Free crochet pattern: Christmas Elf Poinsettia

When it gets dark early outside, the smell of cookies drifts through the kitchen and little fairy lights glow everywhere, that’s my favorite time to pick up hook and yarn. In this pattern, I’d like to introduce you to my Christmas Elf Poinsettia – a little creature that carries the magic of Advent within her.

With her playful dress, delicate wings and the flower on her skirt, she is reminiscent of a poinsettia that has come to life right in your living room. Poinsetta is perfect as a sweet decoration, a little companion on your windowsill, or a very special handmade gift for someone you hold dear.

Take your time, enjoy every stitch, and let your very own Poinsetta come to life. Maybe she’ll get a different hair color, a new dress, or a unique expression – that way, this little elf will become a one-of-a-kind piece that brings a touch of Christmas warmth into your home.

Materials

• Acrylic yarn, suitable for a 3.5 mm crochet hook (or as desired):

  • Beige (body, head, legs, hands, ears)

  • Purple (shoes, skirt, hair)

  • White (wings, necklace)

  • Pink (dress, arms)

  • Rose/Pale pink (flower)

• Fiberfill stuffing

• Yarn needle

• Scissors

• 2 safety eyes (6 mm) and black yarn for embroidery

• 3 small beads

• (Optional) a little blush or fabric paint for the cheeks / pink embroidery floss

Measurements

The doll will be about 33 cm (approx. 13") tall.

Abbreviations

• st = stitch
• sc = single crochet
• sl st = slip stitch
• hdc = half double crochet
• dc = double crochet
• tr = treble crochet
• inc = increase (2 sc in the same st)
• tog = sc 2 stitches together (decrease)
• (…) x n = repeat sequence in brackets n times

Notes

Unless otherwise stated, all parts are worked in continuous rounds (spiral rounds), even if the written instructions say something like “3 rounds sc”.
The numbers at the beginning of each step indicate the round/row number.
The number in brackets at the end of each step shows the total stitch count at the end of that round/row.

Please note: This is not a toy for small children! If you want to give the doll as a toy, leave out the beads in the center of the flower (or sew on small bobbles instead) and embroider the eyes by hand, as even safety eyes can sometimes come loose.

Crochet pattern

Dress in pink:

Round 1: Ch 24 and join to a ring, either by closing the round with a sl st in the first ch or by continuing directly in spiral rounds.
Round 2: 1 round sc (24)
Round 3: inc in every 4th st (30)
Round 4: inc in every 5th st (36)
Round 5: inc in every 6th st (42)
Rounds 6–25: 20 rounds sc (42)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off and weave in the end.

Head and body in beige:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every st (12)
Round 3: inc in every 2nd st (18)
Round 4: inc in every 3rd st (24)
Round 5: inc in every 4th st (30)
Round 6: inc in every 5th st (36)
Round 7: inc in every 6th st (42)
Round 8: inc in every 7th st (48)
Round 9: inc in every 8th st (54)
Round 10: inc in every 9th st (60)
Rounds 11–20: 10 rounds sc (60)
Round 21: tog every 9th and 10th st (54)
Round 22: tog every 8th and 9th st (48)
Round 23: tog every 7th and 8th st (42)
Round 24: tog every 6th and 7th st (36)
Round 25: tog every 5th and 6th st (30)
Round 26: tog every 4th and 5th st (24)
Round 27: tog every 3rd and 4th st (18)

Now insert the eyes between rounds 16 and 17 with 11 stitches between them.

Rounds 28–31: 4 rounds sc (18)

Firmly stuff the head.

Round 32: inc in every 3rd st (24)
Round 33: inc in every 4th st (30)
Round 34: inc in every 5th st (36)
Round 35: inc in every 6th st (42)
Rounds 36–50: 15 rounds sc (42)
Round 51: tog every 6th and 7th st (36)
Round 52: tog every 5th and 6th st (30)
Round 53: tog every 4th and 5th st (24)
Round 54: tog every 3rd and 4th st (18)

Now take the finished dress and pull it up over the body from the bottom to the neck. Then firmly stuff the body.

Round 55: tog every 2nd and 3rd st (12)

Add a bit more stuffing.

Round 56: tog every 1st and 2nd st (6)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off and weave in the yarn end, closing the small hole.

We will now also pull the eyes inwards to create a more natural face shape. For this, take a long strand of yarn, preferably in the same color as the face, and insert the needle from the back of the head to the edge of the eye.

Bring the needle out at that point, then insert it again a little next to it, still right by the eye, and pass it back to the back of the head.

Now gently pull the yarn ends tighter bit by bit. Repeat the same process for the second eye, then adjust until both eyes sit at the same depth in the head. Secure the yarn by stitching around one stitch at the back of the head and tying a knot. Weave in the end, and you’re done.

