Dollar Bin Challenge – Christmas Edition

I have been a member of a blogger group for a couple of months now, they have been doing a monthly challenge between the people that belong to the group. I usually didn’t sign up to do it… until this month! Their dollar bin pick was Target’s $3 Mini Christmas Tree! I looked at this tree for awhile trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Then it hit me… make it into a crochet tree! The bottom of the tree was just screaming for a crocheted cover. I didn’t think that anyone would have a pattern for something like this. So, I decided to design my own! Yup, that’s right… I wrote my first pattern (which I will be sharing with all of you, for free)!

The first thing you need to do is pick yourself up a Mini Christmas Tree. We got ours from Target in their $3 bin.

Once I got it home I fluffed it up and took off the burlap wrap on the bottom of it. I was a little surprised to just find a a cylinder shape piece of concrete there to stabilize the tree. To be honest I didn’t know what to expect under there… but I didn’t think that.

After I took it off I dived into making my own pattern for a cover. It’s pretty cute if I might say so myself. You can make it striped like mine or one solid color. I didn’t specify my color changes in the pattern so that it’s completely up to you!

Mini Christmas Tree Base Pattern

This pattern will work with a 16.5 inch mini tree with a 3 inch wide x 2.5 inch tall cylinder base.

Materials:
Worsted Weight Yarn
H Hook

Gauge: 6 sc sts and 7 rows = 2 inches

Abbreviations:
Ch – Chain
Sc – Single Crochet
Slst – Slip Stitch
Flsc – Front Loop Single Crochet

Row 1: Ch 4, Slst into 1st Ch.

Row 2: Ch 1, Sc 8 in loop. Slst into 1st stitch. (8)

Row 3: Ch 1, 2Sc in each stitch around. Slst into 1st stitch. (16)

Row 4: Ch 1, *2Sc, Sc* Repeat from * until the end. Slst into 1st stitch. (24)

Row 5: Ch 1, *2Sc, Sc in next two stitches* Repeat from * until the end. Slst into 1st stitch. (32)

Row 6: Ch 1, Flsc in each stitch around. Slst into 1st stitch. (32)

Row 7-12: Ch 1, Sc in each stitch around. Slst into 1st stitch. (32)

Row 13: Ch 1, *Sc in next 3 stitches, Ch 1 Skip 1 stitch* Repeat from * until the end. Slst into 1st stitch. (32) (This row creates the holes for the tie)

Row 14: Ch 1, Sc in each stitch around. Slst into 1st stitch. (32)

You can end there or repeat Row 14 until you reach the height that you want. I would suggest trying it on to see how you like it. I ended mine with Row 16.

For the tie, I just braided the three colors of yarn together and cut them to the length that I wanted. You can use whatever you want: yarn, ribbon or twine to name a few!

Tree Decorations: I made little balls of yarn and stars to decorate my tree and I used a small string of LED lights.

Yarn Balls: For the balls I just rolled up the colors that I wanted. Then when I was happy with the size of the ball I glued the loose part of the yarn down to keep it held together. I took toothpicks and made crochet hooks and knitting needles to stick into the balls.

Stars: It took awhile to find a good start pattern that I liked, but I found one on Ravelry. The little stars from Amination where the perfect size and super easy to make! You can find them here: http://aminationblog.tumblr.com/post/44573037824/reach-for-the-moon-and-stars Once I had them made I just glued little buttons to the centers. For the tree top I made two and sewed them together, Leaving the bottom open so that I could slide it over the top of the tree.

All you have to do is make a bunch of these until you are happy with how full your tree is. I did three yarn balls and three stars per color (red, green and white).

And here is my finished tree!

 

Now that you have seen my entry for the  $3 Mini Tree Challenge, be sure to check out the other bloggers that participated! You will surely get some great ideas on how to decorate your Mini Christmas Tree!!

: DIY Inspired : Life With Lovebugs : Zoo Cutie Printables :
: Simply Creative Ways : Pandora’s Craft Box :