Christmas gifts

Quick crochet Christmas gifts: yarn per gift and per ball

Most quick crochet Christmas gifts need very little yarn. Across 27 free patterns we checked, a hanging decoration took a middle figure of 29 metres, and the middle count was about eight from one 100g ball, while an adult hat or a pair of mittens uses most of a ball. We noted each designer’s yarn, hook, finished size and stated quantity, then worked out metres per gift, gifts per 100g ball of Stylecraft Special in the pattern’s own weight, and the yarn cost at £2.35 a ball. The tables below show the figures by gift type and pattern by pattern.

HazelLoop planning guide · Reviewed 2 October 2026 · Figures from cited sources

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The quick answer, by gift type

Find the kind of gift you want to make. The metres column is the yarn each one takes. The last column is how many you can make from one 100g ball, worked out for each pattern against Stylecraft Special in that pattern’s own weight: 295m for DK, 196m for aran and 144m for chunky, as listed by Wool Warehouse. Only 6 of the 27 patterns are DK, so most counts are for aran or chunky.

Small decorations and small useful gifts are where one ball goes a long way. A typical one gets you about eight. Hats, mittens and table trees are a different kind of gift: plan on one ball each, sometimes more. Cotton balls hold fewer metres than Special: Yarnsmiths Cotton aran has 160m per 100g and James C Brett Pure DK Cotton 215m, so in cotton you get fewer gifts than these counts.

Yarn per gift by type, from 27 free published patterns: metres per gift, and gifts per 100g ball of Stylecraft Special in each pattern’s own yarn weight (DK 295m, aran 196m, chunky 144m; only 6 patterns are DK). Checked 2 October 2026.
Gift type	Patterns	Yarn weights	Metres per gift	Middle figure	Gifts per 100g ball
Hanging decoration or bauble	11	DK 2, aran 4, chunky 5	7–120m	29m	2–19, middle 8
Tree topper or table tree	2	Chunky 2	58–183m	Not enough patterns	Under 1 to 2
Hat, adult	3	DK 1, aran 1, chunky 1	95–300m	170m	1 (2 if the hat has a second colour)
Ear warmer or headband	4	DK 1, aran 2, chunky 1	46–82m (3 give metres)	82m	2–6
Mittens, one pair	1	Aran	182m	Not enough patterns	1
Small gift: card holder, bag, mug cosy, scrunchie	4	DK 2, aran 2	16–36m (3 give metres)	25m	5–18, middle 8
Dishcloth	2	Aran or worsted cotton 2	Not given (15–20g and 60–70g)	Not enough patterns	1–6

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Where the numbers come from

We opened free patterns on six designers’ websites: Dora Does, Hooked On Patterns, Moogly, Wilmade, Handy Little Me and Bella Coco. We kept the 27 that give a yarn quantity, and noted the finished size and hook. Yards were converted at 0.9144 metres. Where a designer gave grams and named the yarn’s metres per ball on the same page, as Wilmade and Bella Coco do, we converted to metres. Where a designer gave grams only, we counted and priced by weight.

We haven’t made these gifts ourselves. The quantities are the designers’ own, and every pattern is linked at the bottom of this page. Most are written in US terms: Wilmade’s HDC Ornament is named after the half double crochet, which is a half treble in UK terms. Hooked On Patterns’ Gingerbread Smilies ask for about 10 yards of the main colour and “2yds of the other colours”, so we show 12 to 16 yards, reading that as 2 yards in total or 2 yards of each of three colours. A pattern’s own figure always beats our summary.

