Christmas Pickle Ornament

Christmas Pickle Ornament Crochet Pattern

What Is Being Made

The Christmas Pickle Ornament is a festive handmade decoration designed by Stacey Trock and created in November 2009. This finished ornament stands 5.5 inches tall and serves as a charming holiday accent piece. The pickle-shaped design is a playful take on the traditional Christmas pickle tradition, making it an ideal gift or tree decoration for crochet enthusiasts of all skill levels.

Craft and Techniques

This project uses crochet as the primary construction method. The pattern employs a fundamental crochet technique of stitching into the back loop only throughout most of the design. This deliberate stitch placement creates distinctive ridges on the right side of the finished piece, adding visual texture and dimension to the ornament. The back-loop-only method is a signature design element that gives the pickle its characteristic appearance.

The ornament is worked in the round, a common approach for creating three-dimensional amigurumi-style toys and decorative pieces. This construction method allows the crocheter to build the pickle shape continuously without breaking yarn or changing direction dramatically.

Stitches Used

The Christmas Pickle pattern incorporates several essential crochet stitches:

• Chain stitch (ch) – used for foundation and shaping
• Single crochet (sc) – the primary stitch for building the body
• Half double crochet (hdc) – provides medium height and structure
• Double crochet (dc) – used for taller sections and detail work
• Single crochet 2 together (sc2tog) – employed for decreasing stitches and shaping the pickle form
• Slip stitch (sl st) – used to join rounds and finish edges
• Bobble stitch (bbl) – adds decorative textural elements to the design

Materials and Tools

This pattern requires minimal materials, making it an economical project. Crafters will need less than 220 yards of worsted weight yarn (typically one skein), a Size H crochet hook, a few handfuls of stuffing for filling the ornament, and ribbon for hanging.

The original sample was created using 100% wool worsted weight yarn in Forest Green (Ella Rae Classic, color #75). However, the pattern is flexible regarding yarn choice – any worsted weight yarn works well for this project. Worsted weight yarn provides the ideal balance of stitch definition and workability for creating a 5.5-inch ornament with clear stitch texture.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for crocheters with some foundational experience. While the stitches used are relatively basic, the combination of working in the round, managing decreases, and incorporating specialty stitches like bobble stitch requires intermediate-level skills and pattern-reading ability.