You don’t need to worry about the dents at the back of the head – they will be completely covered by the hair.

Feet and legs:

Start with purple.
Ch 5 (and start crocheting from the 2nd ch from the hook).

Round 1: 3 x 1 sc, 3 sc in last ch, then work 3 x 1 sc along the other side of the foundation chain (9)
Round 2: inc in 1st st, 3 x 1 sc, inc in each of the next 2 sts, 3 x 1 sc (12)
Round 3: inc in 1st st, 4 x 1 sc, inc in each of the next 2 sts, 4 x 1 sc, inc in last st (16)
Round 4: inc in each of the first 2 sts, 5 x 1 sc, inc in each of the next 3 sts, 5 x 1 sc, inc in last st (22)
Round 5: 1 round sc in back loops only (22)
Rounds 6–7: 2 rounds sc (22)
Round 8: 8 x 1 sc, 3 x (tog next 2 sts), 8 sc (19)
Round 9: 6 x 1 sc, 3 x (tog next 2 sts), 7 sc (16)
Round 10: 5 x 1 sc, 3 x (tog next 2 sts), 5 sc (13)
Round 11: 1 round sc (13)
Round 12: 1 round sc in front loops only (13)
Round 13: inc in every st (26)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off and end.

Join beige yarn in the second-to-last round (insert your hook through the free back loop, pull up the beige yarn and secure it with a ch). Then work 15 rounds of sc. (13)

Stuff feet and legs, then flatten the top of the legs and close with a row of sc, always inserting the hook through the front and back stitch at the same time.

Hair in purple:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every st (12)
Round 3: inc in every 2nd st (18)
Round 4: inc in every 3rd st (24)
Round 5: inc in every 4th st (30)
Round 6: inc in every 5th st (36)
Round 7: inc in every 6th st (42)
Round 8: inc in every 7th st (48)
Round 9: inc in every 8th st (54)
Round 10: inc in every 9th st (60)
Rounds 11–15: 5 rounds sc (60)
Round 16: tog every 9th and 10th st (54)
Round 17: 1 round sc (54)
Round 18: 11 sc, ch 15 and skip the next 15 sc from the previous round, sl st in the next st, ch 15 again and skip the next 15 sc from the previous round, 11 sc.

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a long tail and finish.

Bun in purple:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every st (12)
Round 3: inc in every 2nd st (18)
Round 4: inc in every 3rd st (24)
Round 5: inc in every 4th st (30)
Rounds 6–7: 2 rounds sc (30)
Round 8: tog every 4th and 5th st (24)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a long tail and finish.

Arms (make 2) in purple:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st (9)
Rounds 3–14: 12 rounds sc (9)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a long tail and finish.

Hands (make 2) in beige:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st (9)
Rounds 3–5: 3 rounds sc (9)
Round 6: 4 sc, 1 popcorn stitch, 4 sc (9)

Popcorn stitch: Yarn over and insert the hook into the next stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. You now have 3 loops on the hook. Repeat this two more times (you now have 7 loops on the hook), then yarn over and pull through all 7 loops at once.

Round 7: tog every 2nd and 3rd st (6)
Rounds 8–11: 4 rounds sc (6)

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a tail of about 10 cm (4"). Use the back end of your crochet hook to push the popcorn stitch out a little more if needed.

Large leaf (make 5) in purple:

                Ch 11, starting in the 2nd ch from the hook:
Round 1: 2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr, 1 dc, 6 dc in the last ch of the foundation chain, then work back along the other side of the chain: 1 dc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc.

Round 2: Ch 1, 11 sc, inc in each of the next 3 sts, 10 sc.

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a longer tail. Using a yarn needle, weave the end along the center vein of the leaf to the other side.

Medium leaf (make 4) in pink:

                Ch 9, starting in the 2nd ch from the hook:
Round 1: 2 sc, 2 hdc, 3 dc, 6 dc in the last ch of the foundation chain, then work back along the other side of the chain: 3 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc.

Round 2: Ch 1, 9 sc, inc in each of the next 3 sts, 8 sc.

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a longer tail. Using a yarn needle, weave the end along the center vein of the leaf to the other side.

Small leaf (make 6) in pink:

                Ch 7, starting in the 2nd ch from the hook:
Round 1: 2 sc, 1 hdc, 2 dc, 6 dc in the last ch of the foundation chain, then work back along the other side of the chain: 2 dc, 1 hdc, 2 sc.

Round 2: Ch 1, 7 sc, inc in each of the next 3 sts, 6 sc.

