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Scandinavian Advent Calendar

November 6, 2018 1 Comment

Yarn support for this design was provided by Lion Brand Yarn.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.
I waited as long as I could to start sharing holiday ideas this year, but we knitters and crocheters know that if we want to make something in time for the holidays, we’ve got to get started early. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is a beautiful way to crochet a handmade keepsake and build a family tradition for years to come. Even better, the Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level! This pattern uses mostly single crochet stitches and features basic embroidery stitches for a handmade, homey look, ideal for Christmas crafting.

Get an inexpensive, printable, ad-free PDF of this pattern here, and a kit to take the guesswork out of making your own here. 

Making the most of your advent calendar

Inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia, the simple, geometric trees and matching cross-stitch numbers of the Scandinavian Advent Calendar let you crochet a statement piece for holiday decorating. Once you’re done, you can fill each of the 24 pockets with candy and other surprises to build anticipation for Christmas Eve.

And don’t think Advent Calendars are just for kids! This year, I’ll be wrapping up my years-long ornaments of Christmas series with my 21st through 24th ornament patterns, so you can fill each pocket with the name of a different ornament and do one of two things. One, challenge yourself to make all of the ornaments of Christmas throughout the holiday season. Or two, you can hang one new ornament each day leading up to Christmas to add colorful, handmade touches to your Christmas tree. These are just a couple fun ideas to try, but feel free to get creative and incorporate your own traditions too! :)

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar Kits!

Hold on to your Santa hats! The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is also available as a kit from Lion Brand Yarn. I’ve been meaning to start making some blog patterns available as kits for awhile, and the holiday season seemed like a great opportunity. Even if you don’t want to tackle making your Scandinavian Advent Calendar this year, put this colorful kit on your gift wish list. With a kit, you know you’ll get exactly the yarn you need to make this project, no guesswork required. PS: Kits are 35% off this week! Check it out! 

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

Get an inexpensive, printable, ad-free PDF of this pattern here, and a kit here.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar – Crochet Pattern

Skill level: Easy

Supplies
8 skeins Lion Brand Yarn 24/7 Cotton in Sky (Clr A)
2 skeins Lion Brand Yarn 24/7 Cotton in Grass (Clr B)
1 skein Lion Brand Yarn 24/7 Cotton in Ecru (Clr C)
1 skein Lion Brand Yarn 24/7 Cotton in Red (Clr D)

US G (4.25 mm) hook
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Progress markers (optional)
2, 24-inch dowels (0.5 to 0.75 diameter recommended) for hanging (optional)

Abbreviations & Terms
RS – right side
Clr – color
ch – chain
sts – stitches
sc – single crochet
WS – wrong side
rep – repeat

Notes: The upper part of this advent calendar includes some basic intarsia colorwork. Intarsia crochet involves working multiple colors of yarn in segments across a single row to form large segments of color without the need for carrying yarn at the back of your work (i.e. stranded colorwork).

Basic embroidery stitches (cross stitch, running stitch and basting stitch) are used to number and seam the finished calendar together. A running stitch looks like a dashed line, and a cross stitch looks like a small X. Basting stitches are quick, temporary stitches that are used to tack items in place, but they are later removed from a finished project.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.
Gauge & Dimensions: 18 stitches x 23 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet stitch with measurements taken after wet blocking. Finished calendar measures approx. 24 inches (60.1 cm) wide x 48 inches (122 cm) tall after wet blocking and seaming. Each pocket is approx. 3 x 3.5 inches (7.5 x 9 cm).

The Pattern

Calendar Body
row 1. (RS) Using Clr A, ch 109 sts. Starting in second ch from hook, sc 108.
row 2. (WS) Using Clr A, ch 1 (counts as sc), turn. sc 107.
rows 3-114. Rep row 2.
rows 115-258. Using Clrs A-D, follow the Trees Chart provided using sc sts and the intarsia colorwork method.
rows 258-288. Rep row 2.

Break yarn and draw tail through to secure. Weave in all ends. Wet block using pins to achieve straight edges and finished size (24” x 50”).

Calendar Pockets (Make 24.)

row 1. Using Clr A, ch 15 sts. Starting in second ch from hook, sc 14.
row 2. Ch 1 (counts as sc), turn. sc 13.
rows 3-17. Rep row 2.

Break yarn and draw tail through to secure. Weave in all ends. Wet block using pins to achieve finished size (3” wide x 3.5” tall per pocket).

Finishing
Once calendar body and pockets are blocked and dry, cross stitch one number per pocket on to your 24 total pockets using the charts provided. Note: Each single crochet stitch equals one rectangle in the chart provided.

Using a running stitch, seam numbered pockets in an evenly-distributed 6 by 4 grid onto the lower (light blue) half of your calendar body. Optional: To ensure even placement, use scrap yarn in a contrasting color to baste your pockets into place before seaming.

Fold over each end of your calendar body so there’s enough room for a dowel to be inserted. Baste your folds into place and use running stitches and yarn Clr A to secure each end, forming casings for your dowels. Weave in all remaining ends. Insert dowels into top and bottom casings. For storage and to avoid wrinkling, calendar may be rolled up like a map.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

Pattern Charts

Download the Trees Chart & Pockets Charts (for cross-stitch numbers) here.

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

Don’t forget! You can get an inexpensive, printable, ad-free PDF of this pattern here. And a kit to make your own here. 

Scandinavian Advent Calendar - free crochet pattern -- An advent calendar is a great way to make your own keepsake Christmas decoration and build a family tradition for years to come. The Scandinavian Advent Calendar is great for crocheters at almost any skill level and is inspired by beautiful holiday decor found in Scandinavia. This pattern features basic embroidery stitches for added texture and a handmade look.

Yarn support for this design was provided by Lion Brand Yarn.

Filed Under: Christmas, Crochet, Free Patterns Tagged With: 12 ornaments of christmas, advent calendar, crochet pattern, kit, lion brand yarn, scandinavian advent calendar

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Jen Baker

    September 24, 2019 at 11:10 pm

    love this calendar idea, its so cute! thank you, I love it!

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

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POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
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Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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