elaborate decorations – just thoughtful details that are easy to make and carry a meaning.

In this post, I’ll show you two small crochet ideas for New Year’s Eve table decorations. They are intentionally kept simple and work beautifully together:

• crocheted fortune cookies with a note hidden inside
• simple cutlery holders with a small horseshoe as a symbol of good luck

Both projects are perfect for using up yarn scraps, quick to make, and easy to fit into everyday family life.

A thought for the time after New Year’s Eve

Especially around the turn of the year, many crocheted pieces stay out longer than just one evening.

What we prepare for New Year’s Eve often accompanies us through the quiet winter days that follow – on the table, on the windowsill, or as a small handmade gift.

If you’re in the mood for winter crochet ideas for the time after the holidays, snowflakes are a wonderful match.

They are quick to make, versatile, and – just like the projects in this post – perfect for using leftover yarn.

In my shop, you’ll find a snowflake set that I personally love to use during winter and that also makes a lovely handmade gift.

Here you can go directly to the pattern in my shop: Snowflake Set

🧶 How it’s done:

We use the following stitches:

Chain stitch – yarn over and pull through the loop

Single crochet – insert the hook into the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops on the hook), yarn over and pull through both loops

Half double crochet – yarn over, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through all loops on the hook

Pattern 1: Crocheted Fortune Cookies

(worked in spiral rounds, starting from a flat circle)

Crocheted fortune cookies are made from a simple, flat circle.

The characteristic shape only forms later when folding – the crochet part itself is kept deliberately simple.

Materials

• Cotton yarn or a cotton blend (shape-stable, yarn scraps are ideal)
• Matching crochet hook (e.g. 3.0–4.0 mm, depending on the yarn)
• Scissors
• Yarn needle for weaving in ends
• Small paper strips for wishes

Skills

• Magic ring
• Single crochet (sc)
• Increases
• Working in spiral rounds

Step by step

Step 1: Magic ring

Start with a magic ring.

Work the first round with single crochet stitches into the ring, then pull it tight.

Tip: Mark the beginning of the round with a stitch marker or a piece of scrap yarn.

Step 2: Crochet the circle in spiral rounds

The fortune cookie is worked as a flat circle:

• Crochet in spiral rounds, without closing the rounds with a slip stitch.
• In each round, increase evenly so the circle stays flat.
• Place the piece flat on the table from time to time to check that it doesn’t curl or ripple.

Continue crocheting until the circle reaches a diameter of approx. 5 cm – for me, that’s 10 rounds with 6 increases per round, ending with 60 stitches.

Finish the last round, cut the yarn and weave in the ends neatly.

Step 4: Folding the fortune cookie

1. Place the circle flat in front of you.
2. Fold it once into a half-moon shape.
3. Press the two ends of the half-moon towards each other until the typical fortune cookie shape forms.

Sew the folded (half-moon) side together. Make sure to leave a gap of about 1 cm on at least one side so you can insert the wish later.

I placed the sides together in a way that the working yarn already sat at the correct position.

Folding step 2:

Press the ends together again to create the characteristic fortune cookie shape.

Step 6: Securing the shape

To make sure the fortune cookie keeps its shape, sew the center together with a few stitches.

Weave in all ends neatly.

Step 5: Preparing the wish note

• Cut a small strip of paper.
• Write a wish, a kind word, or a small symbol on it.
• Fold the paper so it fits easily into the opening of the fortune cookie.

Short variation ideas

• Size: A diameter of 5 cm creates a balanced look.
• Yarn: Cotton keeps the shape crisp; softer yarn creates a cozier feel.
• Colors: Different colors for different people or moods.

Pattern 2: Cutlery Holder with Horseshoe

The cutlery holder is intentionally kept simple and calm.

The small horseshoe serves as a subtle symbol of good luck and visually complements the fortune cookies.

Materials

• Yarn (matching the fortune cookies)
• Matching crochet hook
• Yarn needle

Skills

• Chain stitches (ch)
• Single crochet (sc)
• Slip stitch (sl st)

Step by step

Step 1: Crochet the base

• Crochet a chain long enough to fit your cutlery – for me, that’s 30 chain stitches. I deliberately chose it a bit wider so all types of cutlery fit inside.

• Work rows of single crochet or half double crochet until a small rectangular piece forms.
• Fold the crochet piece into a pouch and close the sides (by sewing or crocheting them together).
• Before closing it completely, check that the largest piece of cutlery – usually the knife – fits inside properly. When folded, the handle should not stick out at the top.

Step 2: Crochet the horseshoe

Start with a chain of 39 chain stitches.

• Work single crochet along the chain as follows:
  • 7 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 3 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 2 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 1 single crochet
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 3 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 1 single crochet
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 2 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 3 single crochets
  • 2 sc in one chain stitch
  • 6 single crochets
  • In the last chain stitch, work 4 single crochets to form the curve

• Now work back along the other side to create the U-shape by following this sequence:
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 1 single crochet
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 6 single crochets
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 1 single crochet
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 3 single crochets
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 1 single crochet
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 6 single crochets
  • single crochet 2 together
  • 1 single crochet
  • single crochet 2 together
  • Work 2 more single crochets into the last (first) chain stitch
• Make sure the horseshoe lies flat.

I recommend crocheting two horseshoes per cutlery holder and sewing them together. This gives a much nicer shape and extra stability.

If you leave a long yarn tail on the second horseshoe, you can easily sew the two pieces together.

Step 3: Attach the horseshoe

• Place the horseshoe centered on the front of the pouch.
• Sew it on with small stitches.
• Weave in all ends.

Short variation ideas

• Very minimal: Just the horseshoe, no additional decoration.
• Colors: Match the cutlery holders and fortune cookies.
• Timeless: Neutral colors create a particularly calm look.

Involving children – without crocheting themselves

Even without crocheting, children can be included in a lovely way:

• choosing colors
• thinking about wishes for the fortune cookies
• placing the fortune cookies at the table

This turns New Year’s Eve into a small ritual – without pressure or perfectionism.

A quiet ending

After the turn of the year, many small handmade things are allowed to stay a little longer.

A fortune cookie on the table, a horseshoe at each place – and maybe a few snowflakes that continue to accompany the winter.

These simple crochet pieces combine beautifully and can be added to whenever time allows.

They don’t need a special occasion – they simply fit into everyday life, just the way it is.

Feel free to take another look at my shop.

If you enjoy calm, quick crochet ideas like these, you can follow me here on Crazypatterns to see new posts and patterns.