Sl st in the next st, fasten off leaving a longer tail. Using a yarn needle, weave the end along the center vein of the leaf to the other side.

Large wings (make 2) in white:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st (9)
Round 3: inc in every 3rd st (12)
Round 4: inc in every 4th st (15)
Rounds 5–7: 3 rounds sc (15)
Round 8: tog every 4th and 5th st (12)
Rounds 9–11: 3 rounds sc (12)
Round 12: tog every 3rd and 4th st (9)
Rounds 13–15: 3 rounds sc (9)

Flatten the wing and close the open edge with a row of sc, working through both layers.

Small wings (make 2) in white:

                Ch 2 or make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in ring (6)
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st (9)
Round 3: inc in every 3rd st (12)
Round 4: inc in every 4th st (15)
Rounds 5–6: 2 rounds sc (15)
Round 7: tog every 4th and 5th st (12)
Rounds 8–9: 2 rounds sc (12)
Round 10: tog every 3rd and 4th st (9)
Rounds 11–13: 3 rounds sc (9)

Flatten the wing and close the open edge with a row of sc, working through both layers.

Ears (make 2) in beige:

Ch 5, starting in the 2nd ch from the hook:
3 sc, 3 sc in the last ch of the row, 3 sc back along the other side of the chain.

Necklace in white:

Ch 20.
Sl st in the 15th ch from the start, ch 5, skip 2 ch and make a sl st in the next ch (= 12th ch from the start),
ch 5, skip 2 ch and sl st in the next ch (= 9th ch from the start),
ch 5, skip 2 ch and sl st in the next ch (= 6th ch from the start),
ch 5, skip 2 ch and sl st in the next ch (= 3rd ch from the start),
ch 5, skip 2 ch and sl st in the next ch (= 1st ch from the start).

Fasten off and finish.

Finishing:

First, attach the hair to the head. The slip stitch between the two hair strands should sit centered between the eyes, and the back hairline should reach down to just above the neck. Pin everything in place with sewing pins first, then sew it on all the way around using the remaining yarn tail. If needed, you can now also fill the dents at the back of the head with a little stuffing.

Next, place the bun roughly in the center on top of the hair and pin it in place, then sew all the way around. When you’ve sewn about three-quarters of the way, stuff the bun and then sew the remaining opening closed.

Then sew the legs to the bottom of the body, positioning them in the center.

Next, it’s time to attach the arms. First thread the yarn tails from the hands onto a needle and pull them through the arms so that they come out again at the shoulders. This way you can pull the hands nicely into the arms. Secure the position of the hands by sewing them in place using the arm yarn tails, and then bring these tails up to the shoulders as well.

Pin the arms to the body about 2 rounds below the dress line on the left and right side, and sew them in place around the shoulder area.

Next comes the first row of leaves on the dress. Start with the purple leaves: position one in the center between the legs, then one to the left and one to the right of it. Place the remaining two slightly higher on the left and right outer sides so that they form a gently curved line. Sew the leaves in place along the upper half.

Now position the 4 larger pink leaves so that each one sits between two purple leaves. Again, sew them in place along the upper half.

Pin three of the small pink leaves on top: one pointing downwards, one to the left, and one to the right. Sew them in place.

Position the remaining three leaves so that their bases (the rounded side with the 6 dc) overlap. One should point upwards, and the other two should point into the gaps between the leaves of the previous round. Sew these in place as well. Using one of the yarn tails, you can now also sew three beads into the center of the flower.

Next, sew on the wings. First pin them to the back with a few pins. The tips of the wings should meet in the middle of the back. The large wings go on top, the small ones underneath. Sew each wing to the back along a length of about 2 cm (¾").

You can now simply place the necklace around the neck, tie it in a knot at the back, and hide the yarn ends inside the body.

Finally, sew the ears to the head with one or two stitches each, right at the point where the hair strands blend into the rest of the hair.

Now only the finishing touches are missing.

First, use some black embroidery thread to stitch on the shoelaces.

Embroider the nose with beige yarn at the height between the eyes.

For the eyes, first stitch a small line on the outer side with white yarn, then use black embroidery thread to add the eyelashes and eyebrows.

You can embroider the mouth in black as well, or alternatively use red embroidery thread.

If you like, you can now add a little blush to the cheeks.

Finally, embroider the individual fingers on the hands.

Your Christmas Elf Poinsettia is finished :)

I hope you enjoyed this pattern, and if you have any questions or run into any problems, please feel free to leave me a comment. I’d also be very happy about any positive feedback :)

Have fun crocheting your elf, and feel free to check out my other free blog patterns or take a look around my shop. You’ll find many more sewing and crochet patterns there – for practical items as well as cute soft toys and amigurumi.