Mini Crochet Christmas Tree

Here's another quick n' easy crochet ornament for you. I am developing these to decorate my Vintage Granny-Square Christmas Stockings.

MaterialsA few yards each of yarn in green, brown, and your choice of contrasting color

Tools
Crochet hook (mine is "G" gauge)
Scissors

Stitch Key
ch = Chain
hdc = half double crochet
dhdc = decrease half double crochet *
sl = slip stitch

* Thanks to the author of this Baby Cloche pattern for the following description of the "decrease half double crochet:"

To dhdc, (yarn over, insert hook in next hdc, yo, draw loop through) two times, yo, draw through all 5 loops on hook]

Put another way, you are performing the first half of a half-double-crochet in the first stitch, but instead of completing with yarn-over and pulling through the two loops, instead yo and insert hook into the *next* hdc stitch and proceed as normal for another hdc, finishing by pulling the yarn through all five loops.

Clear as mud? Look it up on you-tube! ;)

Instructions

Tree

Constructed from the bottom up.

Row 1: ch 11, turn, and hdc in second ch from end. hdc in remaining 9 ch stitches for 10 total

Row 2: ch 1 and turn, dhdc in first two hdc stitches. hdc in next 6 stitches. dhdc in last two stitches. (8 total stitches)

Row 3: ch 1 and turn, dhdc in first two hdc stitches. hdc in next 4 stitches. dhdc in last two stitches (6 total stitches)

Row 4: ch 1 and turn, dhdc in first two hdc stiches. hdc in next 2 stitches. dhdc in last two stitches (4 total stitches)

Row 5: ch 1 and turn, dhdc in each of the four stitches. (2 stitches total.)

Row 6: ch 1 and turn, dhdc in the two stitches. (1 stitch total.)

Star

Foundation: ch 4 and join with sl

Row 1: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc), then sl in ring. Repeat 1 hdc, 1 sl four more times for a total of 5 sets. Join with sl stitch.

Attach to tree top.

Trunk

Attach brown yarn in 5th stitch at bottom of tree and ch 2.

Depending on preference, hdc in next one or two stitches.

If desired, ch 2, turn, and complete second row.