The 27 patterns, with metres per gift, gifts per 100g ball and yarn cost, each worked out for Stylecraft Special in the pattern’s own weight at £2.35 a 100g ball (Wool Warehouse, checked 2 October 2026). Grams-only patterns are counted and priced by weight.
Pattern (designer)	Yarn	Hook	Finished size	Designer’s quantity	Metres per gift	Gifts per 100g ball	Yarn cost per gift
Festive Crochet Friends (Dora Does)	DK, Paintbox Simply DK	3.5mm	12 × 8cm	10–12g, 30–40m	30–40	7–9	24–32p
Yule Log ornament, small to large (Dora Does)	DK cotton	3.5mm	11–14cm long	25–55g, 55–120m	55–120	2–5	44–96p
Reindeer bauble (Hooked On Patterns)	Chunky, Paintbox Simply Chunky	5mm and 4mm	11.5 × 10cm	About 40yd plus scraps	37	3	60p
Gingerbread Smilies (Hooked On Patterns)	Chunky, Paintbox Simply Chunky	6mm and 5mm	6.5cm across	About 10yd main colour plus “2yds of the other colours” (3 colours)	11–15	9–13	18–24p
Peppermint Candy ornament (Moogly)	Chunky, Bernat Maker Minis	5mm	5cm across	8yd	7	19	12p
Acorn ornament (Moogly)	Chunky, Bernat Maker Minis	5mm	3cm across	10yd	9	15	15p
Red Truck ornament (Moogly)	Chunky, Bernat Maker Minis	4mm	10 × 6.5cm	40yd	37	3	60p
HDC Ornament, 6cm or 8cm (Wilmade)	Aran, Lion Brand DIY Glow	4mm	6cm or 8cm bauble	14g or 22g	18–29	6–10	22–34p
Slip Stitch Ornament, 6cm or 8cm (Wilmade)	Aran, Lion Brand DIY Glow	4mm	6cm or 8cm bauble	16g or 28g	21–36	5–9	25–44p
Christmas tree garland, one tree (Hooked On Patterns)	Aran cotton	5mm	10 × 6.5cm	7g, 14yd	13	15	15p
Nordic Star ornament pouch (Moogly)	Aran, Red Heart Scrubby Smoothie	Not given on page	10 × 12.5cm	55yd	50	3	60p
Santa hat tree topper (Dora Does)	Chunky, Stylecraft Special Chunky	7mm	15cm tall	About 40m main plus 18m trim, about 40g	58	2	95p
Mini tabletop tree (Hooked On Patterns)	Chunky	5mm	30cm tall	About 200yd	183	Needs 1.3 balls	£2.98
Christmas Gift Hat, Adult and Large Adult (Dora Does)	DK, Paintbox Simply DK	4mm	Fits 58–61cm head	210–220m main colour, plus 50–80m for bow and ribbon (all sizes)	260–300	1, plus bow colour	£2.07–£2.39
Beehive Beanie (Dora Does)	Chunky	6.5mm	49cm round	About 95m, 75g	95	1	£1.55
My Brother’s Beanie (Dora Does)	Aran	5mm	50cm round	About 170m	170	1	£2.04
Turban twist headband (Dora Does)	DK, Eden Cottage Milburn DK	4mm	50 × 10cm	15–20g	Not given	5–6	35–47p
All Grown Up ear warmer (Moogly)	Aran, Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice	5.5mm	Two adult sizes	90yd	82	2	99p
Love Is Cold ear warmer (Moogly)	Aran, Red Heart with Love	5.5mm	Two adult sizes	90yd	82	2	99p
Blueberry Twist headband (Moogly)	Chunky, Caron Simply Me	8mm	10cm wide	50yd	46	3	75p
Thick & Cosy Mittens, ladies’ size, one pair (Hooked On Patterns)	Aran acrylic	5mm and 5.5mm	19cm long plus cuff	132m plus 50m for cuffs (116g in all)	182	1 pair, cuffs in a 2nd colour	£2.18
Gift card holder (Handy Little Me)	DK	4mm	9 × 10cm	16–22m	16–22	13–18	13–18p
Mini drawstring favour bag (Dora Does)	DK cotton blend	4mm	10 × 10cm	10–15g	Not given	6–10	24–35p
Christmas Tree Coffee Cozy (Moogly)	Aran	5.5mm	24cm long	25–30yd	23–27	7–8	27–33p
Sweet Pea scrunchie, mini or maxi (Bella Coco)	Aran cotton, Yarnsmiths Cotton	4.5mm	9cm or 10cm	10g or 22.5g	16–36	5–12	19–43p
Candy cane dishcloth (Handy Little Me)	Aran cotton	4mm or 5mm	25.5cm square	60–70g	Not given	1	£1.41–£1.65
Happy Face cloth (Dora Does)	Worsted cotton, Lily Sugar’n Cream	5.5mm	22cm across	15–20g	Not given	5–6	35–47p

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Planning a batch from one ball

From one 100g ball of Stylecraft Special DK (295m), Dora Does’ Festive Crochet Friends work out at 7 to 9 decorations, at 30 to 40 metres each. Handy Little Me’s gift card holder takes 16 to 22 metres, so the same ball covers 13 to 18 of them. Dora Does’ Yule Log ornament runs from 2 large to 5 small per ball.

Chunky makes bigger decorations, but each ball holds fewer metres. Moogly’s Peppermint Candy ornament takes 8 yards, which is 19 from a 144m ball of Special Chunky. Hooked On Patterns’ Reindeer bauble takes about 40 yards, so you get three.

These counts assume one colour. The Festive Friends use green, beige and red or white, and the reindeer use up to five colours. For a batch, add up the metres for each colour across every gift, then round each colour up to whole balls on its own. The yarn budget calculator does that sum if you enter one row per colour.

Two colours means two balls

A gift that looks like one ball often isn’t. Dora Does’ Christmas Gift Hat needs 210 to 220 metres of the main colour in the Adult and Large Adult sizes, which fit 58 and 61cm heads. That fits in one 100g ball of DK. The bow and ribbon are a second colour, which Dora Does puts at 50 to 80 metres depending on size, so you buy two balls or use leftovers.

Hooked On Patterns’ mittens are similar. A pair takes 132 metres for the hands and 50 metres for the cuffs. In one colour that’s 182 metres, just under a 196m ball of Special Aran, but the designer’s own pair weighed 116g, so in a denser aran you’d need a second ball. With contrast cuffs it’s two balls, and the second one is mostly spare for other gifts.

Aran hats vary more than My Brother’s Beanie suggests. In our crochet hat guide, half of the adult medium and large aran quantities needed more than one ball of Special Aran, so check your pattern’s figure before buying one ball.

What each gift costs in yarn

Stylecraft Special DK, Aran and Chunky were all £2.35 for a 100g ball at Wool Warehouse, checked 2 October 2026, before delivery. At that price a Festive Friend costs 24 to 32p in yarn, a gift card holder 13 to 18p and a pair of single-colour mittens about £2.18. An adult hat comes to about £1.55 to £2.39 depending on the pattern.

These figures cover the yarn used, not the whole balls you buy. If you plan to sell gifts at a Christmas fair, the crochet price calculator adds your time to the yarn cost. For cheaper DK than Special DK, see our price comparison of 31 DK yarns.

How long they take, where designers say

Few designers give a time. Handy Little Me lists an active time of 1 hour for the gift card holder and for the candy cane dishcloth, and 25 minutes for her bauble cover. Annie Design Crochet says she made each of her tassel stars “in 15 minutes”. Moogly says the Broadway ear warmer, in super chunky yarn, works up in “more like half an hour”.

Treat these as one person’s pace. They don’t include weaving in ends, sewing on bows or stuffing, which adds up across a batch of twenty.

Leave time for posting

If gifts are going by post, work back from the last posting day rather than Christmas Eve. We haven’t given dates here, so check Royal Mail’s last recommended posting dates for Christmas on royalmail.com before you plan around one.

Flat gifts are the simplest to post. A gift card holder, a garland tree or a folded dishcloth packs flatter than a stuffed reindeer or a cover fitted to its bauble.

Check before you move on

Gift list written out, with how many of each
Metres per gift taken from each pattern, not guessed
Each colour totalled across the batch and rounded up to whole balls
Yarn weight matched to the pattern, with aran standing in for US worsted
Finishing time allowed for ends, bows and stuffing
Posting day checked on royalmail.com for anything going by post

Ready to buy?

For a red and white batch of gifts

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Stylecraft Special DK, Lipstick (1246)

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Stylecraft Special DK, White (1001)

One 100g / 295m ball, 100% acrylic, sold by The Great British Yarn Company.

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Common questions

How many crochet baubles can you make from one ball of yarn?

For small hanging decorations, about eight from a 100g ball of Stylecraft Special in the pattern’s weight, with a range of 2 to 19 across the patterns we checked. Tiny chunky ornaments of 8 to 10 yards give 15 to 19 per ball of Special Chunky. Larger ones of around 40 yards give three.

What can I crochet for Christmas with one ball of DK?

One 100g ball of Stylecraft Special DK covers 7 to 9 of Dora Does’ Festive Crochet Friends, 13 to 18 gift card holders, or the main colour of one adult hat.

How much yarn do I need for a crochet ear warmer?

The ear warmers and headbands we checked used 46 to 82 metres, or 15 to 20g for a DK headband. That’s two to six from a 100g ball.

What is the quickest crochet Christmas gift to make?

Of the times designers state, Annie Design Crochet made each tassel star “in 15 minutes”, and Handy Little Me gives an active time of 25 minutes for her bauble cover. Moogly says her 8-yard Peppermint Candy ornament “can be made in minutes”.

Sources and scope

Sources checked 2 October 2026. Label facts come from the linked references; worked purchase examples and arithmetic are our own illustrations.

Keep planning

These are planning methods, not physically tested crochet patterns. Read our method and editorial approach.